Commons

Another Middle East war would be disastrous for Britain – here’s how it can avoid mission creep

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

The strikes have been in retaliation for Houthi attacks on shipping – both merchant and naval – in the Red Sea in recent months.

Key Points: 
  • The strikes have been in retaliation for Houthi attacks on shipping – both merchant and naval – in the Red Sea in recent months.
  • UK government minister Huw Merriman claimed recently that these airstrikes are not just a “one off”.
  • For almost a decade, the Houthis have been subject to airstrikes by their Sunni rivals in Saudi Arabia and they have proved resilient.
  • Western foreign policy in the Middle East has historically been tainted by what some call “mission creep”.

Clarity of purpose

  • There are three main conditions governing how we come to regard a military engagement as constituting mission-creep.
  • These are: the scope of conflict, as well as the temporal parameters and spatial limits.
  • Sunak must emphasise that any military action taken will be limited to naval and aerial assaults.

Past successes and failures

  • The then defence secretary, Michael Portillo, similarly received questions on the potential dangers of mission creep.
  • He made a statement in the House of Commons in which he stated:
    I am determined that the Nato operation will be limited in scope.
  • In part, this was shaped by its failures to withdraw in a timely manner.
  • The current government needs to do the same when making tough foreign policy decisions about the Middle East.


Ben Soodavar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Storj Accelerates Growth to Revolutionize Enterprise Cloud Object Storage in 2024 Through Globally Distributed Architecture, Partnerships and Values-Driven Initiatives

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

ATLANTA, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Storj , today announced accelerated growth of its cloud object storage solution, which is positioned to transform the data storage landscape in 2024.

Key Points: 
  • ATLANTA, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Storj , today announced accelerated growth of its cloud object storage solution, which is positioned to transform the data storage landscape in 2024.
  • Partnerships, organic growth and values-based initiatives continue solidifying Storj's position in tech innovation, policy and stewardship.
  • The company was the first distributed cloud storage provider featured in Forrester's Object Storage Landscape report in Q2 2023, affirming Storj's approach "will disrupt centralized object storage providers as computing shifts to the edge."
  • Storj published a 2023 whitepaper revealing that distributed cloud storage reduces carbon emissions by up to 83%.

Jamaica Homes: Transforming Jamaica's Real Estate Landscape

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Jamaica Homes , a pioneering force in Jamaica's real estate sector, is redefining property transactions with its holistic platform for buying, selling, renting, and financing properties.

Key Points: 
  • KINGSTON, Jamaica, Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Jamaica Homes , a pioneering force in Jamaica's real estate sector, is redefining property transactions with its holistic platform for buying, selling, renting, and financing properties.
  • Founded by visionary entrepreneur Dean Jones in August 2021, Jamaica Homes is headquartered in Kingston, Jamaica, and operates nationwide, offering innovative solutions to meet diverse real estate needs.
  • With the real estate market in Jamaica projected to reach a value of US$93.95 billion by 2024, Jamaica Homes is poised for continued growth and impact.
  • With a steadfast commitment to health, safety, and environmental preservation, Jamaica Homes is forging partnerships and paving the way for a brighter future in Jamaican real estate.

ClinEco Launches ClinEco Commons - One Centralized Hub to Access Volumes of Clinical Research News, Insights, and Other Resources

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 9, 2024

NEEDHAM, Mass., Feb. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --  ClinEco, the world's first online community for clinical trial organizations to explore, engage, and exchange capabilities with an ecosystem of partners, announced today the launch of ClinEco Commons. ClinEco Commons is the latest addition to the growing online community and marketplace. It is designed to be the central resource for clinical research professionals worldwide, offering a comprehensive and easy-to-use portal for critical information and industry expertise.

Key Points: 
  • ClinEco Commons features a vast catalog of resources tailored for clinical research professionals, including webinars, white papers, videos, news, and more.
  • "ClinEco Commons is the latest example of our commitment to making it easier for research professionals to share ideas and expertise.
  • ClinEco Commons encourages the sharing of whitepapers, articles, podcasts, and other resources from all members of the ClinEco community, while also providing access to numerous resources from SCOPE.
  • All members of the ClinEco community will have immediate access to ClinEco Commons.

