2020-08-31 The Globe and Mail

2020·9.26 MB·English

OTTAWA/QUEBECEDITION ■ MONDAY,AUGUST31,2020 ■ GLOBEANDMAIL.COM
[ SOCCER ]
Fury mounts
in Belarus
as calls for
Lukashenko’s
ouster enter
fourth week
ANTONTROIANOVSKIMINSK
Tens of thousands of people
marchedonthepalaceofBela-
russianPresidentAlexanderLu-
kashenkoonSunday,demanding
heresign,aslarge-scaleprotests
againstthelong-time,authoritar-
ian leader entered their fourth
week.
Thecrowdappearedtobeat
leastaslargeasthoseofthepre-
vious two Sundays, when esti-
mates put the protesters’ num-
bersatmorethan100,000.The
demonstrators deployed an an-
gry,acerbicwitbutvirtuallyno
violence,andforthethirdweek-
end in a row, authorities re-
frained from widespread use of
forceormassdetentions.
The large turnout indicated
thattheexplosionofpopularfu- KadeishaBuchananhoiststhetrophyafterLyon’svictoryinSanSebastian,Spain,onSunday.VILLARLOPEZ/GETTYIMAGES
ry against Mr. Lukashenko that
beganwiththeAug.9presiden-
tialelectionisnowherecloseto
abating. He claimed a landslide
victorythatiswidelybelievedto CANADA’S BUCHANAN HELPS LYON
have been falsified and respon-
dedtothemassdemonstrations WIN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TITLE
that followed with a violent
crackdown.
Belarus,likeUkraine,isastra-
tegicallylocatedformerSovietre-
public, wedged between Russia KadeishaBuchanan,aCanadiannationalsoccerteamstar,
atinodnstthheatfohramveerbeecaostmerendbemlococnraa-- celebrateswithherLyonteammates B11
ciesandjoinedtheNorthAtlan-
tic Treaty Organization and the
EuropeanUnion.Mr.Lukashen-
ko,whoturned66onSunday,has
led Belarus since 1994, aligning
himselfwithRussiawhilebuild-
ingagovernmenttougheronpo-
liticaldissentthananyotherin After explosion in Beirut, young volunteers help rebuild the city
Europe.
On Sunday, protesters
– and have eye on rebuilding politics, too
marched through the main
streetsofMinsk,thecapital,past
awarmonumentencircledbyra-
zorwireandcamouflage-cladsol- MARKMACKINNON steppedinwhenthecountry’sactualgov- emblematicofthepushtochangeLeba-
diersandtowardtheIndepend- SENIORINTERNATIONALCORRESPONDENT ernmentfailedtoact.Thedayafterthe non in the wake of the port explosion.
encePalace,oneofMr.Lukash- BEIRUT blast,Mr.Achkarandthreefriendsdecid- Theyarethegoodguys–“thestreets,”as
enko’sresidences.Atthepalace, ed someone had to organize who got ForeignMinisterFrançois-PhilippeCham-
theprotestersstoppedwhenthey whathelp,andwhen,inGeitawi. pagneputitduringhisvisittoBeirutlast
weremetbyanimposinglineof ‘We are the government,” Theytookoveragasstationthathad week–thatWesterngovernmentsaretry-
riot police officers that was JohnAchkardeclareswith satderelictforthreeyearsanddeclaredit ingtosupportastheypushtoreforma
backedbyatleastthreemilitary agrin,ashetakesabreak theheadquartersoftheiremergencyre- statethathascollapsedundertheweight
armoured-personnelcarriers. intheshadowofanaban- sponse–and,maybe,arevolution. ofcorruptionandtheoverwhelmingpres-
They chanted, “Go away!” in doned gas station that has become the Threeweekslater,therebranded“Na- enceofHezbollah,anIranian-backedmi-
thedirectionofthepalace.Since hubofagrassrootsreliefeffortintheshat- tionStation”isanimpressivesight,help- litiathatcontrolsmuchofwhat’sleftof
itwashisbirthday,therewasal- teredGeitawineighbourhoodofeastBei- ing residents with food, clothing, home theLebanesestate.
so:“Lukashenko,comeout!We rut. repairsandmedicalneeds. Mr.Achkarandhisfriendsarejustthe
willcongratulateyou!” The29-year-oldisanentrepreneurand The organizers say that, once they’re latestinalonglineofLebaneseoptimists.
Mr.Lukashenkodidnotcome stand-upcomedian,butthedeadlyseri- donerebuildingtheircity,they’llbeready Their predecessors – the older genera-
out, but his press secretary re- ouslookinhiseyesbroadcaststhathe’s tofillthevoidintheircountry’spolitics tions who once thought they could
leasedaphotographofhimina notentirelykidding. too. changethiscountry–eventuallyhadthe
white T-shirt and black bullet- Mr.Achkarisamongthefoundersofa “We’re filling the gap, and showing hope knocked out of them by the vio-
proofvestinfrontofthepalace, groupofvolunteerswho,inthewakeof we’re here when the government fails,” lence,andthethreatofviolence,thatcon-
clutchingarifle. the massive Aug. 4 explosion that de- Mr.Achkarsaid. stantlyhangsoverpoliticshere.
BELARUS,A7 stroyed parts of the Lebanese capital, TheNationStationvolunteersImetare BEIRUT,A8
Funding delay leaves First Nations
schools scrambling to safely reopen
WILLOWFIDDLER theanswersare,”teacherAaronGuthrie
LOCALJOURNALISMINITIATIVEREPORTER said.
THUNDERBAY “We’re trying to prepare for multiple
differentangles,tryingtomakesurethat
wedothebestwecan.”
By now, the halls at Dennis Franklin As provinces map out measures and
CromartyHighSchoolinThunderBayare modify timetables to help protect
usually filled with the excitement and students from COVID-19, First Nation
nervesofanxiousstudentsstartinganew schoolshavelargelybeenlefttohandle
schoolyear. preparationsthemselves.
In 2020, however, the First Nations The federal government announced
schoolislargelyemptyasitstartsitspro- onlydaysagothatitwouldprovide$112-
gramlaterandonline. millioninfundingforschoolsonreserves
BIKASDAS/ASSOCIATEDPRESS Unabletosecureenoughfundingtoad- tohelppayforthingssuchasventilation,
dress pandemic risks, Dennis Franklin personalprotectiveequipmentandclean-
COVID-19 Cromarty (DFC), a school for students ingsupplies.
Indiarecordsworld’sbiggestsingle-dayjumpin from24FirstNationsinOntario’sremote This was in addition to a $2-billion
North,decidedtooffervirtuallearningfor commitment to aid provinces and
viruscasesasrestrictionsbegintoease A5 thefirstsevenweeks. territorieswiththeirschoolplans.
For now, most of its anticipated 150 But it’s unclear whether any of that
students will stay in their communities moneywillhelpoff-reserveFirstNations
instead of moving to Thunder Bay, as schools, such as DFC and Pelican Falls
REPORTONBUSINESS OBITUARY teachers deliver curriculum in virtual HighSchoolinSiouxLookout,whichare
Federalbenefitsplana BlackPantherstar classrooms. designated as provincial private schools
steptowardguaranteed ChadwickBosemanwas “Stress levels are high, anxiety levels but receive education funding from
arehigh,justbecausewedon’tknow,we IndigenousServicesCanadatooperate.
basicincome B1 a‘truefighter’ B15 don’t know what the options are, what SCHOOLS,A7
630 DAYS THAT MICHAEL KOVRIG AND MICHAEL SPAVOR HAVE BEEN JAILED IN CHINA | tgam.ca/jailed-canadians
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A2 O THEGLOBEANDMAIL | MONDAY,AUGUST31,2020
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[ COLUMNISTS ]
LESLIE FIRST ZABEEN
BECK HIRJI
PERSON
OPINION OPINION
Areyouovertheage DarleneMcLeodrecalls Theseactionscanhelp
of65?You’ddowell thelong,meandering non-profitboards
toensureyourprotein butfulfillingpathto improvediversityat
intakeissufficient A12 gettingherdegree A14 theirorganizations B3
BlueFridaySummerSale
onnowuntilSeptember16!
Cohen estate threatens legal action
Visitonlineorcall(416)498-9379
www.summerwood.com [email protected] after GOP convention uses Hallelujah
VisitourShowroom:
735ProgressAvenue
Toronto,Ontario ADRIANMORROW cordedcoverversionofthesong scribethebiblicalDavidasa“baf-
U.S.CORRESPONDENT byToriKellyrightafterMr.Trump fledking”andrecountthatthe
WASHINGTON finished speaking at the White singer “did my best, it wasn’t
HouseThursdayevening,asfire- much”but“itallwentwrong”and
works overhead spelled out thattheonlythingtobe“learned
LeonardCohen’sestateisthreat- “Trump.”OperasingerChristoph- fromlovewashowtoshootsome-
ening legal action after Donald erMacchiothensangthesonglive bodywhooutdrewyou.”
Trump’s re-election campaign fromaWhiteHousebalcony. “I don’t know who pro-
twice used the Montreal musi- Mr.Trump’s70-minutespeech grammedthemusicforthegrand
cian’sHallelujahduringthePresi- waslargelyfocusedonattacking fireworksfinaleoftheRepublican
dent’sacceptancespeechatthe anti-racism protesters, claiming National Convention on Thurs-
RepublicanNationalConvention that“mobrule”wouldtakeover daynight,butclearlytheyhadn’t
lastweek. thecountryifhefailedtowinre- listenedtothewordsofCohen’s
Inastatement,Mr.Cohen’sle- election. signaturesong,whichusesitsgor-
galrepresentativesaidtheRepub- geousmelody…todeliversome
licanNationalCommitteeorRNC starkthoughtsontheinevitable
hadrequestedpermissiontoplay disappointment of being alive,”
thesong,whichtheestatereject- Wearesurprised wroteMikaelWood,amusiccritic
ed.ButtheRNCwentaheadany- fortheLosAngelesTimes.
anddismayedthattheRNC
way. Mr.Trump’sunderstandingof
“Wearesurprisedanddismay- wouldproceedknowing previous musical selections has
edthattheRNCwouldproceed thattheCohenestatehad beensimilarlyquestionable.
knowing that the Cohen estate specificallydeclinedthe HehasrepeatedlyplayedMr.
had specifically declined the Young’sRockin’intheFreeWorldat
RNC’suserequest….
RNC’suserequest,andtheirrath- campaign events, including the
er brazen attempt to politicize HadtheRNCrequested launchofhisfirstpresidentialbid
andexploitinsuchanegregious anothersong,YouWantit in2015.Thesong’slyricsderidea
manner Hallelujah, one of the Darker,forwhichLeonard previous Republican president,
mostimportantsongsintheCo- GeorgeH.W.Bush:“Wegotathou-
wonaposthumousGrammy
hen song catalogue. We are ex- sandpointsoflightforthehome-
ploring our legal options,” said in2017,wemighthave lessman/Wegotakinder,gentler,
MichelleRice,alawyerforMr.Co- consideredapproval machinegunhand.”
hen’sestate. ofthatsong. Mr. Young, a dual citizen of
“Had the RNC requested an- CanadaandtheUnitedStateswho
othersong,YouWantitDarker,for MICHELLERICE campaignedforBernieSandersin
which Leonard won a posthu- LAWYERFOR theDemocraticprimary,tookMr.
mousGrammyin2017,wemight LEONARDCOHEN’SESTATE Trump’scampaigntocourtthis
haveconsideredapprovalofthat year. His lawsuit describes the
song,”sheadded. ThePresidenthasahistoryof President’s re-election bid as “a
BrianMonaco,presidentofSo- usingpopularsongswithoutper- divisive,un-Americancampaign
ny/ATV Music Publishing, con- mission.NeilYoung,theRolling ofignoranceandhate.”
firmed in a statement that the StonesandtheestateofTomPetty Mr.Trumpalsoregularlyused
RNChadsoughtpermission“on havealsocomplainedaboutMr. theStones’YouCan’tAlwaysGet
theeveofthefinaleoftheconven- Trumpappropriatingtheirwork WhatYouWantastheclosingmu-
tion”tostagealiveperformance atcampaignrallies. sic for his speeches for several
ofthesong.Mr.MonacosaidSony Mr.Cohendiedthedaybefore years.InJune,thebandsaidithad
hadalso“declined”theRNC’sre- the2016election.Hewas82. repeatedly sent the President
quest. Some commentators pointed cease-and-desist notices, which
TheRNCdidnotimmediately outthatthemournfultoneofHal- hehadignored.TheStonesand
respond to a request for com- lelujahwasalsoaclangingjuxta- performing rights organization
ment. positiontothemoodMr.Trump BMIsaidtheywereconsideringa
The convention played a re- wastryingtocreate.Itslyricsde- lawsuit.
