Politics This Morning: Prime Minister Trudeau’s in private meetings in Ottawa; Freeland meets Edmonton mayor; Mideast tensions escalate; and Australia battles 150 forest fires

Good Monday morning, Just in case you forgot, there is no print issue of The Hill Times today, but there will be a fresh one out on Wednesday, Jan. 8, and then we'll be back into our regular print groove for 2020. We're also filing news and opinion columns online daily. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had been on vacation in Costa Rica with his family over the Christmas holidays, is back at work and in private meetings in Ottawa today, according to the Prime Minister's Office. The prime minister is expected to make a public statement about U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial airstrike order on Thursday, Jan. 2, in Baghdad, Iraq, that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and a number of top Iraqi officials. Mr. Trump had said Mr. Soleimani, who was the leader of the Quds Force, a covert section of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had been "plotting imminent and sinister attacks" against Americans in the area. The White House says the former general had been the top player behind attacks on Americans over the last 20 years. Leading figures in Iran have promised revenge in response to the U.S. president's attack, described as "the biggest risk of his presidency." Mr. Trump said on Jan. 3 that he "took action last night to stop a war," and "did not take action to start a war." But tensions have escalated in the Middle East over the last few days as Mr. Trump and Iranian leaders threaten retaliation. On Saturday and Sunday, Mr. Trump warned in three tweets of specific military action against Iran if it "strikes any Americans, or American assets." "We have … targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture" and "if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets … Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD," he wrote on Saturday. On Sunday, Mr. Trump tweeted that the U.S. has spent $2-trillion on military equipment. "We are the biggest and by the BEST in the World! If Iran attacks an American Base, or any American, we will be sending some of that brand new beautiful equipment their way…and without hesitation! They attacked us, & we hit back. If they attack again, which I would strongly advise them not to do, we will hit them harder than they have ever been hit before!," Mr. Trump tweeted. Iran has now pulled out of the limits on its nuclear program, but it will continue to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and it won't expel nuclear inspectors. It will be allowed to enrich uranium without restrictions, The Globe and Mail reported. Meanwhile, the Canadian-led NATO training mission in Iraq, led by Maj. Gen. Jennie Carignan, has been suspended temporarily, The Canadian Press reported over the weekend. The mission, which has about 955 troops serving in Operation Impact, has been under Canadian command since it was launched at the request of the Iraqi government in October 2018 to fight against the Islamic State. Canada's federal Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan's office told The Canadian Press yesterday that Canada is closely monitoring the situation after the Iraqi Parliament voted for the removal of foreign troops from the country. Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a statement on Friday that the "safety and well-being of Canadians in Iraq in the region, including our troops and diplomats, is our paramount concern," and called "on all sides to exercise restraint and pursue de-escalation." Said Mr. Champagne: "Our goal is and remains a united and stable Iraq." NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said on Twitter: "The U.S.'s actions in Iran have brought us closer to another disastrous war in the Middle East. The prime minister needs to act quickly with other countries to de-escalate the situation and not be drawn into the path that President Trump is taking." NDP MP Charlie Angus said on Facebook on Sunday night that Canada must bring its troops home and that Parliament needs to act. The House is not scheduled to return until Jan. 27. "Canadian soldiers are on the front lines in Iraq. Donald Trump is dangerously undermining their safety and the safety of the region," said Mr. Angus. The prime minister is also expected to say something about the 150 devastating forest fires that have been burning in Australia for weeks and that have so far killed 23 people, destroyed an estimated 480 million animals, and burned five million hectares of land. Meanwhile, in other news, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland will meet with Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson in Edmonton at 11 a.m., local time on Monday at the mayor's office at Sir Winston Churchill Square. On Tuesday, Jan. 7, Gov. Gen. Julie Payette will deliver remarks at the opening ceremony of the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Offers of the Commonwealth at 9 a.m. at the Senate of Canada Building in Ottawa. Senate Speaker George Furey and House Speaker Anthony Rota will also deliver remarks, according to the Rideau Hall press office. The Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officer of the Commonwealth is held to provide speakers and presiding officers of Commonwealth Parliaments with a "unique opportunity to gather together in a forum of their own to exchange information and express views on matters of common concern," according to the press release. On Thursday, Jan. 9, the University of Ottawa will host a conference on "Policy-making and Technology: Issues of Accountability, Impartiality and Social Justice," with Ulster University's Bethany Waterhouse-Bradley; the University of Texas at San Antonio's Maria Verónica Elias; and the University of Ottawa's Christopher Cooper. Also on Thursday, Jan. 9, Unikkaaqtuat will premiere at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. And on Friday, Jan. 10, International Development Minister Karina Gould is scheduled to deliver remarks at Massey College in Toronto at a day-long conference on "Liberal Internationalism, Then and Now: The Foreign Policy of Pierre Trudeau," which is hosted by the Canadian International Council. David Crenna, former adviser to Pierre Trudeau; Rosemary McCarney, ambassador and permanent representative of Canada to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament; and Robert Fowler, former deputy minister and foreign policy adviser to Pierre Trudeau, will also be speaking Have a good day.

Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Prime Minister Trudeau’s in private meetings in Ottawa; Freeland meets Edmonton mayor; Mideast tensions escalate; and Australia battles 150 forest fires

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Politics This Morning

Politics This Morning: Prime Minister Trudeau’s in private meetings in Ottawa; Freeland meets Edmonton mayor; Mideast tensions escalate; and Australia battles 150 forest fires

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