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CTV News
11 hours ago
- CTV News
Italy's referendum on citizenship and job protections fails because of low turnout
Ballot papers are prepared on a table for referendums on citizenship and job protections, at a polling station in Milan, Italy, Sunday, June 8, 2025. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP) ROME — Italy's referendums aimed at relaxing citizenship laws and improving job protections failed on Monday because of low turnout. But organizers said that it contributed to restarting the public debate in the country over high-stakes issues. The result was a clear defeat for the center-left opposition and a victory for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her ruling right-wing coalition, which openly supported abstention. Final data showed that turnout stood at 30.6% of eligible voters after two days of polling, well below the 50% plus one required to make the vote valid. Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party celebrated the referendum's failure. 'The only real goal of this referendum was to bring down the Meloni government,' the party said on social media, posting a picture of the main opposition's leaders. 'In the end, it was the Italians who brought you down.' Maurizio Landini, leader of the CGIL trade union that was behind the initiative, acknowledged the defeat, but stressed it could be a starting point to revive key social battles focusing on workers' rights. 'We knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park,' he said. 'There is an obvious crisis of democracy and participation.' Landini noted that more than 14 million Italians cast their ballots in the two-days referendum, with more than 80% voting in favor of the proposed measures aimed at strengthening job protections. The five proposals wanted to make it easier for immigrants and children born in Italy to foreigners to obtain citizenship — halving the years of residency required to five from 10 — and provide more job protections. The leader of Italy'a center-left Democratic Party, Elly Schlein, stressed that 'more electors voted in these referendums than those who voted for the right in 2022, backing Meloni in government.' Rights at stake Campaigners for the change in the citizenship law said that it would help second-generation Italians born in the country to non- European Union parents better integrate into a culture they already see as theirs. The new rules, if passed, would have affected about 2.5 million foreign nationals who still struggle to be recognized as citizens. Activist groups said that the proposed reforms also would have allowed faster access to civil and political rights, such as the right to vote, eligibility for public employment and freedom of movement within the EU. The referendum on citizenship, however, proved to be more divisive than the others, as only about 65% voted 'yes' in support of measures easing the current laws. Activists and opposition parties denounced the lack of public debate on the measures, accusing the governing coalition of having tried to dampen interest in sensitive issues that directly impact immigrants and workers. In May, Italy's AGCOM communications authority filed a complaint against RAI state television and other broadcasters over a lack of adequate and balanced coverage. Opinion polls published in mid-May showed that only 46% of Italians were aware of the issues driving the referendums. 'Many believe that the referendum institution should be reviewed in light of the high levels of abstention (that) emerged in recent elections and the turnout threshold should be lowered,' said Lorenzo Pregliasco, political analyst and pollster at YouTrend. Giada Zampano, The Associated Press
CBC
15 hours ago
- CBC
UN treaty aims to protect international waters and their inhabitants
World leaders, scientists gather in France for UN Ocean Conference 12 hours ago Duration 1:57 Social Sharing UN Secretary General António Guterres on Monday urged world leaders to ratify a treaty that would allow nations to establish protected marine areas in international waters, warning that human activity was destroying ocean ecosystems. Speaking at the opening of the third UN Ocean Conference in Nice, Guterres cautioned that illegal fishing, plastic pollution and rising sea temperatures threatened delicate ecosystems and the people who depend on them. "The ocean is the ultimate shared resource. But we are failing it," Guterres said, citing collapsing fish stocks, rising sea levels and ocean acidification. Oceans also provide a vital buffer against climate change, by absorbing around 30 per cent of planet-heating CO2 emissions. But as the oceans heat up, hotter waters are destroying marine ecosystems and threatening the oceans' ability to absorb CO2. WATCH | The last time the Earth was this hot, here's what the ocean did: The last time the Earth was this hot — here's what the ocean did 18 days ago Duration 1:24 Sea levels will rise — by metres, not centimetres — and the time to prepare is now. Drawing on ancient clues and the latest science, Johanna Wagstaffe explains what Earth's past reveals about our coastal future — and why smart planning today could protect millions in the decades and centuries to come. "These are symptoms of a system in crisis — and they are feeding off each other. Unravelling food chains. Destroying livelihoods. Deepening insecurity," said Guterres. The High Seas Treaty, adopted in 2023, would permit countries to establish marine parks in international waters, which cover nearly two-thirds of the ocean and are largely unregulated. So far, only an estimated one per cent of international waters, known as the "high seas," have been protected. The drive for nations to turn years of promises into meaningful protection for the oceans comes as President Donald Trump pulls the United States and its money out of climate projects, and as some European governments weaken green policy commitments as they seek to support anemic economies and fend off nationalists. U.S. won't ratify treaty — and isn't bound by it The United States has not yet ratified the treaty and will not do so during the conference, said Rebecca Hubbard, director of The High Seas Alliance. "If they don't ratify, they are not bound by it," she said. "The implementation will take years, but it is critical we start now and we won't let the U.S. absence stop that from happening." WATCH | Scientists want a ban on deep-sea mining. Trump wants to fast-track it: Scientists want a ban on deep-sea mining. Trump wants to fast-track it 5 days ago Duration 1:59 A group of leading ocean and climate scientists, including Canadians, is calling for a ban on deep-sea mining just as U.S. President Donald Trump moves to fast-track undersea mining approvals. French President Emmanuel Macron, the conference's co-host, told delegates that 50 countries had now ratified the treaty and that another 15 had promised to do so. The treaty will only come into force once 60 countries ratify it. Macron's foreign minister said he expected that would happen before the end of the year. The United States has not sent a high-level delegation to the conference. "It's not a surprise; we know the American administration's position on these issues," Macron told reporters late on Sunday.