MONDAY,AUGUST31,2020 | THEGLOBEANDMAIL Q NEWS | A3
AheadlessstatueofSirJohnA.MacdonaldliesonthegroundafterbeingpulleddowninMontrealonSaturday.GRAHAMHUGHES/THECANADIANPRESS
Statue debate reignited after protesters
topple Macdonald monument in Montreal
Canada’s’sfirstprime highlightingaspectsofhispoliti- try. The group’s Facebook page upwhereitisinherentlyviolent who also contributed greatly to
ministerbothhonoured calcareerthatarewidelyviewed postedavideooftheMacdonald towardIndigenouspeoples,then thegrowthanddevelopmentof
asracist.Althoughthefirstprime statuecomingdown,alongwitha we’resayingthattoday’sviolence Canada,”hesaidinastatement.
andreviledashistoric ministerwascelebratedforhisna- messagecallingfortheremovalof against Indigenous peoples is “Weneedtotellourstoriesand
woundsconfrontedin tion-buildingandoverseeingthe allstatuesandplaquesthatpro- okay.” have our stories live alongside
constructionoftheCanadianPa- moteanti-Blackracismoranti-In- Prof.SinclairsaidtheMontreal thoseofourbrothersandsisters.”
divisivere-evaluation
cificRailway,hiscareerincluded digenousracism.Thegroupalso protestispartofalong-building MontrealMayorValériePlante
supportforCanada’sresidential callsfora50-per-centbudgetcut movementinsupportofIndige- saidshestronglycondemnedthe
schoolssystemandthe1885Chi- totheMontrealpolice,withmon- nouslanguagesandculture.“… actsofvandalismandthat“such
BILLCURRYOTTAWA nese Immigration Act that im- eyreinvestedinBlackandIndige- Throughmarches,throughcele- gestures cannot be accepted or
posedaheadtaxonChineseim- nouscommunities,amongother brations,throughrounddances tolerated.” In an online state-
migrants. socialpolicydemands. andparkinglotsandstreetsand ment,shesaidthatsomehistori-
ThedestructionofaSirJohnA. The statue debate is now highways,thisisallpartofacon- calmonumentsareattheheartof
Macdonald statue that stood in heightened by growing citizen versationthat’songoingintothe emotionaldebatesbutthatitis
downtownMontrealsince1895is movementsthisyearcallingon future,”hesaid.“Andit’speace- bettertoputthemincontextrath-
reigniting political debate over governments and institutions Ifwekeepastatueup ful.” erthanremovethem.
thelegacyofCanada’sfirstprime suchaspoliceforcestoaddress Prof.Sinclairsaidthetoneof Shesaidthecity’spublicartof-
whereitisinherently
minister amid an international systemicracism. theprotestscontrastedwithMr. ficewillsecurethemonument’s
movementtoconfrontracism. Thisyear,there’sbeenawave violenttoward Kenney’scomments. perimeter and analyze options.
Theprominentmonumentin of marches in Canada and the Indigenouspeoples, “Who’stheonebeingviolent? “Foritspart,the[Montrealpolice]
thecity’sPlaceduCanadapublic UnitedStatesbygroupscallingfor thenwe’resayingthat … Who’s calling that group a will conduct its investigation,”
squarewasfirsterectedfouryears major policy changes when it mob?”hesaid.“Bytheway,ifyou shesaid.
today’sviolenceagainst
afterhediedinoffice. comestopolicingandminority putitupinEdmonton,peoplein Canadian Heritage Minister
AlbertaPremierJasonKenney communities.Severalprofession- Indigenouspeoplesis Edmontonwilltakeitdown.” andMontreal-areaLiberalMPSte-
weighedinwithheatedlanguage, al sports leagues, including the okay. AssemblyofFirstNationsNa- venGuilbeaultprovidedthefed-
describingtheprotestersthattop- NationalBasketballAssociation, tionalChiefPerryBellegardesaid eralgovernment’sresponse.
pledthestatueasa“mob”and National Hockey League and NIIGAANWEWIDAMJAMESSINCLAIR in a statement that Canada “Our government has always
“rovingbandofthugs.”Heoffered some professional baseball UNIVERSITYOFMANITOBAPROFESSOR shouldmakeagreatereffortto stoodwiththosewhodonothave
toinstallitonthegroundsofthe teams,tookupthecausethispast honour important Indigenous a safe space to express them-
AlbertaLegislatureinEdmonton week,suspendinggamestohigh- Anindividualwhoresponded leaders. selves.Whilethecurrentdebateis
ifthestatueisnotwantedbythe lightinstitutionalracismafterJa- viathegroup’se-mailaccountde- “Beforeanythingelse,Iwantto important, we believe that dia-
CityofMontreal.QuebecPremier cobBlake,aBlackman,wasshot clinedaninterviewrequest. saythatneitherInortheAssemb- logueisabetterengineforpro-
FrançoisLegaultalsocommented seventimesinthebackbypolice UniversityofManitobanative lyofFirstNationscondonevio- gressthanisolatedactsofvandal-
online,describingtheincidentas inKenosha,Wis. studies professor Niigaanwewi- lence.Historyhasnotalwaysbeen ism like we witnessed [Satur-
unacceptable vandalism and TheMontrealprotestwasorga- damJamesSinclairsaidinanin- fairtoFirstNationspeoplesbut day],”hesaidinane-mailedstate-
calledforthemonumenttobere- nizedbytheCoalitionforBIPOC terview Sunday that removing we are living in a special time ment.
stored. (Black,Indigenousandpeopleof statuesthatareoffensivetoIndig- when we are making ourselves “Ourgovernmentwillcontinue
TheincidentSaturdayisthelat- colour) Liberation, which de- enouspeopledoesnotmeanCan- heardasneverbefore.Wehave toadvocateforpublicplacesthat
estinaseriesacrossthecountry scribesitselfasacollectiveofso- adaiserasingitshistory. the opportunity to look at the areinclusive,safeandfreefrom
as Macdonald statues are fre- cialjusticegroupsandcommuni- “Ithinkthepeoplehavespo- truths of our collective history all forms of violence or harass-
quently defaced by protesters tyactivistsfromacrossthecoun- ken,”hesaid.“Ifwekeepastatue andtoraiseupIndigenousleaders ment.”
A deep Whenyouhavetheworld’slargestacademicresearchcentreindeeplearning,
it’snosurprisethatpeoplewillcomefromallover,includingSiliconValley,to
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A4 | NEWS O THEGLOBEANDMAIL | MONDAY,AUGUST31,2020
Prorogation and
Morneau’s removal
further confirm
Trudeau’s ability
to be ruthless
CAMPBELL
CLARK
OPINION
DidJustinTrudeaupushoutBill
Morneau because the latter’s
$41,000 in unreimbursed WE
Charity expenses compound-
edtheLiberals’embarrassment,orbe-
causehewantedarelaunchwithanew
financeministerasthefaceofthepost-
pandemicagenda?
Eitherway,Mr.Trudeaugotwhathe
wanted.Andinastarkway.
DaysofpublicspeculationaboutMr.
Morneau’s future left him twisting in
thewind,untilthePrimeMinistercame
back from a holiday, and his finance
ministeroffiveyearswasout.Gone.
Then, in one swift stroke of the
sword,Parliamentwascutoff,too,with
prorogation–butnotfortheusualperi-
odofaweekorso,takenwhengovern-
U.S.nationalintelligencedirectorJohnRatcliffe,showninWashingtonlastDecember,sayslawmakersleakedclassifiedinformation ments want to reboot and relaunch a
fromaJuly31briefing‘tocreateanarrativethatsimplyisn’ttrue,thatsomehowRussiaisagreaternationalsecuritythreatthan new agenda in a Speech from the
China.’Mr.Ratcliffehashaltedin-personcongressionalbriefingsonelectionsecurity.DOUGMILLS/THENEWYORKTIMESVIAAP Throne. This was a five-week shutter-
ing,adurationthatparliamentaryex-
perts always advise against, in case
U.S. head of intelligence there’saneedforemergencylegislation
inancrisis.Like,say,apandemic.
Yet the move disrupted parliamen-
tary hearings by multiple committees
stands by testimony ban thatwerepokingthroughannoyingtid-
bits on the WE Charity controversy,
eveniftheyweren’tmassivenewreve-
lations. And it kept new Conservative
LeaderErinO’Toolefromtakingaseat
Democratsthreaten curitythreatthanChina,”Mr.Ratcliffe bers,”hesaid. intheHouseofCommonsuntilhehas
subpoenaoverTrump toldFoxNews’sSundayMorningFutures. The intelligence community has his back against the wall – forced to
Mr. Ratcliffe is a former lawmaker warnedthatRussiaistryingto“denigra- take a stand on the Liberal recovery
appointee’sdecisiontolimit whodefendedMr.Trumpduringcon- te”Mr.Trump’s2020Democraticoppo- agendainatleasttwoconfidencevotes
congressionalbriefings gressionalprobesintoRussianeffortsto nent,JoeBiden,andthatIranandChina thatintheorycouldtriggerasnapelec-
influencethe2016election. are also trying to sow disinformation. tion.
on2020electionsecurity
Democratic lawmakers accused Mr. Mr.Schiffvowedhewould“compel”the ThelasttwoweeksofAugustputone
Ratcliffeoftryingtoblockthemfrom intelligencecommunitytohandoverin- thingclearlyonview:theruthlessness
questioningintelligenceofficialsinabid formationtoCongressonthethreat,in- ofJustinTrudeau.
DAVIDMORGANWASHINGTON toconcealinformationonhowRussia cludingpotentiallythroughtheuseof Hispoliticalbrandmaystillrevolve
hasbeeninterferinginthe2020presi- subpoenas. around empathy, and over the first
dentialelectiontohelpMr.Trump,asit DemocraticSenatorAmyKlobuchar, monthsofthepandemic,hispopularity
U.S. President Donald Trump’s intelli- didin2016. a former presidential candidate, told rose as he promised Canadians he’d
gencechiefonSundaydefendedhisde- “Youcansaythingsinawrittenreport ABC’sThisWeekthatMr.Ratcliffe’sdeci- havetheirbacks.Butinrecentweeks,
cisiontoceasein-personcongressional thatarenotcorrect,andyoucan’tbe sionwasan“outrage”atatimewhen hispersonalandpoliticalmoveshave
briefings on election security, while subjecttoquestioningaboutit,”Repre- multipleforeigngovernmentsweretry- beenallabouttoughcalculations.
Democrats said the move would sup- sentative Adam Schiff, Democratic ingto“breakinto”theNov.3election. Therewasamischaracterization,fed
presscriticalinformationaboutforeign chairman of the House intelligence However,SenatorRonJohnson,Re- asmuchbyhisopponentsashissup-
electionmeddlingandwarnedtheymay committee,toldCNN’sStateoftheUnion publicanchairmanoftheSenatehome- portersinthedayshewasrunningfor
subpoenatestimony. program. landsecuritycommittee,playeddown thetopjobin2014and2015,thatMr.
JohnRatcliffe,thePresident’snewdi- “When you can hide behind docu- thesignificanceofMr.Ratcliffe’sdeci- Trudeauwassomekindofsoft,squidgy
rector of national intelligence and a mentsorwithholddocumentsandnot sionwhenspeakingwithCNN’sStateof kidwhoneededsomebodytomakethe
closeTrumpally,accusedU.S.lawmak- havetoanswerquestionsaboutit,itlets the Union, saying the Democratic re- tough decisions. People talked about
ers of leaking classified information youconcealthetruth.Andinthiscase, sponsehadbeen“blownsowayoutof hisEQ–hisemotionalintelligencequo-
fromaJuly31briefingtopromotewhat concealingthetruthisconcealingRus- proportion.” tient.Therewasgoingtobeteamdeci-
he called false narratives for political siansareagaininterveningtohelpthe AbipartisaninvestigationbytheSen- sionsandcollegialityandlisteningand
purposes. Presidentinhisre-election,”hesaid. ate intelligence committee found this sensitivity.
