GAZA – For the second consecutive Christmas, and the fourth time since the beginning of the conflict in Palestine, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa visited Gaza. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has been among the small Catholic community of the Holy Family Parish throughout the pre-Christmas weekend, once again expressing the Church’s closeness to the Christians of the Strip (fewer than 1,000 out of over 2 million inhabitants), who have been hard-pressed by two years of war and forced to live in harsh conditions and with uncertain prospects despite the ongoing truce. →
TORONTO – Canada’s population has declined sharply following the immigration crackdown, according to Statistics Canada’s preliminary third-quarter report. The Canadian population stood at 41,575,585 as of October 1, a decline of approximately 76,000 from July. The reason: a sharp decline in non-permanent residents, whose number fell by 176,479, the largest decline since comparable records began, the agency noted. →
BRAMPTON – The city of Brampton, home to Canada’s largest Indian community, has become a real powder keg. On one side, criminal groups like the Bishnoi Gang (an Indian organization listed as a “terrorist entity” by the Canadian government last September, as we wrote here), and on the other, the creeping, latent, but constant “war” between Sikhs (particularly, the separatists seeking independence for their region, Khalistan, from India) and Hindus, have made Brampton a high-risk place, where crimes of all kinds are increasingly occurring. And for this reason—while not naming any of the ethnic groups—Mayor Patrick Brown has decided to take up pen and paper and write to both the federal and provincial governments to ask for help.
TORONTO – A delegation of thirty Canadians, including six federal MPs, was denied – this morning – entry to the West Bank where they arrived as part of a trip organized by the charity Canadian Muslim Vote. According to a spokesperson for the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), which includes members of the group, each delegate was asked to sign a form acknowledging their threat to public safety given the dangerous nature of the area. The delegation members refused to do so and were therefore turned back. →
TORONTO – The Bank of Canada has decided to keep its interest rate stable, leaving it unchanged at 2.25%. Governor Tiff Macklem said today that the policy rate is at the right level to keep the inflation close to 2%, while also supporting the economy in what he called a period of “structural adjustment”. →
