Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 25, 2024, Winnipeg, Manitoba A2 ● WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM NEWS MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024 VOL 153 NO 114 Winnipeg Free Press est 1872 / Winnipeg Tribune est 1890 2024 Winnipeg Free Press, a division of FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership. Published six days a week in print and always online at 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B6, PH: 204-697-7000 Interim CEO / DARREN MURPHY Editor / PAUL SAMYN Associate Editor Enterprise / SCOTT GIBBONS Associate Editor News / STACEY THIDRICKSON Associate Editor Digital News / WENDY SAWATZKY Director Photo and Multimedia / MIKE APORIUS NEWSMEDIA COUNCIL The Winnipeg Free Press is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent organization established to determine acceptable journalistic practices and ethical behaviour. If you have concerns about editorial content, please send them to: editorialconcerns@freepress.mb.ca. If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to file a formal complaint, visit the website at www.mediacouncil.ca and fill out the form or call toll-free 1-844-877-1163 for additional information. ADVERTISING Classified (Mon-Fri): 204-697-7100 wfpclass@freepress.mb.ca Obituaries (Mon-Fri): 204-697-7384 Display Advertising : 204-697-7122 FP.Advertising@freepress.mb.ca EDITORIAL Newsroom/tips: 204-697-7292 Fax: 204-697-7412 Photo desk: 204-697-7304 Sports desk: 204-697-7285 Business news: 204-697-7292 Photo REPRINTS: libraryservices@winnipegfreepress.com City desk / City.desk@freepress.mb.ca CANADA POST SALES AGREEMENT NO. 0563595 Recycled newsprint is used in the production of the newspaper. PLEASE RECYCLE. INSIDE Arts and Life D1 Business B4 Classifieds B6 Comics D4 Diversions D5,6 Horoscope D5 Miss Lonelyhearts D5 Opinion A6,7 Sports C1 Television D2 Weather C8 COLUMNISTS: Aaron Epp B2 READER SERVICE ● GENERAL INQUIRIES 204-697-7000 CIRCULATION INQUIRIES MISSING OR INCOMPLETE PAPER? Call or email before 10 a.m. weekdays or 11 a.m. Saturday City: 204-697-7001 Outside Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 press 1 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.; 7 a.m. - noon Saturday; Closed Sunday TO SUBSCRIBE: 204-697-7001 Out of Winnipeg: 1-800-542-8900 The Free Press receives support from the Local Journalism Initiative funded by the Government of Canada “It has gone Tory in the past,” she said about Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, which was held by former police offi- cer Shelley Glover from 2008 to 2015. Across Manitoba, it’s Tory blue: the party has the support of 47 per cent — a jump of eight points from the 2021 election. Support for the right-wing People’s Party of Canada has shifted to the Tory team. The poll puts support for indepen- dent parties at a paltry one per cent, down from eight per cent in 2021. Provincewide, the NDP is at 26 per cent (up three percentage points) while the Liberals are at 23 per cent (down five points). Sixteen per cent of Mani- tobans said they were undecided. If Winnipeg were taken out of the equation, the Conservatives rake in 61 per cent of decided voters (what it re- ceived in the 2019 election), while the NDP has 19 per cent and the Liberals 16 per cent, (both about the same as the 2021 election). Vandal, who will fight for the seat a fourth time since 2015, said “the election is a year and a half away” and he is not fretting just yet. “As the dates get closer, Canadians are going to ask what kind of Canada do we want. Do we want a Canada that has good health care, child care, dental care? (Are) we advancing on pharmacare, good public services that Canadians need? Or do we want a Canada led by Poilievre’s Conservative party that will focus on austerity and cuts, cuts, cuts? “Canadians will have that very focused discussion and are going to make a decision that I don’t think reflects the polling numbers today.” Having said that, Vandal, a former professional boxer, said he’s prepared to go the distance. “I’m totally confident, as I always am, but my colleagues across the coun- try have to work hard… and engage Canadians and make sure we deliver on those important things: health care, child care, dental care, the environ- ment of course is front and centre, and reconciliation is front and centre.” The Free Press requested to speak to senior Manitoba Tory MP James Bezan, who was first elected in 2004, but a Conservative party spokesper- son said the request had be to sent to Poilievre’s office for review. Paul Thomas, University of Manito- ba political studies professor emeritus, said the governing party, despite Lead- er Justin Trudeau’s unpopularity, still has an advantage in Manitoba. “(They) have concentrated strength,” he said. “Their support is not spread out, it is in