“AnumberofmembersofCongress Mr.Schiffdeniedleakinganyclassi- monththatRussiameddledinthe2016 Hismovetoproroguebrokehis2015
wenttoanumberofdifferentpublica- fiedinformationfromtheJulybriefing. U.S. presidential election to help Mr. promisenottousetheactionto“avoid
tionsandleakedclassifiedinformation, “I haven’t, my staff hasn’t. I can’t TrumpatthedirectionofRussianPresi- difficult political circumstances” – a
again,forpoliticalpurposes,tocreatea speakforwhatallthemembersofthe dentVladimirPutin. promisethathighlightedformerprime
narrative that simply isn’t true, that committeehavedoneornotdone,in- minister’sStephenHarperproroguein
somehowRussiaisagreaternationalse- cludingalotoftheRepublicanmem- REUTERS 2008 to avoid a vote on a non-confi-
dencemotion.
IfMr.TrudeaujustwantedaThrone
SpeechonSept.23,hecouldhavepro-
Public-health experts decry Health Canada’s rogued Parliament in mid-September.
Buthewantedanedgeonhispolitical
opponents.
decision not to approve at-home testing
With Mr. Morneau, we only saw a
messy example of Mr. Trudeau’s hard
edgewithhisownministers.
CHERISESEUCHARAN forCOVID-19,whichcanbecompleted “it would also catch asymptomatic HeputJohnMcCallumandStéphane
entirelyonone’sownwithouttheneed casesthatmighthaveotherwisegone Dioninhisfirstcabinetfortheirexperi-
for a lab, has been the aim of many undetected,”whichwouldhelpstopthe ence,buthetiredofhearingoldhands
Canadianswon’tbegettingaccesstoat- companies and innovators worldwide, spreadofthevirus. lecture,soin2017hesentthemoffto
home COVID-19 tests, a decision by andsomehavegottenclosetoachiev- AshleighTuite,anepidemiologistat diplomaticposts.
HealthCanadathatisbeingchallenged ingthisgoal. theUniversityofToronto,saidthedeci- Thereassignmentsweremadepublic
by public-health experts who say at- In the U.S., the Food and Drug Ad- sion not to approve at-home test was beforeMr.Dionhaddecidedifhewant-
home testing could play a significant ministration recently approved a self- “paternalistic” on the part of Health ed to be ambassador to both the Eu-
roleinmanagingthepandemic. contained test from Abbott Laborato- Canadaandindicatedalackoftrustin ropeanUnionandGermany–and,asit
They argue that the benefits of at- riesthatisthesizeofacreditcardand thepublic. turnsout,hishostsdidn’twantthedual
home testing greatly outweigh any providesresultsin15minutes,butstill “I think throughout this pandemic appointment.
risks. requiresahealthworkertoperformthe there’sbeenalotofpushbackwhere,in Mr.MorneauplayedalongwithMr.
Colin Furness, an infection control swab. termsofinterventionsthatcouldhelp, Trudeaubyresigningandannouncing
epidemiologistandassistantprofessor Thetestuseslateralflowassaytech- theywereseenfromthemedicalcom- thePrimeMinisterwillbackhisbidto
attheUniversityofToronto,saidthat nology to deliver a result similar to a munitythatthepublicwon’tknowhow be secretary-general of the Organiza-
at-home testing could be a powerful test for strep throat; the to use it properly,” she tion for Economic Co-Operation and
wayofpreventingviralspread.Ifevery- downsideisthatitmight said. Development.Thereisnowateamof
one in Canada were able test them- not have the same accu- Dr.Tuitesaidthesame officialsworkingonthecampaign,but
selves every day, he said, then “you’d racy as the more widely WhileHealthCanada kindofreactionoccurred itwon’tbeeasy:Thepasttwosecretar-
havenopandemic.” usedpolymerasechainre- at the start of the pan- ies-generalhavebeenaMexicananda
recognizesthat
“I think it’s a travesty that Health action test (PCR), which demic with regards to Canadian,andEuropeansmightbeex-
Canada would stand in the way of reliesonalabforresults homeself-testing masks,whenmedicalex- pectingoneoftheirowntogetthejob.
home testing with saliva/paper tests,” andisdonewithaswab. couldmakeit pertswereconcernedthat WillMr.Trudeaucampaignhardfora
hesaidinane-mail. AYaleUniversitylabo- possibleforagreater peoplewerenotgoingto ministerhejustletgo?
HealthCanada,whichregulateswhat ratoryhasalsodeveloped put their masks on and Afterall,Mr.Trudeauhasshownhe
numberofpeople
medicalanddiagnostictestsareavail- atestusingsalivainstead take them off safely, or is willing to let Canadian candidates
ableonthemarket,won’tbeapproving ofaswab–itisbeingused tobetested… that they would touch dangleeveniftheyhaveagoodshotat
at-hometestsforCOVID-19becauseof bytheNationalBasketball wehaveconcerns their faces more. Those aninternationalpost.
concerns about their accuracy when Association–butthesam- abouttherisks concerns“havenotborne When General Jonathan Vance, the
usedbythepublic. plestillneedstobesentto out,”shesaid. ChiefoftheDefenceStaff,askedtobe
ofhomeself-testing.
“While Health Canada recognizes alabforresults. “I think there’s some- putupasacandidatetobechairmanof
that home self-testing could make it AndinBritain,at-home thing similar happening the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza-
ERICMORRISSETTE
possibleforagreaternumberofpeople swabkitsareavailableto HEALTHCANADA withtheideaoftheseat- tion’smilitarycommitteeinBrussels–
tobetested…wehaveconcernsabout the public, but samples SPOKESMAN home tests, the concern amoderatelyprestigiouspostavailable
therisksofhomeself-testing,”saidEric mustalsobesentbymail that if you put the tech- only to outgoing national military
Morrissette,spokesmanforHealthCan- toalab,andtestresultsbecomeavail- nologyinthehandsofthegeneralpub- chiefs–Mr.Trudeau’sanswerwasno.
ada. ableafterseveraldays. lic,they’regoingtomisuseit,orthey’re Gen. Vance was appointed by Mr.
“Without the guidance of a health Dr.Furnesssaidthatinsteadofthink- notgoingtounderstandhowtouseit,” Harper,anddidn’texactlyfitthestyle
careprofessional,thereisasignificant ingofat-hometestingasapurelydiag- Dr.Tuitesaid. ofMr.Trudeau’sPrimeMinister’sOffice.
riskthatapatientcouldusethehome nostic device, Health Canada should “ButIdon’tthinkthat’safairjudg- Buthewasthelongestservingchiefof
testkitimproperlyormisinterpretthe treatitasascreeningtoolinwhichpeo- ment.” theCanadianmilitary,andaCanadian
results.” plewhotestpositivewouldthengoto She said Health Canada’s concern who was probably the favourite for a
Mr.Morrissettealsosaidthefederal theirdoctorforatesttoconfirmit. that at-home testing would make it NATOheadquarterspost,upagainsta
departmentwasconcernedthatheath “Theobjectionabouttrackingagain more difficult to track where positive Dutch general and a less-experienced
careagencieswouldn’tbeabletoprop- takesthistobeadefinitivediagnostic results are occurring could be ad- Polishgeneral.
erlytracktestresults,preventingthem test [ordered by a physician], rather dressedwithpublic-educationefforts. Yet Mr. Trudeau didn’t back Gen.
fromtracingthespreadofthevirus. thanasascreeningtest,whichishow “Thereneedstobeeducation,andso Vance,whoannouncedhisretirement
“This information is key to impor- it should be seen for home use,” he Ithinkthemessagingwouldbe,‘Ifyou inJuly.
tant public-health decisions involving said. haveapositivetest,youneedtoisolate Mr. Trudeau, it turns out, isn’t the
diseasecontrolduringanoutbreak.” Whileat-hometestsmighthaveless immediately,andyoushouldgogeta soft, EQ prime minister. By 2020, we
Thedevelopmentofanat-hometest sensitivityandmisssomecases,hesaid PCRtest.’” shouldknowhehasaruthlessstreak.
MONDAY,AUGUST31,2020 | THEGLOBEANDMAIL O NEWS | A5
Protester’s death in Portland raises political tensions
Manaffiliatedwith the wounding of a third in Ke- House.Andit’sgoingtotakemy unacceptable,andwearework- forcement.Inrecentdays,right-
aright-winggroup nosha, Wis., on Tuesday night, leadershiphereinCityHall.” ingdiligentlytofindandappre- wing demonstrations have also
theincidentwasanominoussign ButMr.Trumpappearedtore- hendtheindividualorindividu- sprung up in the city, and Mr.
wasshotandkilled amidanescalationofweaponry spondliveonTwittertothemay- als responsible,” Chief Chuck Trumphasrepeatedlyhighlight-
duringapro-Trump andofrhetoricasprotestsofpo- or’sremarks,mockingMr.Wheel- LovellsaidearlySunday. edtheunrestinPortlandasevi-
lice violence and presidential erandcallinghim“wacky”anda Mr. Trump reiterated his call denceoftheneedforatougher
rallyonSaturday
politicsmerge. “dummy.” that the National Guard should law-and-order response to the
ChadWolf,theactingsecretary “He would like to blame me bebroughtintoPortland,saying chaoticprotestsoverpolicevio-
oftheDepartmentofHomeland andtheFederalGovernmentfor peoplewantlawandorder. lence and racial injustice that
MIKEBAKERPORTLAND,ORE. Security,onSundayleftopenthe goingin,buthehasn’tseenany- “TheywantSafety&Security, havesweptthroughmanyAmer-
potentialtosurgefederallawen- thingyet,”Mr.Trumpwrote. anddoNOTwanttoDefundour icancities.
forcementtoquellunrestinPor- Avideothatpurportstobeof Police!”Mr.TrumptweetedSun- Policehavemadedozensofar-
Afatalshootingduringanightof tland. the Saturday night shooting in day. restsinrecentdaysastheyhave
politicalconflictinPortlandhas DuringaninterviewonABC’s Portland,takenfromthefarside At the scene Saturday night, chased protesters through the
yet again escalated tensions in ThisWeek,Mr.Wolfsaid“allop- of the street, showed a small police officers blocked off the streets,attimesknockingthem
thecityandfurtherinflamedthe tionscontinuetobeonthetable” groupofpeopleintheroadout- road and medics attended to a to the ground. Police said they
issuesofcrime,protestandrace todeploymorefederalagentsto sidewhatappearstobeaparking personwhoappearedtohavea made10arrestsSaturdaynight,
thatU.S.PresidentDonaldTrump Portlanddespitethestrongoppo- garage.Gunfireerupts,andaman chestwound. althoughitwasnotimmediately
istryingtomakeafocusofpresi- sition of local leaders who say collapsesinthestreet. Theshootingcappedavolatile clearhowmanywereparticipa-
dentialpolitics. such tactical teams have only The man who was shot and weekintheUnitedStatesthatbe- nts in the pro-Trump rally and
Amanaffiliatedwitharight- heightened tension in the pro- killedwaswearingahatwiththe ganwhenpoliceinKenoshare- how many were countering the
winggroupwasshotandkilled tests. insigniaofPatriotPrayer,afar- peatedlyshotaBlackman,Jacob event.
Saturdayasalargegroupofsup- Mayor Ted Wheeler said the rightgroupbasedinthePortland Blake, prompting new protests Chief Lovell said on Sunday
portersofMr.Trumptravelledin shootinglefthisheartheavy,and areathathasclashedwithprotes- againstracismandpolicebrutal- thatonechallengewiththecon-
a caravan through downtown he denounced violence. But he tersinthepast.JoeyGibson,the itythatincludedthecancellation tinuingconflictisthatthereare
Portland,whichhasseennightly pointedtothecombativeandun- headofthegroup,saidSundayhe ofprofessionalsportsgames. sometimesnotenoughofficersto
protests for three consecutive yieldingrhetoricofMr.Trumpas couldnotsharemanydetailsbut During the unrest after the keep various groups separated
months. ageneratorofthecountry’sesca- could confirm the man was a shooting of Blake, Kyle Ritten- enoughtoavoidconflict.