MÉTIS NATIONAL COUNCIL COMMENDS INDIGENOUS AND NORTHERN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE’S ADOPTION OF BILL C-53

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Ottawa, ON, Feb. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yesterday, the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee (INAN) confirmed adoption of Bill C-53, the Recognition of Certain Métis Governments in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan and Métis Self-Government Act.

Key Points: 
  • Ottawa, ON, Feb. 06, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yesterday, the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee (INAN) confirmed adoption of Bill C-53, the Recognition of Certain Métis Governments in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan and Métis Self-Government Act.
  • The Métis National Council supports this decision and looks forward to swift passage of the bill in the House of Commons.
  • The Métis National Council will continue to support our Métis governments in the passage of this historic piece of legislation.

  • The Métis National Council looks forward to the next steps in this process to ensure that Métis rights of self-determination and self-government, enshrined in Section 35, are upheld.

What happens if King Charles can no longer perform his duties?

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis will turn minds to the question of what happens if he becomes unable to fulfil his constitutional duties. Buckingham Palace has announced he will continue performing his official paperwork and his weekly meetings with the prime minister throughout his treatment.

Key Points: 


King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis will turn minds to the question of what happens if he becomes unable to fulfil his constitutional duties. Buckingham Palace has announced he will continue performing his official paperwork and his weekly meetings with the prime minister throughout his treatment.
But what happens if he becomes seriously ill? There are three options: counsellors of state, regency and abdication.

Counsellors of state

  • First, King Charles can delegate some or most of his royal functions to counsellors of state, as happens most commonly when he is travelling overseas.
  • Two counsellors of state act jointly in exercising royal powers such as assenting to laws, receiving ambassadors and holding Privy Council meetings.
  • The counsellors of state are the spouse of the sovereign and the next four adults in line of succession to the throne – being Queen Camilla, Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice.

Regency

  • The sovereign does not control when or for how long a regency occurs.
  • The UK’s Regency Act requires Prince William to be regent, as he is the next adult in line of succession to the crown.
  • The Regency Act does not give the regent powers in relation to realms such as Australia and New Zealand.

Abdication

  • This leads to difficult questions about how an abdication would operate in relation to each of the realms.
  • Abdication would therefore raise difficult questions about whether there needed to be a separate abdication of the King of Australia, to trigger the application of the rules of succession that are now part of Australian law, or whether covering clause 2 of the Constitution, which defines the sovereign by reference to Queen Victoria’s “heirs and successors in the sovereignty of the United Kingdom”, would apply.

Consequences for Australia

  • If King Charles were incapacitated and counsellors of state or a regent were appointed, would this cause any real problem in Australia?
  • The King’s only remaining substantial powers with respect to Australia are the appointment and removal of the governor-general and the state governors.
  • The governor-general’s term is expected to expire in the middle of the year.
  • It would involve each state enacting a law requesting the Commonwealth to enact a law that recognised the authority of a regent to exercise the sovereign’s powers with respect to Australia.


Anne Twomey has received grant funding from the Australian Research Council and occasionally does consultancy work for governments, Parliaments and inter-governmental bodies. She has also written books about the constitutional aspects of the Crown.

3 lessons from MP Karina Gould’s parental leave that could help all Canadian families

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 5, 2024

Like all MPs, Gould wasn’t eligible for parental leave when her first child was born in 2018.

Key Points: 
  • Like all MPs, Gould wasn’t eligible for parental leave when her first child was born in 2018.
  • She’s taking six months off, thanks to 2019 legislation that provides MP parents of newborns up to 12 months with paid parental leave benefits.
  • Yet there are key differences, and they offer three lessons on how parental leave could be redesigned for each and every Canadian parent.

Lesson 1: Boost eligibility

  • This is due to many factors, including restrictive eligibility criteria of 600 employment hours in the year before a child’s birth.
  • It’s time to rethink eligibility criteria so that more Canadians can benefit from parental leave benefits.