central and south Winni- peg. That’s what is holding up their numbers. It’s Ben Carr’s seat, (Terry) Duguid’s and (Dan) Vandal’s.” Carr represents Winnipeg South Centre. Thomas said the federal NDP is reaping benefits from the honeymoon currently being enjoyed by the new Manitoba government. “They have the most popular premier in the country, and they have been governing successfully,” he said. “That may have helped the NDP in part.” Kelly Saunders, an associate political science professor at Brandon Univer- sity, said the Probe poll shows Man- itobans lean to the middle and don’t support parties that veer too far to the right. “We’re more like Ontario with our political culture than Alberta and Saskatchewan,” Saunders said. “We’re not being dominated by Conservatives, we’re more centrist, and these num- bers bare this out. “We’re not seeing a groundswell of support going to the Conservatives.” kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca POILIEVRE ● FROM A1 Grievances may be fuelled by elements including xenophobia, gen- der-related issues or general anti-gov- ernment sentiment. It says while threats against politi- cians peak during election cycles or major political announcements, RCMP information showed that monthly and annual averages had remained rela- tively stable since September 2021. Ideologically motivated violent extremists “have increasingly normal- ized threats against prominent public figures outside the election cycle,” the report concludes. All threats to the prime minister and other parliamentarians reported to the RCMP are triaged and assessed for a link to national security, the task force adds. About 20 per cent of reported threats to the prime minister and 13 per cent of those against parliamen- tarians between September 2021 and mid-2023 met the RCMP’s national security threshold. While extremist narratives and con- spiracy theories do not usually man- ifest themselves as an act of serious violence, “they have the potential to negatively affect the fabric of Canadi- an society,” the report says. The RCMP did not respond to a request for comment in time for pub- lication. CSIS spokesman Eric Balsam said the 2023 assessment “remains unchanged.” CSIS director David Vigneault told a House of Commons committee this month the spy service is devoting about half of its counter-terrorism resources to investigate the threat of ideologically motivated violent ex- tremism. “We’ve seen a number of the threat vectors increasing,” he said. The task force report says anti-au- thority extremists have “almost cer- tainly leveraged” social media posts about foreign interference in Canadian elections to “reinforce pre-existing narratives around the inherent cor- ruption of government institutions in Canada.” However, a narrative on the scale of the “stolen election” rhetoric that prompted the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol has not emerged in the Canadian political landscape, the report notes. On the question of foreign inter- ference, a broader companion report says that as of last June the task force had seen no evidence of a significant cyberthreat to Canadian electoral pro- cesses or election infrastructure from state actors. Political parties, candidates and their staff continue to be targeted by cyberthreat activity, however, and this may take the form of online espionage, disinformation or fabricated videos known as deepfakes, the report adds. Overall, the task force says “so- phisticated, pervasive and persistent” meddling efforts constitute a serious threat to Canada’s national security and the integrity of its democratic institutions. For certain foreign states, foreign interference activities “are part of their normal patterns of behaviour in Canada and often peak during election periods.” Such interference, given its clandes- tine or deceptive nature, often takes place in a legal grey zone, where there are no laws regulating the activities or where interpretation of them is ambig- uous, the report adds. Canada is a high-priority foreign in- terference target due to its role in key global alliances and bodies, enjoying a “robust international reputation” that can be used or co-opted to help legiti- mize foreign state interests. In addition, Canada’s advanced, knowledge-based economy is attractive to foreign states seeking to develop their own scientific and technological expertise, the report says. Finally, Canada is home to large diaspora com- munities, which some foreign states try to monitor, control or use to further their own strategic goals. “Foreign states develop important relationships in Canada year round to further their own political platforms, and will use these relationships to their advantage notably around election time.” Under a federal protocol, the heads of key national security agencies would inform a special panel of