Latest from Canada Standard
Canada Standard
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Canada Standard
Trump admin quietly shutters Russia pressure group, sources say
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A quiet shift inside the Trump administration has stalled a key diplomatic initiative aimed at pushing Russia toward peace talks with Ukraine. According to three U.S. officials, a working group formed earlier this year to explore ways to increase pressure on Moscow has been quietly shelved — a casualty of dwindling presidential interest and sweeping staff changes. Set up by high-ranking members of the White House National Security Council (NSC), the group included officials from the State Department, Pentagon, Treasury, and intelligence community. Its mission was to craft strategies for tightening the screws on Moscow and boosting U.S. leverage in negotiations. However, the group lost momentum by May, as President Donald Trump grew increasingly disillusioned with the pace of progress. "It lost steam toward the end because the president wasn't there," said one U.S. official familiar with the matter. "Instead of doing more, maybe he wanted to do less." The group's demise, which has not been previously reported, adds to growing concern in Europe about Trump's approach to Russia, particularly ahead of a key NATO summit this month. On June 16, speaking at the G7 in Canada, Trump repeated that removing Russia from the old G8 alliance had been a mistake. The final blow came about three weeks ago when most of the NSC's Ukraine team was dismissed in a broader White House shake-up. Among those removed was Andrew Peek, the top NSC official for Europe and Russia. Though it's unclear who ordered the effort to halt, officials say the scale of NSC personnel cuts made its continuation impractical. While the group never finalized its recommendations, officials say ideas on the table included economic deals to loosen post-Soviet countries' ties to Moscow, covert operations, and incentives for Kazakhstan to enforce sanctions better. The Kazakhstani embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. The working group had emerged in March or April as some of Trump's advisers began questioning Putin's willingness to deal and hoped Trump might shift to a tougher stance. In late March, Trump told NBC News he was "furious" and "pissed off" at Putin's comments about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. An April 1 NSC statement to Reuters cited "deep frustration with the Russian government over negotiations." But frustration eventually gave way to fatigue. Despite campaign promises to end the war on "day one," Trump has grown increasingly doubtful about his ability to deliver. Officials say he has recently floated abandoning U.S. mediation efforts altogether. Meanwhile, Trump has seen little success in other peace efforts, including in the Middle East, where tensions have escalated sharply between Iran and Israel. A March Reuters report also revealed that parts of the U.S. government had suspended work on countering Russian disinformation and sabotage. The White House, Treasury, Pentagon, State Department, and the embassies of Russia and Ukraine all declined to comment.
Canada Standard
5 hours ago
- Canada Standard
Indian student dies in Canada; consulate extends support
Vancouver [Canada], June 20 (ANI): An Indian student studying at the University of Calgary in Canada has died, the Consulate General of India in Vancouver said on Thursday. The Consulate expressed deep sorrow over the incident, saying it was 'saddened by the sudden demise' of the student, identified as Tanya Tyagi. 'We are saddened by the sudden demise of Ms. Tanya Tyagi, an Indian student at University of Calgary,' the Consulate said in a post on X. It further added, 'The Consulate is in touch with the authorities and will provide all required assistance to the bereaved family. Our heartfelt condolences & prayers are with his family & friends of the deceased.' More details are awaited. Earlier in March this year, a 20-year-old Indian citizen and permanent US resident from Chantilly, studying at Pittsburgh University, was reported missing while on vacation in the Dominican Republic. She was last seen on March 6. 'The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) is actively assisting in the investigation of a missing college student on vacation in the Dominican Republic. Sudiksha Konanki, a 20-year-old female from Chantilly and a student at the University of Pittsburgh, was reported missing on Thursday, March 6, 2025,' according to Loudoun County Sheriff's Office's official statement. 'Konanki, a citizen of India, is a permanent resident of the United States and was reported to be vacationing with five female college friends at a resort in Punta Cana,' it added. According to sources, she disappeared while walking on the beach at a hotel in Punta Cana, La Altagracia province, east of the Dominican Republic. The LCSO was working closely with our federal partners at the US Department of State, FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), as well as the University of Pittsburgh police, to support the ongoing investigation by the Dominican National Police. According to Spanish media sources, 'Last seen on March 6, 2025, at 4:50 am on the beach of the Riu Punta Cana Hotel,' says the image, which includes a portrait of the young Hindu woman. According to the file, Sudiksha has black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a brown two-piece bikini, large round earrings, a metal anklet on her right leg, yellow and steel bracelets on her right hand and another multi-coloured bracelet on her left hand, the sources added. (ANI)