National Post
15 hours ago
- National Post
Vision Capital Corporation Comments on Speculated Amendments to Ireland's Housing Regulation
Article content A two-tier system would be folly, and would exacerbate Ireland's housing crisis, not solve it Article content TORONTO — We are very concerned about the prospect that recent press reports regarding amendments to rental housing regulations in Ireland would, if implemented, further exacerbate the nation's current policy-induced housing crisis. Article content Article content Rent control regulations on housing have been a dismal failure for decades globally, and can be observed more recently in Ireland, primarily as they significantly harm those that they are intended and purported to help. Article content If affordable housing is a social and strategic goal for a community and society, then policies that effectively achieve this aim should be promoted, not politically popular yet severely detrimental rent control regulations. To this point, policy should target broader social and economic and considerations: for example, if a society determines it is an appropriate social goal to support lower-income individuals and families with housing subsidies, policies that fund these subsidies would achieve a vastly superior outcome compared to governments interfering in the housing market that, without restrictive rent controls can and will respond to supply and demand forces to increase housing supply. Article content Programs that have successfully increased affordable housing globally include affordable housing development programs, market incentives, integral affordable housing components in new developments, and a variety of innovative and low-cost financing options. Article content In contrast, restrictive rent controls regulations stifle new supply. One cannot solve a demand problem by restricting supply. Doing so does not solve the problem – it exacerbates it. Article content Moreover, rent control regulations create a disincentive to invest capital in maintaining the physical property, resulting in deteriorating housing stock and poor living conditions for residents. To alleviate this significant problem, any new regulations should also include provisions that allow landlords who make bona fide capital improvements to properties, in addition to regular operating maintenance expenses, to apply for what is known in other rent-regulated markets as 'above-guideline increases' or 'AGIs'. AGIs recognize that to facilitate these investments, landlords need to receive a return on their capital invested, in addition to the allowed annual rent increases. Such policies have worked effectively to slow the deterioration of the housing stock. These regulations need to provide more flexibility than the Substantial Change Exemption provision in existing regulations, which generally restrict funding qualification to only the most transformative property changes. Article content The recent report that the government is considering a two-tier system, which differentiates the existing housing stock by maintaining a 2% rent increase cap on existing apartments, while allowing a 4% cap on new developments, is not sustainable and would be folly for at least four reasons: Article content The 2% rent cap is an uneconomic proposition for apartment owners and results in the previously noted underfunding of capital expenditures and a deteriorating quality of housing stock and living conditions. It is essential to appreciate that the vast majority of the affordable rental apartments in Ireland are owned by individual landlords and small businesses. With annual inflationary pressures on their costs and operating expenses, as well as regular capital expenditures increasingly straining their budgets, these owners have been increasingly selling their flats. This market reality further reduces the supply of affordable rental units, and a failure to address these trends will further exacerbate the current housing crisis. As a two-tier system is unsustainable, stakeholders will not trust the stability of the regulatory framework, which, in turn, will create market uncertainty. Market uncertainty impinges on and restricts investment decisions. Therefore, these policies and the accompanying market uncertainty will not effectively increase the urgently needed new supply, once again, highlighting the stark contrast to the stated major policy objective. Article content Politicians and all stakeholders should be confident, if not inspired, that alleviating restrictive and punitive rent regulations can, and does, work. Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States and Calgary, Alberta, in Canada, are two of the highest population growth regions in North America. Neither of these markets has rent controls. Not only have there been record amounts of new apartments constructed in these cities, but the average monthly rents in these markets are among some of the most affordable relative to other urban centres in the United States and Canada, respectively. Article content We urge all major political parties in Ireland to align together in a non-partisan effort to acknowledge that the facts starkly contrast with the politics and take action to do what is right to enable affordable housing solutions. There is too much at stake at this critical juncture to pretend otherwise. At a minimum, any new regulations must not create a 'two-tier' difference between the existing stock and new developments and should allow for above guideline increases where landlords make bona fide capital improvements. Article content Vision Capital Corporation ('Vision') is the manager of the Vision Opportunity Funds, investment funds that invest exclusively in publicly traded real estate securities. Vision's senior portfolio management team brings over 100 years of collective experience in all facets of property markets and have researched and served as advisors and industry experts on policy considerations impacting the industry for over 40 years. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
