Top news from Canada

Canada creates Aeroplan fund to help Ukrainians fly to Canada

Canadians can now donate money or Aeroplan points to help Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia get to Canada.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says the goal of the Aeroplan fund is to pay for flights to Canada for at least 10,000 Ukrainians and their families who have received entry permits.

This program will be in addition to the targeted charter flights to transport Ukrainians to Canada, announced earlier by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

More than 54,000 Ukrainians have already received permission to come to Canada, where they can live, work or study for three years.

Reception of donations began on April 20, but details on how Ukrainians will be able to receive money will not be known until a few weeks later.

The program will be managed by the charity Miles4Migrants, the Shapiro Foundation and Air Canada.

Miles4Migrants will help Ukrainians book commercial flights to Canada using donated funds or Aeroplan points on a first come, first served basis.

Miles4Migrants expects people to be able to use the Aeroplan program and fly to Canada for free as early as next month.

At a press conference, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said that a corporate partnership with Air Canada is “one of the most efficient and effective ways Ukrainian refugees can travel to Canada,” especially given that Ukrainians have spread across Europe after fleeing their country.

“It would be hard for me to find a more efficient or effective way to help as many people as possible,” he said.

Frazier said the system is better than directly offering cash to people who are thinking about coming to Canada, as they can change their mind and use the funds for other purposes.

Canada and other countries boycott Russia at G20 meeting

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said that Canada and "a number" of allies withdrew from Russia's participation in Wednesday's group plenary session of the G20 finance ministers' meeting.

In a series of tweets, Freeland condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and said that since the G20 meeting was about the global economy, Russia should not be allowed to attend.

Russia's unprovoked and bloody invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign democracy, has unleashed global economic turmoil in recent weeks, exacerbating the pressure on many areas of life already under strain amid the pandemic.

Freeland's spokesman called the Russian invasion "a serious threat to the global economy that will drive up food and fuel prices and hit the most vulnerable among us hardest."

Today Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, US Secretary of State Janet Yellen and a number of other democratic partner countries left the G20 plenary meeting when the Russian delegation tried to intervene."

Now Russian troops are concentrated in the eastern region of Ukraine, preparing for an offensive in the Donbass.

But the port city of Mariupol is also in the center of world attention as a Russian ultimatum to Ukrainian commanders, warning them to surrender or die, expires.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that there was no mass surrender, but the commander of a unit believed to be being held in the besieged city said his troops could only hold out for a few days or hours.

Philadelphia defeated Toronto in the second game of the playoffs

The Philadelphia 66ers hosted the Toronto Raptors in their second NBA playoff game. The meeting was held in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center stadium and ended in victory for the hosts with a score of 112:97.

Joel Embiid led the way with 31 points and 11 rebounds. Tobias Harris scored a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds.

Toronto's top scorer was Oji Anunobi with 26 points. On account of Pascal Siakam double-double (20 points and 10 rebounds).

Thus, Philadelphia strengthened its position in the NBA playoff series - 2-0. The next match between the teams will take place on April 21.

Recall that in the framework of the NBA regular season, Philadelphia took fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Toronto, in turn, finished in fifth place in the East.

Congress of Ukrainians of Canada calls on the government to send heavy weapons to Ukraine

Canada must immediately supply Ukraine with heavy weapons as Russia launched a ground offensive to take control of the east of the country, says the head of an organization representing the interests of Ukrainian Canadians.

Igor Mikhalchyshyn, executive director of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) in Ottawa, said weapons are needed now to destroy Russian tanks. He said that Russia is committing war crimes against the Ukrainian people and its actions amount to genocide.

Canada provides military and humanitarian aid, but heavy weapons are needed because Ukrainians need to defend themselves. The federal budget includes another $500 million for military assistance to Ukraine.

“We are very concerned about what we are seeing. We are talking to our friends and family in Ukraine who are experiencing this live and in real time. It's a feeling of helplessness that we can't go and do more, but we, Canada, can do more,” he said.

Mikhalchyshyn said that Canadians are showing support for Ukraine, with people holding fundraisers and flying Ukrainian flags in their homes and businesses. The federal government must also act.

“Mere words are not enough. We need words to be quickly followed by action as the situation continues to deteriorate,” he said.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces need tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery, multiple rocket launchers, anti-aircraft systems and fighter jets, as well as maritime defense and anti-ship missiles for coastal defense, according to a press release from the Ukrainian Congress of Canada dated April 14.