Canada Standard
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Canada Standard
Hopeful that relations between India and Canada will improve: Delhi Minister Manjinder Sirsa
New Delhi [India], June 19 (ANI): Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Canada for the G7 Summit, Delhi Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa expressed confidence that ties between India and Canada will improve in the coming days. 'We have been saying for a long time that anti-India and extremist activities are going on in Canada... Canada's new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has also accepted it... I hope that the way he has accepted it, he will work on Minister Modi also provided information about their activities in Canada. Goldy Brar has also admitted that he was involved in the murder of Sidhu Moose this, he was given protection and no action was taken...I am hopeful that the situation will change and that relations between India and Canada will improve,' Sirsa told ANI. For the first time ever, Canada's premier intelligence agency, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) officially acknowledged that Khalistani extremists are using Canadian soil to promote, fundraise, and plan violence in released its annual report on Wednesday, outlining some key concerns and threats to Canada's national security. Canada intelligence agency CSIS report categorically states, 'Khalistani extremists continue to use Canada as a base for the promotion, fundraising or planning of violence primarily in India.' India has been raising concerns about Khalistani extremists operating from Canadian soil for years, but Canada had largely turned a blind eye to the issue. The CSIS report confirmed that Canada has become a safe haven for anti-India elements, validating India's concerns that have been raised for years. This comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney 'agreed to take calibrated steps to restore stability to the relationship' and decided to restore High Commissioners to each other's capitals. At the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and both leaders agreed to designate new high commissioners, with a view to returning to regular services to citizens and businesses in both countries, according to a press release from the Prime Minister of Politically Motivated Violent Extremism (PMVE) threat in Canada has manifested primarily through Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs) seeking to create an independent nation state called Khalistan, largely within Punjab in India. The report noted that since the mid-1980s, the PMVE threat in Canada has manifested primarily through CBKEs.'A small group of individuals are considered Khalistani extremists because they continue to use Canada as a base for the promotion, fundraising or planning of violence primarily in India. In particular, real and perceived Khalistani extremism emerging from Canada continues to drive Indian foreign interference activities in Canada,' the report reads. This revelation, part of CSIS's latest annual report, has reignited concerns about foreign interference and extremist activity within Canada, particularly in the context of its sensitive diplomatic relationship with India. Canada's own intelligence security has confirmed what New Delhi has long maintained -- Canada has become a safe haven for anti-India elements. The report called for sustained vigilance against both external influence campaigns and domestic extremist financing networks'These activities attempt to steer Canada's positions into alignment with India's interests on key issues, particularly with respect to how the Indian government perceives Canada-based supporters of an independent homeland that they call Khalistan,' added the report. Tensions escalated further when former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that his government had 'credible allegations' of India's involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in 2023. India has strongly denied the allegations, terming them 'absurd' and 'motivated' and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements. (ANI)
Canada Standard
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Canada Standard
Catholic school board's regressive flag policy sets back reconciliation in a post-Papal visit Canada
