Good morning. This is Hanna Lee.
The union representing Canada Post workers has switched to rotating strikes this week, resuming mail delivery for Canadians. However, for many upcoming elections across the country, the short-lived national strike has already left a big impact. We'll get into that below.
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Canada Post labour dispute disrupts delivery of voter cards, mail-in ballots
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(Pierre-Paul Couture/CBC)
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Mail has begun moving as Canada Post workers switch to rotating strikes, but for multiple upcoming elections across the country, it's already too late to deliver voter cards and mail-in ballots.
What's happening: The Canadian Union of Postal Workers' national strike was particularly disruptive to the delivery of voter registration cards in Quebec; most voters there needed to be registered by this week to vote in the Nov. 2 municipal elections. Some municipalities paid out of pocket for last-minute delivery through private companies. Meanwhile, in Yukon and Nunavut, logistics plans with land and air transit were set up for their upcoming territorial elections.
Why it matters: Voter registration cards, while not essential to casting a ballot, play an important role in elections, says Holly Ann Garnett, with the Electoral Integrity Project. They are even more pertinent in provincial, territorial and municipal elections, where voters may not otherwise know one is underway. Both Canada Post and the CUPW didn't respond directly to questions about the issue, or whether they'd consider making election materials essential in the future.
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For most of the world, Taiwan doesn’t officially exist. Its microchips make it hard to ignore
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(Anne Wong/Reuters)
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Taiwan is an island of 23 million that most countries don't officially recognize as a country. It's also the site of some of the most advanced semiconductor chips on the planet — something that for many Taiwanese makes the lack of recognition feel like less of a slight.
What's happening: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is estimated to control about 70 per cent of the world's chips, a figure that rises to 90 per cent for the most advanced chips. Practically every digital technology relies on these chips, from iPhones to cars to AI databases. That makes Taiwan hard for the rest of the world to ignore.
Looking ahead: With much technological development focused on AI, drones and robotics, semiconductors are poised to only become even more important in the future. For Taiwanese policymakers, the pertinent issue now is how to leverage the island's role in global supply chains to achieve its political goals — and so far, that's proven difficult, given that Taiwan makes chips, but doesn't design or sell them itself.
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BEHIND THE SCENES
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Reporting on escalating settler violence in the West Bank
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(Scott Anderson/CBC)
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Ioanna Roumeliotis, co-host of the fifth estate for CBC News
➤ West Bank |
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In a crowded hospital room in the West Bank, we found Khader Nawaj’ah and his wife Fatima, who lay bandaged and bruised, surrounded by family and community members. The night before, the Nawaj’ahs told us they were sleeping outside to get some respite from the stifling summer heat when Israeli settlers attacked them with rocks and wooden rods.
The violence is shocking — and yet in that hospital room, most faces were etched with resignation. This has become the new normal in the West Bank, the doctor treating the family told us. Canada has condemned these attacks against Palestinians, but a fifth estate investigation reveals up until recently, Canadians were offered a tax break for donating to an Israeli entity that Ottawa has sanctioned for facilitating settler violence.
We also found, in violation of Canadian public policy and charity rules, millions in Canadian donations continue to support Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law, as well as the Israeli military. Critics say that money could be in the public coffers instead.
Watch “Funding the occupation,” part of Season 51 of the fifth estate, right now on YouTube or tonight at 9 p.m. on CBC-TV or streaming on CBC Gem. |
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PICTURE THIS
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Canadian housing starts, or new home construction, increased 14 per cent month over month in September, according to new data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. It's a sharper rise than expected, and comes in spite of a continued tough resale market. Read more here.
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