On Monday, April 18, the President of Ukraine, in a video message, said that Russia had launched an offensive to take control of eastern Ukraine.

“Now we can already state that Russian troops have begun the battle for Donbass,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

He said that "a significant part of the entire Russian army is now focused on this direction."

Canada to deploy field hospital in Europe to treat Ukrainians

Canada plans to deploy a military hospital in Europe in the near future to provide medical care to Ukrainians.

Canadian Minister for International Development Harjit Sajan said:

"We are talking with the Red Cross about what is needed. We were ready to deploy a large field hospital. It turned out that there is no need for the entire hospital, so its individual elements will be deployed," he said on the air of the SVS TV channel.

The Minister stressed that such projects require significant coordination among numerous partners.

"The question is not only to have the necessary equipment, it is important to ensure that people are needed," Sadzhan specified.

He noted that the exact location of the future hospital is currently being determined, and added that a team from Canada's Department for International Development is already working in Eastern Europe, which is looking for ways to further humanitarian support.

"A lot of work is being done, but the needs are huge, given the massive crimes committed in Ukraine," summed up Harjit Sajjan.

Recall that earlier Canada decided to send about 150 military personnel to Poland to help Polish colleagues accept refugees from Ukraine; Ukrainian-speaking Canadians will be included in the mission.

Economists: Canada will not have enough workers to implement plans for affordable housing

Canada's Housing Minister faces a daunting task as the Canadian government tries to double the pace of housing construction in the country within 10 years.

Ahmed Hussen, appointed to the position after last year's election, says Canada has no choice if it wants to continue to grow its economy and attract skilled immigrants: "The issue of housing supply is critical to our future success as a country," said Hussen in Bloomberg interview.

Avery Shenfield, chief economist at CIBC World Markets, doubts the plan's feasibility given the labor shortage: supply increase to allow more Canadians to own their own home,” he wrote on Thursday.

Hussen said he is aware of such skepticism but says his government has already shown that it can implement ambitious programs. The largest new housing measure in the budget is the $4 billion Housing Acceleration Fund, which municipal governments can use to take action to increase housing supply.

Regarding labor shortages, Hussen believes that investing in vocational training and immigration can help: “Immigration is one of the tools to solve the lack of housing supply, because many skilled immigrants come to the country due to our reasonable immigration policy, to help us build, literally help us build our country,” he said.

The budget also promised other measures to increase supply, such as an additional $1.5 billion in a fund for affordable housing projects.

1.5 million doses of COVID vaccines expired in Canada

Health Canada says nearly 1.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines held in national stocks have expired since January.

The government claims that this is a relatively new problem, as until the end of last year the supply of doses was in line with demand. However, the use of vaccines has slowed despite the government and health authorities urging people to get a booster shot.

More than 80 percent of Canadians are fully vaccinated, and 57 percent of adults and 15 percent of teens have received their third dose of the vaccine.

However, coverage is significantly lower than before, from a peak of 600,000 doses per day in June to 250,000 in January and about 30,000 daily for the last month.

To date, less than two percent of Canada's stock of COVID-19 vaccines has expired.

University of British Columbia infectious disease expert Dr Srinivas Murthy says losing some doses due to expiration dates is normal in vaccine distribution campaigns.

Murthy said Canada should have done more sooner to make vaccination easier in low-income countries by supporting changes to licensing and manufacturing laws so vaccines can be made in more places.

There are currently 18 million doses of the vaccine available in Canada, and the vast majority of them will expire within the next four months.

Canada has provided five options for venues for the MFM-2023

Canada is working to prepare for the World Youth Championships in 2023. At the moment, it is necessary to decide on the cities where the tournament will be held, according to Sportsnet.

Canada and the International Ice Hockey Federation are considering five options: Saskatoon and Regina, London and Kitchener, Halifax and Moncton, Quebec and Trois Rivières, and two arenas in Ottawa.

Initially, the MFM-2023 was supposed to be held in Novosibirsk and Omsk, but on February 28, the IIHF Council deprived Russia of the right to host the tournament. It was planned that the competition will be held from December 26, 2022 to January 5, 2023.

Recall that Canada was supposed to host the MFM-2022 last winter, but the tournament was postponed to the summer due to the outbreak of coronavirus in several teams. The competition will take place from 9 to 20 August in Edmonton.