Following the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's 94 Calls to Action in 2015, some Catholic school boards have made commitments to reconciliation in education. These boards include the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB). However, the DPCDSB - located in the Greater Toronto area - has also introduced a flag policy that raises serious questions about a commitment to the wider progress being made in welcoming all students and promoting reconciliation. On Jan. 28, 2025 - following advocacy in different parts of Ontario and the country against the presence of the Pride flag - the board's trustees voted in nine to one to add more restrictions to its flag policies. These restrictions stipulated that only flags representing Canada, the provinces, territories and the school board can be be displayed inside schools or other DPCDSB facilities. The developments in Peel Region follow earlier policy changes to restrict the presence of the Pride flag and other flags at schools. Advocates from the board defending flag restrictions have said that in Catholic schools, the icon of the cross is the only symbol that should be promoted and that this represents inclusion and acceptance of all. However, members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community and opponents of restrictive flag policies argue that the Pride flag is needed to signal a welcoming environment. They say its removal is an act of erasure and that it calls into question how the board affirms the rights, dignity and visibility of 2SLGBTQI+ people and how it fosters their safety. The board says, and believes, its practices and policies comply with the Ontario human rights code, adding that supports are available for students who identify as 2SLGBTQI. The erasure of the Pride flag has the simultaneous effect of banning other important flags, such as Every Child Matters flags, Indigenous Nation flags and MMIWG2S flags (drawing attention to ending violence, disappearance and murder of First Nations women, girls and two-spirit people). In our analysis, this restrictive flag policy expresses colonial violence. We rely on the work of Sandra Styres, researcher of Iethi'nihstenha Ohwentsia'kekha (Land), Resurgence, Reconciliation and the Politics of Education, who examines how colonial violence is expressed in academic settings through "micro-aggressions, purposeful ignorance, structural racism, lateral violence, isolation" and also in "representations and spaces." Our concern is informed by our combined research and personal engagement focused around reconciliatory education in elementary Catholic schools (Erenna) and Anishinaabe Catholic expressions of self-determination in the Church (Noah). Erenna is a settler and Noah is a member of Michipicoten First Nation. We are married writing partners who travelled to Quebec City in July 2022 to witness the long-awaited penitential pilgrimage of the late Pope Francis. We left with an awareness that this is a critical time for the righting of relationships that have been severely fractured by a Church complicit in genocide. The DPCDSB flag policy speaks to an unwillingness of many to sever emotional attachments to the white imperialism that preserves a western way of thinking, doing and being, in the name of faith. When a major Catholic entity like the DPCDSB introduces policies that may cause harm, concerned people, regardless of creed, must pay attention to such injustices. Delegate Melanie Cormier, representing the DPCSB's Indigenous Education Network, shared a statement relaying that the board's restrictive flag policy fails to acknowledge the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation whose traditional and treaty territory where the board resides. She states: "Your flag policy is in violation of our jurisdiction. To say that any of our flags can not be flown in our own territories is unacceptable." Brea Corbet, the only trustee with voting power who did not vote to restrict the Pride flag, told an earlier bylaw policies meeting: "When we remove rainbow flags and heritage flags, we are not protecting our Catholic identity; we are revealing institutional fragility. The Pride flag does not threaten Catholic education, policies of exclusion do." Three student trustees also opposed the restrictive policy, but their votes unfortunately aren't counted. We argue this too speaks to the suppression of student voice within the board. This fragility disproportionately threatens the safety of Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+ and marginalized students and staff as they are overlooked and dismissed by the flag policy. Read more: New Brunswick's LGBTQ+ safe schools debate makes false opponents of parents and teachers Kanienkeha:ka (Mohawk) education professor Frank Deer speaks of educational programming "that is congruent with the identity of the local community." This programming, he writes, must go beyond curricula to address the school environment as well. Student safety, inclusion and identity affirmation must be prioritized in all aspects of school life. Jennifer Brant, a Kanienkeh:ka interdisciplinary scholar, speaks in depth about how silence during times like these equates to complicity in accepting injustices that are taking place within "the communities in which we live, the broader society and global communities." Inaction in response to this policy is negligent. Detrimental ramifications may also extend to reconciliation efforts in religious spaces more generally. This regressive policy poses lingering questions about the longevity of Catholic schools if they fail to protect and nurture all students. The primary target of the DPCDSB's sweeping flag policy is the 2SLGBTQI+ community. In addition, the flag ban attacks Indigenous sovereignty and Anishinaabek nationhood, perpetuating attitudes tied to the Doctrine of Discovery still present in the Catholic ethos. Read more: The Vatican just renounced a 