senior bureaucrats of an interference attempt during an election period. There would be a public announce- ment if the panel determined that an incident — or an accumulation of inci- dents — threatened Canada’s ability to have a free and fair election. There was no such announcement in 2021 or concerning the 2019 election. In both ballots, the Liberals were returned to government with minority mandates while the Conservatives formed the official Opposition. Allegations of foreign interference in these elections — suggestions fuelled by anonymous leaks to the media — led to a chorus of calls for a public inquiry. The commission of inquiry, led by Quebec judge Marie-Josée Hogue, resumes hearings on Wednesday. The hearings will focus on the substance of allegations of foreign in- terference by China, India, Russia and others in the last two general elections. The commission will hear from over 40 people, including Prime Minis- ter Justin Trudeau, members of his cabinet, senior government officials, diaspora communities, political party representatives, Elections Canada and the office of the commissioner of Canada elections. An initial report of findings from the commission is due May 3. The inquiry will then shift to broad- er policy issues, looking at the ability of the government to detect, deter and counter foreign interference targeting Canada’s democratic processes. A final report is expected by the end of the year. — The Canadian Press THREATS ● FROM A1 SPENCER COLBY / THE CANADIAN PRESS Russian Foreign Ministry spokes- woman Maria Zakharova hit back at the U.S. on Sunday. “Until the inves- tigation into the terrorist attack in Crocus is completed, any phrase from Washington justifying Kyiv should be considered as evidence,” she said on her Telegram channel. Amid concerns Putin could use the attack as justification to order a new mass mobilization for his invasion of Ukraine, U.K. Chancellor of the Exche- quer Jeremy Hunt accused the Russian leader of creating a “smokescreen of propaganda.” “We have very little confidence in anything the Russian government says,” Hunt said in an interview on Sky News. Putin on Saturday said authori- ties had detained all those directly involved in the “barbaric” assault by gunmen, who turned automatic weapons against people attending a rock concert. He vowed to hunt down anyone responsible for ordering and organizing the incursion. Putin spoke after the Federal Se- curity Service announced its agents had detained the suspects in Russia’s Bryansk region, which borders both Ukraine and Russian ally Belarus. The men planned to cross into Ukraine where they “had contacts,” the Inter- fax news service reported, citing a statement by the service known as the FSB that gave no further detail. FSB director Alexander Bortnikov reported to Putin that a total of 11 people had been detained, including the four suspects. Fire ripped through the massive venue during Friday’s assault after explosions were heard, leading to a partial collapse of the roof. In addition to the deaths some 180 people were in- jured, Ria Novosti reported on Sunday, citing regional health authorities. Islamist groups have targeted Russia in the past citing what they call anti-Muslim policies by the Kremlin. The seizure of a school in Beslan in the south of the country led to more than 330 fatalities, many of them children, in 2004. In 2010, twin suicide attacks in Moscow subway stations killed at least 40, while a suicide bombing killed 16, including the attacker, in the St. Petersburg subway in 2017. The FSB said earlier this month it had prevented an attack on a Moscow synagogue by what it called an Afghan branch of Islamic State, Interfax reported. Moscow and much of Russia has been largely insulated from the direct effects of Putin’s February 2022 inva- sion of Ukraine. Kremlin forces launched an air barrage against Ukraine Sunday, including a missile that briefly crossed into Polish airspace, and have stepped up missile strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure in recent weeks. On Friday, Russia unleashed the biggest missile and drone assault on Ukraine so far this year. At the same time, Ukraine has mounted a campaign of attacks inside Russia even as its troops struggling on the front line amid delays in vital military aid from the U.S. and other allies. Drones have hit factories and oil refineries, while attackers in border regions have staged raids. — Bloomberg News MOSCOW ● FROM A1 Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre holds an apple as he speaks during a rally in Ottawa, on Sunday. A recent Leger poll put his party’s support at 41 per cent nationally while the Liberals were at 25 per cent and the NDP trailed at 19 per cent. MIKHAIL METZEL / KREMLIN POOL PHOTO Russian President Vladimir Putin lights a candle Sunday to commemorate the victims. ;