The pro-Trump rally drew latingpolarizationandviolence. goodfriendandsupporterofPa- house,a17-year-oldIllinoisresi- “We can’t be everywhere at
hundreds of trucks full of sup- Inanewsconference,hecalled triotPrayer. dent,waschargedinconnection once,”hesaid.
porters into the city. At times, on the President to work with The Portland Police Bureau with the fatal shootings of two ChiefLovellsaidthecity’soffi-
Trump supporters and counter- himandotherstohelpde-esca- saidthatofficersheardreportsof protesters. cers need additional resources
protestersclashedonthestreets, latetensions. gunfireshortlybefore9p.m.and Portland has seen nightly andheisworkingwiththeOre-
with people shooting paintball “Weneedtoreset.ThePresi- found a victim with a gunshot demonstrationssincethekilling gonStatePolice.Hesaiditmay
guns from the beds of pickup dentneedstoreset.Ineedtore- woundtothechest.Itwasdeter- ofGeorgeFloydinpolicecustody get to the point where the city
trucks and protesters throwing set.Thiscommunityneedstore- minedthatthevictimhaddied. inMinneapolisinMay,someof needssupportfromtheNational
objectsbackatthem. set.AndAmericaneedstoreset,” Theydidnotreleaseanyinforma- which have included crowds Guard.
Comingontheheelsofthefa- Mr. Wheeler said. “It’s going to tionaboutapossiblegunman. smashingwindows,lightingfires
talshootingoftwoprotestersand takehisleadershipintheWhite “This violence is completely andthrowingfireworksatlawen- NEWYORKTIMESNEWSSERVICE
Floods in Sudan swamp
Khartoum, at least 90 dead
nationwide since late July
CAIRO
Rising floodwaters have hit Sudan’s capital of Khartoum
hardinrecentdays,asweeksofheavyfloodingcountrywide
leftatleast90peopledeadanddestroyedtensofthousands
ofhomes,thecountry’sInteriorMinistrysaidSunday.
Sudan’smilitarysaiditdeployedtroopstohelpevacuate
peopleandbuildbarricadesinKhartoumaswellasdistribute
food,afterfloodingtherecutroadsandsweptawayhouses
andbelongings.Footagecirculatedonlineshowingresidents
ofKhartoumerectingbarricadesandothershieldsaswater
fromtheNileRiversweptthroughseveraldistricts.
FlashfloodshaveravagedswathsofSudanincludingthe
capitalsincelateJuly,injuringaboutfourdozenpeopleand
damagingordestroying57,000housescountrywide,theIn-
teriorMinistrysaid.
Morethan380,000peopleinallbutoneofSudan’s18prov-
inceshavebeenaffectedbyheavyrainfallandfloodingsince
thestartoftherainyseasoninJuly,accordingtoofficialsta-
tistics.Mostoftheaffectedfamilieswereforcedtoseekshel-
terwithrelativesandhostcommunities,accordingtotheUN
AhealthworkerinChennaicheckspeople’stemperaturesataCOVID-19testingcamponSunday,thesameday OfficefortheCo-ordinationofHumanitarianAffairs.
Indiasetaglobalrecordwhenitreported78,761newinfectionsin24hours.ARUNSANKAR/AFP/GETTYIMAGES Thefloodingalsodamagedatleast43schoolsand2,671
healthfacilitiesacrossthecountry,theUNagencysaid.
Alsolatelastmonth,seasonalrainfallandfloodingcaused
India records world’s highest single-day jump thecollapseoftheBoutDaminthesoutheasternBlueNile
province.Thecollapsereleased5millioncubicmetresofwa-
terandfloodedatleast13neighbourhoodsinthetownof
in virus cases, total now more than 3.5 million
Bout,theUNsaid.
ASSOCIATEDPRESS
NEWDELHI COVID-19 management, howev- Early last week, members of a
er, is the growing rate of reco- small secluded tribe in the re-
veredpatients.OnSunday,there- moteAndamanandNicobarIs-
Indiaregistered78,761newcoro- covery rate reached nearly 76.5 landstestedpositiveforthecoro- ZIMBABWERULESOUTPOACHERSASITPROBES
naviruscasesonSunday,thebig- percent. navirus. MYSTERIOUSDEATHSOF11ELEPHANTS
gestsingle-dayspikeintheworld The Health Ministry credited Sofar,thebiggestcontributor
sincethepandemicbegan,justas itsstrategicpolicyof“testingag- to the new surge has been the
thegovernmentbeganeasingre- gressively, tracking comprehen- western state of Maharashtra, HARAREZimbabwe’sparksauthoritiesareinvestigatingthe
strictions to help the battered sivelyandtreatingefficiently”in hometothecommercialcapital deathof11elephantsinaforestinthewestofthecountry,
economy. supervised home isolation and ofMumbai.Italonehasaccount- aparksspokesmansaidSunday.
ThesurgeraisedIndia’stallyto hospitals. edformorethan24,000deaths ThecarcassesoftheelephantswerediscoveredonFriday
morethan3.5million,andcame ButCOVID-19fatalitiescontin- andnearly21percentofallcases. inPandamasueForest,locatedbetweenHwangeNational
as the government announced uetomountandsoonIndiawill India’s economy – the fifth ParkandVictoriaFalls.Bloodsampleshavebeentakentoa
thereopeningofthesubwayin havethethird-largestdeathtoll, largestintheworld–hasbeense- laboratoryforanalysistodeterminethecauseoftheir
NewDelhi,thecapital.Italsowill aftertheUnitedStatesandBrazil, verelyhitbythepandemic.But deaths,saidTinasheFarawo,spokesmanoftheZimbabwe
moveaheadwithlimitedsports eventhoughithashadfarfewer despitethesurgingcases,Prime NationalParksandWildlifeManagementAuthority.
andreligiouseventsnextmonth. deathsthanthosetwocountries. MinisterNarendraModiandhis Thedeadelephantswerefoundwiththetusksstillon
Acountryof1.4billionpeople, Indiaisnowreportingaround teamhavebeenpushingforare- theirbodies,rulingoutpoaching.Inrecentyearspoachers
Indianowhasthefastest-growing 1,000COVID-19deathseveryday. turntonormalcytoeasethepain. inZimbabwehavepoisoneddozensofelephantsandthen
dailycoronaviruscaseloadofany Sofar,morethan63,000Indians The federal government on havetakentheirivorytuskstosellthemtoillegaltraders.
country in the world, reporting havediedfromthedisease. Saturdaysaidthecrowdedsub- “Wecanonlyascertainthecauseofdeathafterthetests.
morethan75,000newcasesfor Even as eight states remain way,alifelineformillionsofpeo- Butwehaveruledoutcyanidepoisoning,”Mr.Farawotold
fourstraightdays. amongtheworst-hitregionsand ple in New Delhi, will reopen theAssociatedPress.“Onlyelephantswereaffected,no
Oneofthereasonsistesting: contributenearly73percentof gradually starting Sept. 7. vulturesoranyotheranimalswereaffected.Initialtests
India now conducts nearly one thetotalinfections,thevirusis Schools,collegesandmoviethe- showthatitisnotcyanide.Wearealsorulingoutpoachers
milliontestseveryday,compared now spreading fast in the vast atreswillremaincloseduntilthe becausethetuskswereintact.”
with just 200,000 two months hinterlands,withhealthexperts endofSeptember. ThedeathsoftheelephantsinZimbabweappearsimilar
ago. warningthatSeptembercouldbe tothedeathslastmonthofmorethan275elephantsin
AsignificantfeatureofIndia’s themostchallengingmonthyet. ASSOCIATEDPRESS neighbouringBotswana.ASSOCIATEDPRESS
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A6 | NEWS O THEGLOBEANDMAIL | MONDAY,AUGUST31,2020
Do harms outweigh the benefits
of requiring young children to wear masks?
Someexpertssay
childrenshouldfocuson
otherwaysofkeeping
virusfromspreading
KELLYCRYDERMANCALGARY
Zoey Lawrence will start
Grade 2 in Calgary with a
mask that her parents
think she’ll likely lose. The
straps, she complains, hurt her
ears.Butthroughtrialanderror,
thesix-year-oldandhermother
have concluded that disposable
masks are more comfortable
thanthecloth.
“It seems better to wear the
masksthantonotwearthem,”
saidImmanuelaLawrence,who
said she believes her children,
ZoeyandCory,8,willadjustto
wearing masks throughout the
day.
Allison Stordeur, a Calgary
momoffour,saidshewillsend
her seven-year-old daughter to
schoolwithcolour-codedpencil
cases – green to store clean
masksandredfortheused–to
helpkeepthingsorganized.
“Afulldaywearingmasksisa
longday,”shesaid.“Butonceshe
recognizes this isn’t something
she can whine about, and it
changes,itwillbeokay.”
Asschoolsacrossthecountry
prepare to reopen, some Cana- DaveandImmanuelaLawrencehelptheirchildren,Zoey,6,andCory,8,putontheirmasksinCalgaryonWednesday.Whenitcomestoherchildren
dianschoolboardshavemandat- headingbacktoschool,‘itseemsbettertowearthemasksthantonotwearthem,’Ms.Lawrencesays.TODDKOROL/THEGLOBEANDMAIL
ed,orarestronglyrecommend-
ing,masksfortheyoungestchil- fora“prolongedperiod.”Inthe child returned home one day school students, when physical tancing.
dren in the system: Pupils as pasttwoweeks,theWaterlooRe- wearingsomebodyelse’smask.” distancing cannot be main- “The discomfort of using a
youngas4or5willberequiredto gion District School Board, the But educators without the tained. maskmaybetoomuchtoexpect
wearthemnotonlyinthehalls, Peel District School Board and means to reduce class sizes are OntarioPremierDougFordcit- ofelementaryschoolchildrenfor
but also during some lessons, the Toronto District School looking for other measures to edthatstudyearlierthismonth, 30hoursaweekofschool,”add-
andthroughmuchoftheday. Boardhavesaidtheyalsointend containthespreadofCOVID-19. tellingreportershewasskeptical ed the group that models the
But as some parents grapple tomakemasksthenormforall They also can’t ignore recent thatlittlekidswouldbeableto spreadofinfectiousdisease.
with the new rules that can be pupils, starting in kindergarten studiesthatindicateyoungchil- keep from “fiddling” with their Foryoungerchildren,thechal-
viewedascommon-sensepublic orGrade1. dren can indeed contract and masks. “I have four girls and I lengewon’tbejustthattheyare
healthmeasuresforkidslearning Youngchildren“willacceptit transmitcoronavirus–contrary knowwhentheywerelittle,four wearing masks but that they
incloseconfineswithoneanoth- asthenormal”saidMegSorg,a tothethinkingjustacoupleof orfiveyearsold,itwouldhave might,attimes,betryingtolearn
er,somehealthprofessionalssee pediatricnursepractitionerand monthsago–althoughtheymay beenhardtokeepthemaskon.” fromateacherwhoisalsowear-
it as a counterproductive edict assistant professor at Indiana’s notbeaslikelytospreadthedis- InBritishColumbia,aBCCen- ingone.
forchildrenstillonlylearningto PurdueUniversitywhohaswrit- ease and generally have milder treforDiseaseControlinforma- Facialcuesareincrediblyim-
readorsitquietlyintheirseats. ten about the importance of symptoms,ifany. tion page states that for young portantforyoungchildren,and
All-daymaskingforyoungchil- teaching young kids to wear TheAmericanAcademyofPe- childrenovertheageof2,masks thosewhosefirstlanguageisnot
dren,theyargue,islesseffective masks. diatricsandtheU.S.Centersfor aregenerallynotrecommended, English, said Jason Schilling,
thanmeasuressuchasphysical “They’reresilient,andthey’re Disease Control and Prevention astheycanbeirritatingandmay presidentoftheATA.Hismem-
distancing,andcouldposeaseri- justexcitedtogetbacktotheir alsohavesaidthatchildrenolder leadtoincreasedtouchingofthe bers,hesaid,willhavetogetcre-
ouschallengetoactuallearning friends and some semblance of than 2 should wear masks in faceandeyes. ativetocreateastrongclassroom
intheclassroom. normal,” she said, noting that closequarters,includingschool. “To think of, particularly a learningenvironmentwhilestill
“ThethingIthinkisincontro- younger children will want to The Alberta Teachers’ Associ- youngchild,10,11,12,sittingall wearingamask.
vertibleisthatmasksaregoingto wearthesamemasksastheirol- ation(ATA)saiditwouldprefer dayinaclassroomwithamask “[Children] learn a lot by
interferewithcommunicationin der peers. “I have a three-year- classsizesbereducedtoallowfor onisprobablynotrealistic,”B.C. watching how the teacher
these young children,” said Jef- oldwholoveswearinghismask physical distancing of at least ProvincialHealthOfficerBonnie works,”hesaid.
freyPernica,theheadofthepe- because he’s doing what his twometres,butwherethat’snot HenrysaidinearlyAugust. “That element of teaching is
diatric infectious-disease divi- brothersaredoing.” possible, “then students should “There’slotsofthingswecan kindofgone.”