Results for PNP Applications Last Week in Canada

Last week, Manitoba hosted a special invitation round under the Provincial Candidate Program (PNP) for citizens of Ukraine, and the British Columbia PNP issued invitations to more than 155 candidates.

Most Canadian provinces and territories (with the exception of Quebec and Nunavut) have their own PNP programs. Under these programs, interested applicants may be invited to apply for a provincial nomination. Although a provincial nomination in itself does not equate to permanent resident status, it can significantly increase the chances of obtaining this status.

For example, PNP candidates with an Express Entry profile who receive a nomination are awarded 600 points. They also qualify for a special invitation round for the PNP. In the latest Express Entry draw last week, Canada invited 919 PNP candidates with a Comprehensive Rating System (CRS) score of at least 785 to enter.

The BC PNP held its weekly invitation round on 12 April. More than 155 British Columbian immigrant candidates have received invitations to apply for the provincial nomination.

124 of these candidates were invited as a result of the BC Tech draw.

As a special immigration measure for citizens of Ukraine, the Manitoba PNP (MPNP) periodically runs a raffle inviting them to apply for a provincial nomination.

The most recent was on April 11, during which 20 letters of recommendation to apply (LAA) were issued with a minimum requirement of 60 points.

To be eligible for the competition, applicants had to have a minimum of CLB 4 in each language category, pass a language proficiency test, and have a connection to Manitoba, such as having close relatives, working or studying in the province.

Canada on Thursday approved AZN.L, an antibody-based drug from British drug maker AstraZeneca Plc, to prevent COVID-19.

Health Canada has authorized the use of Evusheld in individuals aged 12 years and older who are immunocompromised and who are unlikely to mount an adequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination or for whom COVID-19 vaccination is not recommended.

Хотя вакцины предполагают наличие неповрежденной иммунной системы для выработки специальных антител и клеток, борющихся с инфекцией, препарат Evusheld содержит антитела, созданные в лаборатории и предназначенные для того, чтобы оставаться в организме в течение нескольких месяцев и сдерживать вирус в случае заражения.

Эта методика уже разрешена в США, и ее использование также рекомендовано Европейским агентством лекарственных средств.

Canada Ready to Fight Russian Disinformation Campaign

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Canada is on high alert for Russian disinformation campaigns designed to mislead and deceive people.

Canada is using every tool at its disposal to identify Russian disinformation online and mitigate its impact, Mendicino said.

In an interview, he said that Russia is a bellicose and hostile entity when it comes to spreading false information in cyberspace, but he is confident that Canada, working closely with its allies, is coping with this problem.

On the eve of his speech, the government allocated $28 million to fight state disinformation not only from Russia, but also from China, Iran and other foreign countries.

These funds will also be used to combat attempts to undermine the government's credibility within Canada, as well as to counter groups of white extremists and fanatics who spread lies and hatred against Jews, Muslims and other minorities.

Mendicino says that the tactics of deliberately misleading people and distorting the truth were used by the leaders of the so-called "freedom convoy", which blocked the streets of Ottawa for three weeks.

Canadian Prime Minister also called Russia's actions in Ukraine genocide

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed with the words of US President Joe Biden that Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine.

The Canadian leader said he thought it was "absolutely right that more and more people are speaking and using the word 'genocide' in relation to what Russia is doing, what Vladimir Putin has done," AFP reported.

“We saw this desire to attack civilians, to use sexual violence as a weapon of war. This is completely unacceptable,” Trudeau said.

He added that Canada was one of the first countries to initiate a process at the International Criminal Court to bring the Russian leader to justice for his war crimes.

Canada will allocate Canada will allocate $1.5 billion in financial and military assistance to Ukraine.5 billion in financial and military assistance to Ukraine

Member of the Canadian Parliament Ivan Baker announced that the Parliament of Canada will consider a new budget for 2022-23, in particular, providing funding for the purchase of weapons and new loans for Ukraine

Treasury Secretary Chrystia Freeland has filed Canada's federal budget. It includes an additional $500 million to provide further military assistance to Ukraine and up to $1 billion in new credit resources for Ukraine.

Earlier, Canada transferred to Ukraine 100 Carl Gustaf anti-tank weapons systems, 2,000 missiles, as well as about 4,500 M72 anti-tank rocket launchers and 7,500 hand grenades.