500-year-old doctrine that justified colonial land theft ... Now what? - Podcast Flying the flags of First Nations (at their request) is not only a matter of inclusion, it is a matter of respect - respect for the land, the people and the treaties that connect us. In denying this step towards relationality, this governing body of a Catholic school board sets back the Church's reconciliation efforts riding on the momentum of the papal visit. Read more: Pope Francis showed in deeds and words he wanted to face the truth in Canada The board's ignorance of how this policy risks damaging relationships with students, families and staff at the board, as well as the broader public, partly reflects an indifference that Pope Francis warned Catholics about during his visit: "I trust and pray that Christians and civil society in this land may grow in the ability to accept and respect the identity and the experience of the Indigenous Peoples. It is my hope that concrete ways can be found to make those peoples better known and esteemed, so that all may learn to walk together." As we write this piece, we can see through the window a local Toronto Catholic Distric School Board elementary school, where an Every Child Matters flag is flown alongside a Pride and Canadian flag. Catholic education, despite its sordid history and contested perspectives about interpreting and practising Church doctrine, can be a tool to drive reconciliation. Catholics cannot let a narrow vision overshadow Pope Francis's pilgrimage and the global Church movement he, the Church's bishops and Catholic lay people have participated in - via a global synod - to respond to the call to walk together in solidarity with Indigenous, 2SLGBTQI+ and other marginalized people. We wish to continue to hear counter-narratives of hope and possibility for Catholic education. We wish to see active changes that move the DPCDSB, as scholar Sheila Cote-Meek of the Teme-Augama Anishinabai, writes, "to a drastically different way of being, doing and working." As other Catholic boards in Ontario initiate flag debates of their own, we are left with the lingering question. What is the future of Catholic education if it's not intended to support the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being of all those entrusted to its care?
Canada Standard
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Canada Standard
PM Modi arrives in Delhi after concluding his visit to Canada, Croatia and Cyprus
New Delhi [India], June 19 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Delhi on Thursday after concluding his three-nation visit to Canada, Croatia and Cyprus. During his visit, PM Modi was warmly welcomed by the people and the Government of Croatia. He expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome and highlighted the visit's significance in ushering in a new chapter in the shared journey of friendship and extensive cooperation between India and Croatia. 'Grateful to the people and Government of Croatia for the warm welcome during what has been a truly landmark visit. This visit ushers in a new chapter in our shared journey of friendship and extensive cooperation,' PM Modi posted on X. On Wednesday, PM Narendra Modi and his Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenkovic held delegation-level talks in Zagreb, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stating that the leaders engaged in 'wide-ranging discussions on various aspects of the bilateral partnership.' PM Modi held a meeting with Croatia's President Zoran Milanovic on Wednesday (local time) and discussed the full range of India-Croatia friendship. 'Met Mr. Zoran Milanovic, the President of Croatia. Had extensive discussions on the full range of India-Croatia friendship, including ways to boost linkages of commerce and culture,' PM Modi posted on X. Before visiting Croatia, PM Modi travelled to Canada to attend the G7 Summit. During his visit, PM Modi attended the G7 Summit and met world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, on the sidelines of the Summit. PM Modi expressed gratitude to the people and government of Canada for hosting a successful G7 Summit and underscored how India remains committed to the cause of global peace, prosperity and security. In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, 'Concluding a productive Canada visit. Thankful to the Canadian people and Government for hosting a successful G7 Summit, which witnessed fruitful discussions on diverse global issues. We remain committed to furthering global peace, prosperity and sustainability.' Prior to travelling to Canada, PM Modi visited Cyprus in the first leg of his three-nation visit. A joint declaration released after meeting between the Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides and PM Modi said that both sides emphasised the need to avoid unilateral actions as essential for creating a conducive environment for the resumption of meaningful negotiations. The two countries expressed their strong commitment to the resumption of UN-facilitated efforts to achieve a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Cyprus Question on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, in accordance with the agreed UN framework and the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions,' the statement said. (ANI)