sionatHamilton’sMcMasterUni- However,Dr.Pernicasaidany wearmasks,regardlessofage.” dotomakethoseenvironments Another Calgary parent, Sha-
versity.Themasks“aregoingto school board considering this Still, those Canadian school safewithoutrequiringsomeone nazPasha,saidthemaskques-
be distracting to these young typeofruleneedstoweighthe boards that have already set tositwithamaskonforlongpe- tionseemstrivialcomparedwith
children,becausetheyaresofor benefitsversustheharm. maskrulesforyoungerchildren riodsoftime.” manyotherCOVID-19-relatedis-
meandmanyofmycolleagues– “Thekidsarenotgoingtobe are being more stringent than Simon Fraser University’s suesintheeducationsystem,in-
andweareadults.” abletotakeofftheirmaskwhen provincial authorities, which MAGPIEResearchGroupsaidthis cludingthestopsandstartsfam-
EarlyinAugust,theEdmonton theygototheiroffice,likeIdo,” have mostly focused on mask month that one of the lessons iliesmighthavetograpplewith
public school board announced he said, adding that making rulesforstudentsinGrade4and fromitsmathematicalmodelsis thisfalliftherearefurtherout-
itis“asking”pupilsinkindergar- masks mandatory draws atten- up. thatpreventivemeasuressuchas breaks.
tentoGrade3whoare“physical- tion away from more effective They also seem to go up masksaremosteffectiveagainst Still,Ms.Pashasaidit’simpor-
ly, psychologically or develop- meansofkeepingCOVID-19from against the school guidance is- the spread of COVID-19 when tantherson,goingintoGrade3
mentallyabletowearamaskto spreadinginschools,suchasbet- suedinJulybyToronto’sHospi- meetingnewpeopleforshortpe- in Calgary, wears a mask. “Re-
doso.”TheCalgaryboardsaidit terscreeningorallowingparents tal for Sick Children, where a riodsoftime.Butwhenpeople gardlessofhowIfeel,orwhatmy
wouldberequiringallpupils,in- totaketimeoffworkwhentheir groupofmedicalexpertsthatin- aretogetherforalongerspan,us- personalopinionisaboutit,we
cluding the youngest ones, to childrenhavesymptoms. cludedDr.Pernicarecommended ingmasksandotherbarriersto havetoberesponsibleanddothe
wearamaskwhenphysicaldis- And, of course, kids will be theuseofmasksforhigh-school reduce transmission has much most reasonable thing in terms
tancing is difficult to maintain kids:“Ihaveacolleaguewhose students, and perhaps middle- less impact than physical dis- ofhealth.”
No guarantee of physical distancing on buses, school boards say
MUGOLISAMBA ThedirectionMr.Robsonhas InAlberta,theCalgaryBoard
receivedhasbeendisparate;the ofEducationsaysitsschoolbuses
school bus company that em- havebeencappedat48students
SchoolboardsinCanadiancities ployshimsaysstudentswhodo asaresultofadjustmentsthatare
like Toronto and Calgary say not have a mask must still be unrelated to the pandemic. But
physicaldistancingwillbehard boarded.Afriendworkingforan- theboard’smanageroftranspor-
to guarantee on many of their othercompanywillbeprovided tation services, Brenda Gibson,
schoolbusroutes. withmedicalmasksforstudents saidthiswouldstillnotallowtwo
Studentswhospendtheirdays who forget theirs. Both drivers metresofphysicaldistancingbe-
in physically distanced class- drop students off at the same tweenstudents.
rooms could be sent home on school. All drivers and students on
busesthatareatfullcapacityand “That’s the problem, there is theirbuseswillwearmasks,and
carryingchildrenfromdifferent noflowofinformation,”Mr.Rob- boardingwillbedonefromback
cohorts.Boardsacrossthecoun- son said. “[Drivers] want to go tofront,oldesttoyoungest.Sib-
tryhavecreatedprotocolstoen- back, but without information, lingswillbeseatedtogether.Driv-
sure student and driver safety howdoyoumakeadecision?” erswillcleanbusesattheendof
during the COVID-19 pandemic, Some drivers in his region theirshifts,butasingleshiftof-
butsomebusdriverssaytheyare haveconsideredtakingleavesof ten includes multiple routes at
stillfeelingunsafe. absence. On Thursday, OBSA differentschools,Ms.Gibsonsaid.
KevinHodgkinson,thegeneral presidentNancyDaigneaultesti- “Wehavepreparedasmuchas
manageroftheTorontoStudent StudentsarriveforthefirstdayofschoolatÉcoleélémentairecatholique matedtherecouldbean8-per- possibleandweunderstandthat
Transportation Group (TSTG), Jonathan-PitreinManotick,Ont.,onAug.19.Studentscouldbesent centto10-per-centdrivershort- wemayfaceneworchangingin-
saidthatitwillbe“nearimpos- homeonbusesthatareatfullcapacityandcarryingchildrenfrom agethisyear. formation,”sheadded.“Wewill
sible”toachievephysicaldistanc- differentcohorts.DAVECHAN/THEGLOBEANDMAIL “We’re really hoping that the be flexible and responsive to
ing on the group’s buses. TSTG announcement by the Minister whatourhealthofficialsask.We
workswithsevencompaniesthat studentsfrommultiplecohorts. fromstudents. [ofEducation]andthePremier havedoneeverythingwecanto
drive nearly 50,000 students to “Unfortunately, when you’re RobRobson,abusdriverwork- willhelpalleviatethat,”Ms.Daig- prepareforourstudentsreturn-
Toronto District School Board dealing with transportation, ingforDurham’sFrenchCatholic neaultsaid. ing.”
and Toronto Catholic District you’re[also]dealingwithgeogra- schoolboard,saidthatbusesat On Wednesday, the Ontario InOntario,UniforLocal4268
SchoolBoardschoolseveryday. phy,” Mr. Hodgkinson said. “So hisWhitbyschoolcouldalsobeat government announced that president Debbie Montgomery,
Mr. Hodgkinson expects that we’re picking up students from fullcapacity. $70-million in federal funding whorepresents2,500busdrivers,
about40,000studentswillberid- any of the groups in the geo- “I’m concerned. I’m 60 years would be allocated to student said officials should have been
ingschoolbusesthisyear,many graphicalareasgoingtoapartic- old, I’ve got a little bit of high transportation, specifically to planning for school bus safety
of which will be full, seating ularschool.” bloodpressure,butthereareoth- fund the Driver Retention Pro- sincespring.
about70kids. Buseswillbeorganizedbyco- erdriversthatareolderthathave gram and route protection. Ms. “They are the forgotten quo-
Students will need to wear horts, with the oldest students far more severe conditions,” he Daigneaultsaidrouteprotection tient,butprobablythemostim-
masksatalltimeswhileonthe sittingintheback,andyoungest said.Sixtypercentoftheprov- could generally involve paying portantandthemostriskypartof
bus unless a medical condition studentssittingatthefront.Bus ince’sschoolbusdriversareover for cleaning supplies or drivers thisplan,”shesaid.
prevents them from doing so. drivers will be given personal the age of 60, according to the forthetimetheyspendcleaning “Everydriverfeelsthatway.We
Siblingswillbeseatedtogether, protectiveequipment,andhave Ontario School Bus Association buses, but that she is awaiting shouldhavebeentalking[about
butbusescouldalsobecarrying an empty seat separating them (OSBA). furtherdetails. schoolbuses]waybeforethis.”
MONDAY,AUGUST31,2020 | THEGLOBEANDMAIL O NEWS | A7
Belarus: Lukashenko seems
determined to wait out
protests, detain activists
FROMA1
Police said more than 100 people had been detained in
Minsk, but protesters felt safety in numbers in the city
streetsamidtheseaofwhite-and-rednationalflagsusedby
theopposition.Onegroupstagedamockfuneralproces-
sionforMr.Lukashenko,completewithamakeshiftcoffin;
anothercarriedahugeclothfigureofacockroach,oneof
thenicknamesthatBelarussianshavegiventotheirPresi-
dent.
“Peoplehavegottentiredofeverythingandstoppedbe-
ingafraid,”KarinaRomanovskaya,a37-year-oldprotester
whoworksinretail,saidshortlyafteracolumnofriotpolice
officersmarchedbytochantsof“Shame!”
“Iamproudtoliveinsuchawonderfulcountry,”shesaid.
ButapathtounseatingMr.Lukashenko,whoinsiststhe
West is fomenting the demonstrations, remains far from
clear.Hefacedabacklashaftermassbeatingsandthedeten-
tionofthousandsofprotestersinthedaysaftertheelection
andisnowavoidingscenesofviolentrepressionthatcould
discredithimfurther.
Instead,heappearsdeterminedtowaitouttheprotests,
detainingactivistsandexpellingforeignjournalistswhile
Dobi-DawnFrenette,executivedirectorofNorthernNishnawbeEducationCouncil,saystheyareworkingwith toutingthebackingofhismostimportantally,RussianPres-
FirstNationstosetupclassroomsfortheirstudentsintheircommunities,butlivingintheremoteNorth identVladimirPutin.Mr.PutinrecentlysaidthatRussian
presentsmanychallenges.PHOTOSBYDAVIDJACKSON/THEGLOBEANDMAIL lawenforcementofficerswerepreparedtocometoMr.Lu-
kashenko’s defence should the situation in Belarus spin
“outofcontrol.”
Schools: Ottawa remains committed to providing TheBelarusianAssociationofJournalistssaidthatthe
accreditationof19journalistshadbeenrevoked,theReu-
assistance to communities, minister says tersnewsagencyreportedSunday.Theyincludedavideo
journalistandaphotographerfromReuters,aswellasjour-
nalistsfromtheBBCandtheFrenchnewsagencyAgence
FROMA1 France-Presse, the news organi-
zationssaid.
The education announcement Mr.Lukashenko’spoliticalop-
cameafterFirstNationsleaders ponentshavestressedthatthey Theprotestshave
inNorthernOntarioaccusedthe arenottryingtoloosentiesbe-
beenlargely
federal government of discrimi- tween Belarus, a country of 9.5
nation for ignoring back-to- millionpeople,andRussia.They ledbywomen,
schoolplansfromeducatorsand are all too aware of what hap- andthousands
tribal councils, who have been pened after a popular uprising ofwomen
tryingtonavigatehowtoreturn toppledapro-Moscowpresident
marchedagainst
toschoolsafelywithoutaddition- ofUkrainein2014.Russiaseized
alfinancialsupport.FirstNations CrimeafromUkraineandbacked Mr.Lukashenkoin
leaderssaythatputsthewell-be- a separatist insurgency in east- MinskonSaturday,
ingofthousandsofstudentsin ernUkraine. settingthestage
jeopardy. To underscore the bond be-
forSunday’s
DeputyGrandChiefDerekFox tweenMr.PutinandMr.Lukash-
ofNishnawbeAskiNationsaidin enko,theKremlinsaidtheRus- demonstration.
a statement that he was disap- sianPresidentwishedhiscoun-
pointedinthegovernment’sde- terpartahappybirthdayinaphonecallSundayandinvited
laytocommitfundingandthat himtoameetinginMoscowinthecomingweeks.Itwasat
“educators,parentsandstudents leasttheirfourthphonecallthismonth.
arenowforcedtoscrambledays Thetwoleaders“confirmedamutualdeterminationto
before the school year is sup- further strengthen the Russian-Belarusian alliance and
posedtostart.” broadenmutuallybeneficialco-operationinalldirections,”
Indigenous Services Minister theKremlinsaid.
MarcMillersaidheunderstands Protestersconcededthattheyhadnoclearideahowto
thecomplexitiesofeducationin forceMr.Lukashenko’sdeparture,butsaidtheyhadtocon-
the North, where it often be- tinuetotaketothestreets.Otherwise,theysaid,hewill
comes a “jurisdictional tangle” havefreereintocrackdownevenfurther.
withtheprovincewhenitcomes “It’llbelikeNorthKoreahere,”saidAndreiKorsakov,47,
tofundingFirstNationsstudents. acomputerprogrammer.“Wearedoingwhatwecan.”