Lesson 2: Better wage top-ups

  • For most Canadians, however, parental leave is low-paid: only 33 to 55 per cent of wages, with a ceiling of $401 to $668 weekly and $63,200 annually.
  • Out of 36 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canada has the lowest wage replacement rates for parental leave.
  • In Québec, which has a 70-75 per cent wage replacement rate, that number was 85.6 per cent.

Lesson 3: More flexibility

  • Finally, there are lessons about flexibility and choice, and what they mean in a post-pandemic world, where remote work has changed how people balance family life and paid work.
  • For Gould, this means taking a short post-partum leave and then combining parental leave with some remote work.
  • But there are precedents to build on, such as Ontario’s “right to disconnect” policy and EI’s Working While on Claim option.

Shining a spotlight

  • It should matter to all Canadians, because it shines a spotlight on the federal government’s long overdue promise to rethink and redesign parental leave policy.
  • A rethinking of parental leave should begin with clarifying what parental leave is.
  • Parental leave also needs to be integrated with other care policies, especially early learning and child-care policies.

Recognizing the value of care

  • The pandemic also illuminated the socioeconomic value of care and the care economy.
  • When she returns from her parental leave, she will be well-placed to advocate for more inclusive integrated care policies.


Andrea Doucet receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

New Petition Urges House of Commons (Government of Canada) to Renew, Sustain, and Significantly Increase Funding for Health and Wellness Facilities on Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 1, 2024

TOFINO, British Columbia and UCLUELET, British Columbia, Feb. 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The West Coast Multiplex (WCM) Society today unveiled the details of a petition calling on the House of Commons in Parliament to significantly increase funding to expand, create, or replace health, wellness and recreation facilities on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Key Points: 
  • TOFINO, British Columbia and UCLUELET, British Columbia, Feb. 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The West Coast Multiplex (WCM) Society today unveiled the details of a petition calling on the House of Commons in Parliament to significantly increase funding to expand, create, or replace health, wellness and recreation facilities on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
  • “The response to our Health and Wellness Infrastructure Petition was overwhelmingly positive and signals the ongoing support for the West Coast Multiplex.
  • “In addition to addressing important social determinants of health and mental health providing preventative and protective factors for youth, the WCM will be a significant asset to the region’s general wellbeing.
  • In a 2012 referendum, for example, 63 per cent of West Coast voters cast ballots in favour of funding the majority of the proposed facility’s annual operating costs through property taxation.

Cipher Neutron Appoints Dr. Bruno Pollet to its Advisory Board

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Canadian company Cipher Neutron Inc. (“Cipher Neutron” or “CN”) is very pleased to announce that it has appointed the renowned Dr. Bruno Pollet to its Advisory Board.

Key Points: 
  • Canadian company Cipher Neutron Inc. (“Cipher Neutron” or “CN”) is very pleased to announce that it has appointed the renowned Dr. Bruno Pollet to its Advisory Board.
  • Dr. Bruno Pollet is a member of the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition (CEET): An Independent Advisory Council to the United Nations’ Secretary-General, and a CEET Hydrogen Task Force leader.
  • Dr. Bruno G. Pollet, PhD in Physical Chemistry in the field of Electrochemistry and Advisory Board member of Cipher Neutron stated, “In Canada and abroad, Cipher Neutron’s AEM Electrolyser Technology is a hydrogen industry accomplishment to be very proud of.
  • I look forward to applying my years of experience as an advisor to the great team at Cipher Neutron.”
    Gurjant Randhawa, M.Eng., P.Eng., President and CEO of Cipher Neutron, stated, “Cipher Neutron is very pleased to welcome Dr. Pollet to its growing Advisory Board.

A Federal Seat is Vacant in LaSalle--Émard--Verdun

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 2, 2024

On Thursday, February 1, 2024 the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for LaSalle--Émard--Verdun (Quebec) is vacant.

Key Points: 
  • On Thursday, February 1, 2024 the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for LaSalle--Émard--Verdun (Quebec) is vacant.
  • A by-election will take place to fill the vacant seat.
  • The date of the by-election must be announced between February 12 and July 30, 2024.
  • This announcement signals the start of the by-election period.