He didn’t provide any clarity ManyofMr.Lukashenko’sprominentcriticshavebeen
about how Indigenous Services jailed or forced into exile, including protest leaders and
Canada will distribute the new threemenwhohadplannedtorunagainsthim.Hisleading
funds, but said the $112-million opponentintheelection,SvetlanaTikhanovskaya,saidshe
will be for on-reserve schools, hadwon,butfledthecountry.
while First Nations students Theprotestshavebeenlargelyledbywomen,andthou-
studyingoffreservewillbesup- sandsofwomenmarchedagainstMr.LukashenkoinMinsk
portedthroughtheprovincialal- onSaturday,settingthestageforSunday’sdemonstration.
location–$760-millioninOnta- At one point, the women pushed through a line of riot
rio’scase. policeofficers,videofootageshowed,whohesitatedtouse
Theministersaidthegovern- forceagainstthem.
mentremainscommittedtopro- OnSunday,oneofthefewprotestleaderswhoisstillfree
vidingassistancetocommunities andinBelarus,MariaKolesnikova,walkeduptothemasked
asspecificneedsarise,through“a riotofficersguardingthepresidentialpalaceandflasheda
numberofresources.”Thesein- Top:DennisFranklinCromartyHighSchoolteacherAaronGuthriestands heartsignwithherhands,asymboloftheprotests.
clude,hesays,the$685-million inhisvacantclassroomashepreparesfordistancedlearning.Hesays “Takecareofyourselves,guys,”shetoldthepolice,ina
IndigenousCommunitySupport teachersare‘tryingtomakesurethatwedothebestwecan.’ scenerecordedonvideoandpostedonsocialmedia.“We
funddirectedtowardcommuni- Above:Withnoreturningstudentsfortheschoolyearbecauseof willsaveyou.We’rewithyouuntiltheend.”
tiesandorganizations,onandoff COVID-19protocolsinremotecommunities,theschoolinThunderBayis Shethenturnedwithamegaphonetotheprotestersand
reserve, for elder support, food vacantexceptforfacultyastheypreparefordistancedlearning. urgedthemtoremainpeaceful.
insecurity, educational aid for
children and mental-health as- operatesahighschoolinThun- schools, NEWYORKTIMESNEWSSERVICE
sistance. derBayforstudentsfromitsnine “Ifeelsafe,likewiththeirown
A spokesperson for Ontario’s communities.Educationmanag- house,theirownbathroomand
MinistryofEducation,TedChang, erSharonNatesaidtheFirstNa- it’s not that far,” Mr. Fox said
saidinastatementtoTheGlobe tion received no response from aboutthedistancetoSiouxLoo- WELAWYERCALLSLATESTCONSERVATIVEREQUEST
and Mail that First Nations Indigenous Services to its $25- koutfromtheirhomeinKIwhere FORSTUDENT-VOLUNTEERDOCUMENTS‘POLITICS’
schoolsaretheresponsibilityof million pandemic proposal, heandhiswifewillstay.
thefederalgovernment,butthat whichincludedretrofittingfacil- MatthewHoppe,thechiefex-
theprovincewillworkwithOtta- itiesandimprovinginternetca- ecutiveofIndependentFirstNa- OTTAWAThefederalConservativesarecallingonWEChar-
wa to ensure that the schools pacity. tions Alliance (IFNA) in Sioux itytoreleaseaseriesofdocumentstheToronto-based
have access to the money an- Shesaiditwasunreasonableto Lookout, says academic success youthorganizationpromisedtohandovertoaHouseof
nounced. expectthemtousecoreandexist- will be difficult to achieve CommonscommitteebeforePrimeMinisterJustinTrudeau
Dobi-DawnFrenette,executive ing funding to address these throughremoteandonlinelearn- proroguedParliament.
directorofNorthernNishnawbe needs. The Matawa Education ing.Hesaidtheirprogrampro- ButWEispushingbackagainsttheTories’request,with
Education Council, the tribal Centre in Thunder Bay would vides “wraparound” services to theorganization’slegalcounselsayingitamountsto“poli-
groupthatoverseesDFCandPel- normallyseearound160students ensure students have academic tics,notproperprocess.”
icanFalls,saysthey’veaccessed thisfallbutareexpecting100to andmental-healthsupportssuch TheTories’requestiscontainedinalettersentSunday
pieces of provincial funding to 120whentheyopentheirdoors astutoring,land-basedactivities fromConservativefinancecriticPierrePoilievreandethics
help offset costs for resources Sept. 3 to both in-class and re- and counselling because of the criticMichaelBarretttoCraigandMarcKielburger,the
suchaslaptops.Theprovincehas motelearning. challengestheyfacewhencom- brotherswhoco-foundedWEmorethan20yearsago.
also supplied protective equip- AssemblyofFirstNationssta- ingouttourbancentres. ItrepresentstheofficialOpposition’slatesteffortto
mentforDFCandPelicanFalls. tisticsshowthatmorethanhalf “Our goal is to provide that continuediggingintothedecisiontohaveWErunamulti-
Ms. Frenette said they are of First Nations schools in the learning environment, provide million-dollarstudent-volunteerprogram,afterMr.Tru-
workingwithFirstNationstoset country don’t have high-school those resources, provide those deautemporarilyshutteredseveralCommonscommittee
upclassroomsfortheirstudents programming and that 78 per people,providethatsupport,and investigationsbyproroguingParliamentonAug.18.
intheircommunities,butthere- centofFirstNationsstudentsin allow these kids to thrive,” he Intheirletter,Mr.PoilievreandMr.Barrettnotethe
alityoflifeintheremoteNorth Ontariohavetoleavetheircom- said. KielburgersandotherWEofficialscommittedtoprovide
presents its own compounding munities to attend high school, PikangikumFirstNationisone membersofParliamentwithanswerstoseveralquestions
challenges for students, parents includingmostofthe49commu- ofthefewcommunitiesinNish- theywereunabletoanswerwhileappearingbeforethe
andeducators. nitiesinNishnawbeAskiNation. nawbe Aski Nation with a high financecommittee.
“Manyofourstudentsmaynot ParentsJohnandBeatriceFox schoolthatgoesuptoGrade12, TheKielburgersspoketothefinancecommitteevia
haveaccesstoalearningdevice, fromKitchenuhmaykoosibInni- whichallowsitsyoungpeopleto videolinkonJuly28,atwhichtimetheyinsistedWEwas
accessto[internet]connectivity, nuwug (KI), 600 kilometres remaininthecommunities.Een- notchosentoruntheCanadaStudentServicesGrantbe-
they may not have access to a northofThunderBay,saidthey chokay Birchstick school will causeoftheorganization’stiestoMr.Trudeauandother
study space, many of our com- dreadedthatprospectevenprior openitsdoorsto568studentsbe- membersoftheLiberalgovernment.
munitiesdon’thavecleandrink- toCOVID-19.Whenthepandemic tweenGrades6and12,while538 InastatementtotheCanadianPressonSunday,alaw-
ingwater,”shesaid,addingthat hit,theywerepreparedtokeep students from kindergarten to yerforWEappearedtorejecttheConservatives’request.
sheestimatestheywillneed$5.5- their 15-year-old daughter Heidi Grade5willhavelaptopstostart “Mr.Poilievre’sletteramountstopolitics,notproper
million to $7.5-million for their home. theirschoolyearfromhome. process,”WilliamMcDowellsaid.“Thecommitteesceased
backtoschoolplanthatincludes But another option emerged. EducationdirectorKylePeters toexistwiththeprorogationofParliament.Thereisno
supportingin-classroomandre- TheFoxfamilyfoundoutabout saystheyhaven’treceivedanyad- committeetoreceivethedocuments.”
motelearning. the Home Away program that ditional funds from Indigenous Mr.McDowelladdedthat“whenthereisanewcommit-
Ottawa’s funding announce- wasstartedin2019bytheInde- Servicesortheprovincetoassist tee,ourclientswillbepleasedtocommunicatewiththe
ment comes too late to help pendentFirstNationsAlliance,a withcostsrelatedtoreopening, clerkofthenewcommitteeregardingtheproductionof
schoolsinitiallybecauseback-to- tribal council representing five but he’s keeping receipts and documents.”
schoolplansforthestartofthe FirstNations.Theprogramallows hopestogetreimbursedforex- AllcommitteeworkofficiallyendswhenParliamentis
yearhavealreadybeenmade.The 45studentsfromtwoofitscom- penditures. Those include prorogued.
schoolshopetobeabletomake munities,KIandMuskratDam,to $80,000 for three chartered Butthecommitteescanreconstitutethemselvesand
useofthosefundsinthecoming live in residences and boarding planes to safely transport its continuetheirstudieswhenitresumes.Thatisexpectedto
weeksandmonthssotheycanin- homesinSiouxLookout,Thun- teachers into the community, happenafterthethronespeechonSept.23asopposition
creasein-classroomlearning. der Bay and Southern Ontario wheretherehavebeennoreport- partiesholdamajorityofseatsonallcommittees.
LikeDFC,MatawaFirstNations whileattendinglocalpublichigh edcasesofCOVID-19. THECANADIANPRESS
FOLIO
A8 O THEGLOBEANDMAIL | MONDAY,AUGUST31,2020
PeoplegatheratNationStationintheGeitawineighbourhoodofBeirutonAug.19.Volunteersconvertedanabandonedgasstationintoagrassrootsreliefheadquartersafterthedeadly
portblastintheLebanesecapital.Theyhelpresidentswithfood,clothing,homerepairsandmedicalneeds.
Beirut: ‘We’re still living get,PresidentMichelAoun,anallyofHez-
bollahwhosawandignoredaJuly20let-
terwarninghimaboutthegrowingdanger
posedbytheammoniumnitratestockpile
under this reign of terror’ intheport.
Then-HezbollahleaderHassanNasral-
lahspoke,anddrewaredline.Inatele-
visedspeechonAug.14,hewarnedrepeat-
edlyaboutthepossibilityofcivilwar.
AprotestcallingforMr.Aoun’sresigna-
PHOTOGRAPHYBYRAFAELYAGHOBZADEH/THEGLOBEANDMAIL tion was quickly cancelled. Instead of
pushingtooverthrowthecountry’spoliti-
calelite,theyouthsatNationStationde-
FROMA1 tion.“Weallthinkthereissomethingbig- thegroundwasterminated,whichterror- cidedtheirrevolutionwouldbetofocus
gerhappening.” izedalltherest,”saidMarwanHamadeh,a onrebuildingthedevastatedneighbour-
Membersoftheoldergenerationstoldme It does indeed feel like events are in formercabinetministerandcloseallyof hoods around them, and to show what
theyareworriedthatLebanon,deeplydi- motion in Lebanon. But not everyone Mr.Haririwhosurviveda2004attempton was possible in Lebanon if everyone
vided along sectarian lines, is headed shares the peaceful intentions of the hisownlife.“We’restilllivingunderthis lookedpastsectarianism.
downadarkpath,similartothetunnel youngpeopleatNationStation. reignofterror.” Butit’snotjustHezbollahthatstandsin
thatledthecountryintoa15-yearcivilwar. Mr. Hariri’s assassination resulted in theirway.Mr.Achkar,theorganizer,says
That fighting ended with an agreement massivestreetproteststhatforcedBashar hewasforcedtoleavehishomelastweek
that saw political and economic power Others have tried to change Lebanon. al-Assad to withdraw the Syrian army afterhisparentsreceivedawarningabout
shared between the country’s Christian, Each time, the effort was brought to a from Lebanon after a 29-year stay. But anonlinepostofhisthatmockedPresi-
Sunni,ShiaandDruzecommunities.It’sa bloodyhalt. whenaninternationalcourtdeliveredits dentAoun.NationStationalsoreceiveda
systemofcompromises–nowrottenwith Threedecadesago,theTaifAgreement long-awaitedverdictthismonth,itfound recentvisitfromsupportersofSamirGea-
patronageandcorruption–thatmanyLe- –namedforthecityinSaudiArabiawhere thatitwasamemberoftheIran-backed gea,theChristianwarlord-turnedpolitic-
banese blame for the port disaster. The it was signed – was supposed to bring Hezbollahthatcarriedoutthemurder. ian–arivalofHezbollahandMr.Aoun–
blastisbelievedtohavebeencausedbyan peace,andperhapsevenindependence,to And Hezbollah remains. Over the 15 whoholdsswayoverthispartofBeirut.It
enormousstockpileofammoniumnitrate thecountryafteracivilwarthatsawSyria, yearssinceMr.Haririwaseliminated,the deterioratedintoashoutingmatch.
thatwasleftunattendedinawarehouse IsraelandtheUnitedStates,amongother militiahasgrownintoapoliticaljugger- “Theywereasking‘Doyoustillsupport
formorethansixyears,whileasuccession players,sendsoldierstofightanddiein naut. Geagea?’ I said: ‘The only problem we
ofleadersignoredwarningsaboutit. Lebanon. WhileTaifmandatedthatthepresident have in Lebanon is people like you. As
TheNationStationvolunteersbelieve OnNov.5,1989,thecountry’snewpar- shouldalwaysbeaMaroniteChristian,the
they’reofferinganalternativemodelfor liamentelectedRenéMoawad,amoderate primeministeraSunniMuslimandthe
howthecountrycanbegoverned–with MaroniteChristian,asthecountry’sfirst speakerofparliamentaShiaMuslim,Hez-
organization,compassionandnewlead- postwarpresident.Seventeendayslater,a bollah has become powerful enough to
ersuntaintedbycorruption.Theyouths 250-kilogramcarbombkilledMr.Moawad haveaneffectivevetooverallthreeposts.
saythey’reslowlygainingtheconfidence and23othersinthemiddleofBeirut,end- Andwhilealltheothersectarianmilitias
ofthosewhohaveknownnootherLeba- ingthatbrieferaofreconciliation.Theas- handedintheirweapons,Hezbollahkept
nonthantheonethathasbeenruled,and sassination,widelybelievedtohavebeen andexpandeditsarsenal,sayingitneeded
nowrunintotheground,bythesectarian carriedoutbytheAssadregimeinneigh- tobeabletodefendthecountryfromIs-
warlords. bouringSyria,wasnevercrediblyinvesti- rael.
InGeitawi,thegroupofaround150vol- gated.Afterall,theSyrianarmyremained Many Lebanese see the Aug. 4 explo-
unteersissucceedingwherethecountry’s incentralandnorthLebanonasguarantor sionasaresultofHezbollah’sholdonthe
governmentdidn’teventry.Morethan250 ofthecountry’spost-civilwar“security” country.Theport,it’swidelybelieved,was
hotmealsadayaredeliveredwithakitch- (whileIsraeloccupiedmuchofthesouth used by the group to smuggle weapons
ensetupwherethepumpsusedtobe.The until2000). andotherillicitgoodsintoandoutofthe
garageisusedtodistributedonatedcloth- ThepoliticalleaderswhocameafterMr. country.
ingtothosewholosttheirbelongings.Up- MoawadwerealldeferentialtoDamascus, In the aftermath of the blast, anger
stairsinthestationitself,ateamofvolun- untiltheascentofRafikHariri,abillio- erupted into the streets, with protesters
teerskeepsadatabaseofwhoneedswhat naire Sunni Muslim businessman who demanding–andgetting–theresignation
inthesurroundingneighbourhoods.They madehimselfpopularbypersonallyfund- of prime minister Hassan Diab and his
dispatchteamstohelprepairhomes,and ingmuchofthereconstructionoftheLe- government.Butthat’snotwhatthepro-
toconnectthoseinneedwithmedicaland banesecapital.ButwhenMr.Hariribegan testersarereallyafter.
psychological assistance. They’ve raised topushforgenuinechangeinLebanon– ThesloganofLebanon’slatestpolitical
upward of $220,000 through online anendtoSyria’soccupationofthecoun- uprising,whichbeganlastfall–andwhich
crowdfunding,andhaveanauditingteam try,andadebateoverwhethertheShia resumedwithnewfurysincetheexplo-
thatmakessurenoneofthatmoneygets militia Hezbollah should be allowed to sion, after pausing for the coronavirus
misspent.“Politicallywefeellikewehave maintainitsstatusastheonlygroupthat pandemic–is“allofthemmeansallof
independence. We feel the impact and keptitsweaponsafterthecivilwar–he them.” As in, the protesters want Leba-
we’rebeingtakenseriouslybytheolder waskilledin2005,alongwith22others,by non’sentirerulingelitetogo.Thatmeans
generation,whoseewecandothis,”said another massive car bomb blast in the Hezbollah,too,thistime. FormerLebanesecabinetministerMarwan
Josephine Abou-Abdo, a 29-year-old de- heartofthecityhetriedtorebuild. AfterMr.Diab’sresignation,theprotes- HamadehsaysthesurvivalofLebanonasa
signerwhorunsthekitchenatNationSta- “Anyonewhowasvocalorefficienton terssettheirsightsonanevenbiggertar- stateisatstake.
MONDAY,AUGUST31,2020 | THEGLOBEANDMAIL O NEWS | A9
VolunteersdistributefoodatNationStation.Organizersofthereliefeffortsaythatoncethey’redonerebuildingtheircity,they’llbeready
tofillthevoidintheircountry’spolitics,too.
JohnAchkarhelpedfoundagrassrootsrelief HusseinKazounrunstheNationStation’s JosephineAbou-Abdoisinchargeofmaking
effortaftertheportblastinBeirut. warehouse. mealsforcommunitymembersinneed.
dominantly Christian residents of east onetoseeawayout. cided outside the country’s borders.
Beirutfollowingtheportexplosionisthat Theonlyunworriedanalysiscamefrom FrenchPresidentEmmanuelMacronwill
HassanNasrallahwasvery theydon’tfeeltheotherLebanesesects Mohammed Obeidi, a political scientist visitBeirutonTuesday,promisingtooffer
aresharingtheirpain–orhelpingclean best known for his connections to the anewvisionofhowLebanonshouldbe
clearinrefusingeverything
up.Whiletheyoungvolunteersworkingat leadership of Hezbollah. “Nothing will run.
I’msaying.Butwhatisthe Nation Station say they no longer care happen,”heconfidentlypredictswhenwe In a speech on Sunday, Mr. Nasrallah
alternative?Thealternative about religious or political affiliations, meet in a café inside a deserted Beirut pushedbackagainstthe“hypocritesand
ishungerandchaos. there’snonethelessasenseamongtheir mall.Mr.Obeidicastshimself,andHezbol- liars”andvowedto“supportreformsthat
parents’ and grandparents’ generations lah,asbeingonthesideofthosewhowant goasfaraspossible.”Meanwhile,thesec-
MICHELMOAWAD thattheSunniandShiaareasofthecapital toseechangeinthecountry,andanup- tarianpoliticalfactionsthathaveruledLe-
FORMERLEBANONMP –whichwereprotectedfromtheworstof rooting of the corrupt elite. Though, of banon appeared closer to settling on a
theblastbythecity’sgrainsilo–aren’t course,“allofthemmeansallofthem” candidate for prime minister: the Leba-
suffering. can’tapplytoHezbollah. neseambassadortoGermany,Mustapha
But in the Sunni neighbourhood of Mr.Nasrallaherred,Mr.Obeidisaid,by Adib.
Hamra,anothercrisisistopofmind:The allying himself with corrupt politicians HowfarMr.Macrongetsinreforminga
presence of thousands of refugees from such as Mr. Aoun and parliamentary country that France once ruled will de-
Syria who – because the refugees are speaker Nabih Berri. But that doesn’t pendlessonwhatLebanon’svariouslead-
longaswehavepeoplelikeyouwhostill mainlySunnis–wereneverwelcomedin meanHezbollahshouldbeheldculpable erswanttodothanonwhattheirforeign
respectthewarlords,wewillneverhave ChristianareassuchasGeitawi.Hamra,al- forthedisasterintheport.(Mr.Obeidi patronswillallowthemtodo.WillHez-
peace,’”saidHusseinKazoun,whoruns ready crowded, has seen its population said Hezbollah, which controls a land bollah’sbackersinIranandSyriabewill-
thewarehouseatNationStation. swellbyanestimated25percent.Housing borderwithSyriainthesouthofLeba- ingtomakecompromises?Itseemsun-
Mr.Kazoun,a28-year-oldorganicfarm- andfoodcostshaverisen,andthenumber non,didn’tneedtousetheporttosmug- likelywhiletheU.S.andSaudiArabia,who
er, is a tattooed free spirit with a Shia ofbeggarsonthestreetshasskyrocketed. gleweapons,asithasbeenaccusedofdo- supportChristianandSunnigroupsinthe
motherandaSunnifather.Butheknows It’snotaburdentheChristianandShia ing.) country, are ramping up a campaign of
that in his encounter with Mr. Geagea’s areasofLebanonarehelpingHamrabear. “Hezbollahisresponsiblebecausethey pressureagainstTehran.
supporters,hemayhavesteppedtooclose Fourteenyearsago,whenIsraelinvaded participatedinthegoverninggroup…but While the geopolitical struggle plays
toaninvisibleline. the mainly Shia south of the country – [Hezbollah]arenotcorrupt,”Mr.Obeidi out,manyLebaneseareheadingforthe
“At least if I die, everyone will know hopingtodisarmanddismantleHezbol- said.“It’sdisproportionatetoputallthese exits. Flights into Lebanon since Aug. 4
why,”hesaidwithabitterlaugh. lah – areas such as Hamra and Geitawi peopleinthesamebasket.” haveoftenbeenhalf-empty,whileflights
wereleftunscathedasbombsfellonthe (Mr.Aoun’ssupportersuseaversionof outhavebeencrammed,leadingtochaot-
Shia-populatedsouthernsuburbsofBei- thesameargument–justbecausethesys- icscenesinRafikHaririInternationalAir-
A common complaint among the pre- rut.Ifeltanastonishingsenseofwhiplash temiscorruptdoesn’tmeanthePresident port,thecountry’sonlyfunctioninglink
when,afterreportingfromthedevastated is.“It’sunfairtosayhe’sresponsiblefor totheoutsideworld.
south of the country, I’d drive back to everything that happened,” said Alain It’s a routine that has played out re-
Hamraandseepeoplesittingoutsidein Aoun,anMPandnephewofthePresident. peatedlyinrecenthistory.TheLebanese
cafés,almostoblivioustowhatwasgoing “Andthesolutionisnot[PresidentAoun diasporaisestimatedtobetwicethesize
onafewhours’driveaway. resigning and] the country going into a of the country’s 6.8 million population.
IntheChristianareasnowwondering void.”) (The 2016 census found 220,000 Cana-
aboutthelackofsolidarityamongtheir Mr.Nasrallah’sAug.14speechwasin- dians who claimed Lebanese descent.)
fellow Lebanese, people danced and deed “a warning” to the protesters, Mr. Many left during the civil war, then re-
drankuntildawnin2006,whiletheShia Obeidisaid.“Theotherpartiesdon’thave turnedafterTaif–onlytoleaveagainfol-
southburned. theabilityorthewilltogetinvolvedina lowingtheassassinationofMr.Haririand
Then and now, moving between the war with Hezbollah. … The youth, who the2006Israel-Hezbollahwar.Nowanew
Sunni,ShiaandChristianareasislikevis- don’t know the history, would find out exodusappearstobeunderway.
itingthreedifferentcountries.Threedif- thatit’snotajoketogetinvolvedinawar.” “Theoldergenerationaresayingthat
ferent Lebanons. That, some believe, is ButMichelMoawad,thesonofLeba- evenduringthewar,itwasnotastough
wherethecountryisheadednext. non’s assassinated president, said the asnow,”saidNaylaTueni,thechiefexec-
“It has gone beyond any imaginable countrycannotcarryonasbefore,with utiveofficerofthean-Naharnewspaper.
thing,”Mr.Hamadeh,whoisDruze,saidof Hezbollah–andbyextensionIran–dom- Her father, Gebran Tueni, was among
theescalatingpoliticalandeconomiccri- inatingtherest.“Weneedtheneutralityof thosekilledinastringofassassinations
ses.“ThesurvivalofLebanonasastate, Lebanon.WecannotbepartoftheIranian in2005.“Youwanttostaystrongandbea
independentwithinitsborders,isatstake. axis,andhaveaneconomyreliantonU.S. believer, but sometimes you are weak
Wecouldhave,intwoorthreemonths,a dollars and Arab and Western support,” and you wonder ‘do I have to pay this
divided country. … It’s not that we will Mr. Moawad said in an interview at his price? Do my kids have to pay this
havetwostates–butfourorfive.” family’shome,shortlyafterresigninghis price?’”
postasMPtoshowhissolidaritywiththe Even at Nation Station, the bravado
protesterscallingforwholesalechange. about making change blends with de-
MostofthepeopleImetduringaweekof “HassanNasrallahwasveryclearinre- spondency.“We’vetriedrevolution,we’ve
reportinginLebanonspokeofthegrow- fusingeverythingI’msaying.Butwhatis triedsocialactivism.Ifpeoplevoteforthe
ingpossibilityofviolence.Thecountry’s thealternative?Thealternativeishunger samepeople[inthenextelection],then
problems–acollapsingeconomy,political andchaos.” enough,”saidMs.Abou-Abdo,thekitchen
MichelMoawadresignedasMPinLebanon gridlock,theCOVID-19pandemic,loom- manager.
aftertheportblasttoshowsolidaritywith ingfoodshortagesandnowtheportdisas- “Wecansaywetried,andyouwillsee
protesterscallingforchange. ter–aretoomanyandtoolargeforany- Inmanyways,Lebanon’sfuturewillbede- meinCanada.”
A10 | NEWS O THEGLOBEANDMAIL | MONDAY,AUGUST31,2020
EDITORIAL PHILLIPCRAWLEY
PUBLISHERANDCEO
DAVIDWALMSLEY
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Thesubjectwhoistrulyloyaltothechiefmagistratewillneitheradvisenorsubmittoarbitrarymeasures-Junius
Plans to open
schools need
to be flexible
NopoliticianinCanadawouldputitthisbluntly,but
thefactisthatthereturntoschoolthisfallwillbea
situation in which important theories about the
transmissionandvirulenceofCOVID-19willbetestedinthe
fieldonalargenumberofsubjects,andnewdatawillbecol-
lected.
Anexperimentonschoolchildren,inotherwords.
Thisisnotmeanttoalarmparents.Anexperimentisvastly
differentfromagamble;Canadiangovernmentsarenotroll-
ingthediceandhopingforthebest.
Buttherealityisthat,aftermonthsofcorrectlyurgingCan-
adianstostayawayfromeachother,especiallyindoors,and
towearmaskswhentheycan’tmaintainaminimalphysical
distance,thesameelectedofficialsaresayingitispossibleto
putchildrenintoschool–somemasked,somenot–while
keepingthem,theirteachersandtheirparentssafe.
Itisalsoafactthatthereturntoclassroomsisbeingjusti-
fiedonthebasisofCOVID-19researchthatispreliminaryand
stillevolving.Weknowmorethaneveraboutthevirus,its
effectsanditsprocessoftransmission.But,astheToronto
HospitalforSickChildrensaidinitsrecentGuidancefor LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
SchoolReopening,thereisstilla“knowledgegap.”
Thereturntoschool,theSickKidsreportsays,“represents
WESTERLYWINDS thereisagreenlight. because that is where costs lie.
anopportunitytoconductrigorousresearchthatwillhelp
HenryVanDrunenStratford,Ont. There does not seem to be
closetheknowledgegapandwillthereforecontinuetoim- Re Mr. O’Toole: What National enoughreturnoninvestmentfor
Unity Crisis? (Aug. 28): Justin Re Provinces Set Protocols For telecoms.
proveandinformdecision-makingduringtheschoolyear.”
Trudeau’sadroithandlingofthe Sick Students (Aug. 27): The Ruralmunicipalitiesshouldbe
Nowonder,then,thatsomeparentsandteachersareanx- pandemicshouldnotbejustifi- GlobereportsthatOntariois“re- funded to bury conduit on all
cation for dismissing Albertan lying on the ‘professional judg- roads and streets as they are
ious.Manyarepushinggovernmentstoshrinkclasssizes,
“issues.” Doing the right thing ment’ofteachersandprincipals maintained.Thiswouldallowlo-
hiremoreteachers,enforcemoremask-wearingand,insome shouldbeexpected,notseenasa to determine when a child calinternetserviceprovidersto
cases,topostponethestartoftheschoolyeartoensurethat favourtoAlberta. should be sent home from reduce costs by reducing fees
References to the Trans school.” paidtotelecomsandhydrocom-
everypossibleprecautionisinplace. Mountain pipeline expansion Iamateacher.Teachingismy paniesforuseoftheirinfrastruc-
InBritishColumbialastweek,twofathersfiledalawsuit suggestAlbertansupportforMr. profession. That is what I am ture.
Trudeau is a commodity to be trainedtodo.ButinclassIalso This would equalize service
allegingthattheprovince’sreopeningplantreatsstudents boughtwithtaxpayerfunds.We havetobean(untrained)nurse, levelswithurbanareasandpro-
andteachersas“guineapigs.”Theyaredemandingthatthe can get excited by the pipeline psychologist, therapist, couples videequalopportunitiesforeco-
whenitisfinished.Whyshould counsellor,priest,socialworker, nomicgrowth,socialwell-being,
government implement stricter physical-distancing mea- thisprojectcreateapoliticaldebt cleaner, administrator, handy- education for students and re-
sures,reduceclasssizesandrequirestudentstowearmasks forAlberta? man and ersatz mother – why motemedicalsupport.
ThispastCanadaDaywasthe not add medical doctor to my JormaIkavalkoAlliston,Ont.
inallclassrooms.Bothmensufferfromunderlyingmedical firsttimeinmylifethatraisinga unqualifiedqualifications?
conditionsthatmakethemvulnerabletoCOVID-19. Canadian flag in this province GiselaKoehlThornhill,Ont.
felt like a political statement. TWOSOON
InQuebec,agroupofparentshasfiledalawsuitasking
When the book about Mr. Tru-
thatvirtuallearningbeavailableforallstudents,andnotjust deau’s time in government is FAIRFALLOUT ReDancerBecameAnEarlyStar
written, I fear it may be titled, OfCBCTelevision(Obituary,Aug.
forthosewhoprovideadoctor’snoteexemptingthemfrom
“WhileCanadaSlept.” ReFairsStruggleToStayAfloatIn 24):InSeptemberof1952,when
attendingclassinperson. GregSchmidtCalgary PandemicAge(Aug.25):Inaddi- CBCTelevisionfirstwentonair,I
tiontobeingsourcesofjoyfor wasatechnicianinthelighting
InOntariolastweek,threeteachers’unionssaidtheprov-
youngandoldalike,annualfairs department. I encountered
ince’sreopeningplanviolatestheOccupationalHealthand STILLSEEKINGJUSTICE areprimesourcesoffundingfor LorraineThomsonthere,inStu-
other programs, usually money dio1,dancinginthelight-enter-
SafetyAct,andthattheLabourMinistryneedstocapclass
Re Justice Is Supposed To Be losers,suchasridingcamps,4-H tainmentprogramsthatwereso
sizesat20inordertomakephysicaldistancingpossibleand Blind (Editorial, Aug. 28): The and other programming for popularduringthosefirstheady
keepteacherssafe. Globe’seditorialpointstotheim- schoolchildren. They provide a daysofCanadianTV.EvenafterI
portanceofthefactsinthedeath criticalbridgetoourlocalhistory moved into other areas of TV
And in Ottawa last week, the Liberal government an- of Regis Korchinski-Paquet. andenhanceourunderstanding production, we’d run into each
nounceditwasgivingtheprovinces$2-billiontospendon WhilethereportofOntario’sSpe- of the role agriculture plays in otherfromtimetotime,andthe
cialInvestigationsUnitclearsTo- oureconomy.Theycreatemea- conversation was as though we
smallerclasses,betterventilation,moreprotectiveequip- rontoPoliceofcriminalliability, ningfullinksbetweenurbanand werestillbackinStudio1.
mentandothermeasuresthatcanhelpmakethereturnto her family does not agree with ruralcommunities. Iwassaddenedevenmoreaf-
thefindingsandwillissuetheir Whilethelossoffairswould terIreadofthedeathofanother
schoolassafeaspossible. ownreport. bepainful,thelossofcollateral dancer from that era, Anna
“Overthepastweekorso,I’veheardfromsomanyLiberal TheSIUreportindicatesthat programs and activities would McCowan-Johnson (whom I
police and paramedics respon- havealong-termimpactfewof knewatthattimeasAnnaWil-
MPs,somanyparentsacrossthecountry,whoarestillex- dedtocallsofdomesticviolence uscanimagine.Fairsareanim- mot). She died two days after
tremelyworriedabouthowthatreopeningisgoingtogo,” and a potential mental-health portant part of our society and Lorraine. In the 1950s, they
crisis. weshoulddowhateverwecanto wouldhavesharedthesamestu-
PrimeMinisterJustinTrudeausaid.
Wouldtheoutcomehavebeen supportthem. diofloor–perhapsonsomeof
Thispagehasarguedthatthepublic-healthjustification different if civilian crisis-re- RoyWrightCalgary thesameshows–astwoofthe
sponseprofessionalsledthein- many dancers who populated
forreopeningschoolsissound.
teractionwithMs.Korchinski-Pa- thevarietyprograms.
ThesharpdeclineinnewcasesanddeathsinCanadais quet and her family, accompa- ADDITUP To lose two such winning
niedbypolice?Thisquestion,as dancers in such a short time is
proofthatphysicaldistancingandmask-wearingwork.Com-
well as implicit bias against Re BoC Aims To Better Inform more of a memento mori than
munitytransmissionhasbeenreinedinforthemostpart, racialized and Indigenous com- CanadiansOnCentralBank’sIn- thoseofusofthatageneeded.
andthereisconsistentevidencethattheeffectsofthedisease munities,mightbestbeexplored flationTargets(ReportonBusi- And yet, what a treat to be re-
through an inquest or inquiry ness, Aug. 26): I imagine that mindedofthem,andthatera.
onchildrenareverylimited. taskedwithreviewingwhathap- many of the Canadians who GarthGoddardToronto
Thereisalsoevidence,outlinedintheSickKidsreport, pened, identifying systemic is- “routinely overestimate infla-
suesanddevelopingrecommen- tion”arethosewhohaverecent-
thatkeepingchildrenoutofschoolforlongperiodsleadsto dations,ratherthanfindingfault. lygonegroceryshopping. BESTOFBRITAIN
severehealthandwelfareimpacts. SteveLurieCM;Co-chair,Toronto PattyBenjaminVictoria
PoliceServicesMentalHealthand Re British Motor Company
Inshort,thereareconcrete,defensiblereasonstobelieve AddictionsAdvisoryPanel;Toronto LaunchesTheMini(Momentin
thatthedecisiontoreopenschoolsistherightone.Therewill WEAKSIGNAL Time,Aug.26):In1967,duringa
gap year working in London, I
beoutbreaks,nodoubt.Buttheycanbecontainedifthe DRIVER’STEST Re If They Build It… (Letters, tookadaytriptoWindsor.
properproceduresarefollowed,andrapidtestingandcon- Aug.27):Ifitwerethateasyfor Walkingbacktothetrainsta-
ReShouldYouSendYourChild telecomstobuildnetworksinru- tiondownastreetborderingthe
tacttracingareavailable. ToSchool?ANewSystemCould ralandremotepartsofCanada, walls of Windsor Castle, a gate
Atthesametime,however,governmentsmustacknowl- Help Parents Decide (Aug. 24): asbelievedbyRobertGhizofthe suddenly opened. Out drove
ContributorRitaAchrekarcom- Canadian Wireless Telecommu- PrinceCharlesinhisBMCMark1
edgethattheydon’thavealltheanswers.Theneedtoreopen
pares decision-making for re- nications Association, would it Mini–amostfittingclimaxtoa
iscertain;theprecisemeanstodososafelyisnot.Govern- turningtoschoolwithdecision- nothavebeendonealready? dayseeingtheroyalsites!
makingatatrafficlight,describ- Thefederalgovernmentprevi- RussellSmithToronto
mentsneedtolistentoparentsandteachers,andtheymust
ing an amber to mean “slow ouslyfundedtelecomstoprovide
bereadytochangecourseifconditionschange,ornewevi- down.”AccordingtotheOntario mobileinternetservicestothese
HighwayTrafficAct,Section144 areas,andallthatresidentsgot,if LetterstotheEditorshouldbe
denceemerges.
says that amber means stop, if theywerefortunateenoughtobe exclusivetoTheGlobeandMail.
Governmentsarerighttobasetheirdecisionsonscience thestopcanbemadesafely. indirectsightofacellulartower, Includename,addressanddaytime
andevidence,whichmeanstheyhavetobepreparedtoalter Ifparentsmaketheirback-to- wasslowspeedsanddatacaps. phonenumber.Keeplettersunder
school decision on the traffic- Thelastmile–wherepeoplelive 150words.Lettersmaybeeditedfor
theirplansiftheevidencedemandsit. light risk-assessment model, behind trees, around rocks and lengthandclarity.E-mail:
theirchildrenshouldonlygoif onislands–isstillunderserved, [email protected]
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