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A trade dispute is growing between China and the U.S which could easily have repercussions worldwide.

The U.S and China will be together at the upcoming G-20 summit, at which point the situation may calm, or as many think, escalate.

At the same time the trade and diplomatic dispute between Canada and China continues over a Chinese executive detained in Canada and wanted by the U.S.

Charles Burton (PhD) is a political science professor at Brock University and former Canadian diplomat to China. He says this is playing out against a longer term Chinese policy to become the world’s superpower.

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Professor Burton says the U.S has long been unhappy with the huge trade imbalance with China, When China recently reneged on a deal that had been worked out towards more equity and requiring adherence to World Trade Organisation rules, the U.S. upped tariffs on many Chinese imports from 10% to a hefty 25% affecting about $250 billion worth of Chinese imports.

Charles Burton (PhD) political science professor, and former diplomat to China. (via Brock University News)

If a settlement isn’t reached in June prior to or at the G20 meeting, there are plans being discussed to add duties to an additional $325 billion worth of Chinese products.

This comes amid the ongoing Canada-China dispute. It is widely believed that China continues to exert pressure on Canada over its arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Under relaxed house detention at one of her luxury properties in Vancouver, she awaits an extradition hearing to the U.S to face charges there connected to sales of equipment to Iran.

Michael Spavor (left) and former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig have been in Chinese custody under extremely harsh conditions on a charge of being a threat to Chinese security. This is widely believed to be retaliation for the detention of a Huawei executive in Canada wanted in the U.S for charges there (Associated Press/ International Crisis Group/Canadian Press)

Chinese pressure comes in the form of refusing imports of Canadian canola, and bureaucratic delays of other Canadian imports further harming Canada’s agricultural sector. There has the arrest and harsh imprisonment of two Canadians on charges of being threats to China’s security, and the sentencing to death of two Canadians accused of drug trafficking.

Professor Burton says Canada’s polite gestures of objection will not work in changing China’s position. It is felt that this only adds to China’s perception of the current government being weak. Burton notes there are a number of things Canada can to exert pressure on China in return such as inspect all Chinese shipments into Canada to cut off the supply of deadly fentanyl drugs. These delays would hurt China’s economy. Certain diplomatic expulsions would also send a strong signal.

These trade and diplomatic bullying tactics by China can be seen as part of a long term geo-strategic plan by China aimed at domination and becoming a world power if not the top world power. He says international organisations like the U.N and W.T.O. which are based on rules and which run counter to China’s ambitions.

In an article he wrote to the Ottawa Citizen newspaper, he said, “Currently, there is no coherent multi-national strategy against Chinese influence operations. The less we respond to it in any substantive way, the more China is emboldened in its practice of global disruption.

China’s remaking of the global rules is making the world safe for autocracy, tacitly demanding that Canada passively surrender our values to an authoritarian state. Canada should be uniting with our allies in a coordinated stand for political justice and fair economic engagement with China. But this requires more than allocating resources and gov...

Canadians live in northern latitudes where the sun is not as strong, but they still face a risk of getting skin cancer, say dermatologists. It’s World Melanoma Day and spring means people are spending more time outdoors and shedding the clothing that might protect them from the sun’s harmful rays.

Hundreds die of melanoma annually

“Melanoma is the deadliest skin cancer,” says Dr. Julia Carroll, a dermatologist on the board of the Canadian Dermatology Association. “In Canada, we know that there is an estimated 1,240 deaths from melanoma (yearly) and men comprise about 790 of those and women 450…

“So, 80 to 90 per cent of skin cancers including melanoma are caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation...that can come from tanning beds or regular exposure to sunlight. These are all risk factors for cellular damage.”

Many are aware, but what are they doing?

Many Canadians are aware of the risk, according to an annual survey commissioned by the association in 2018. Results show that there was an increase from 2017 in the number of Canadians who said it’s important to stay out of the sun between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. In 2018, three-quarters said it is important to use sunscreen and almost 90 per cent reported using sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher. Nearly 60 per cent said they conduct self -examination of their skin and a third said they ask their doctor or dermatologist to conduct skin examinations.

Sunscreen and other preventive measures should be used year-round, say dermatologists. (iStock)

Use sunscreen every day, say doctors

But the survey also showed that only one in five people use sunscreen daily and the number of people who use sunglasses with UV protection is down from 2017. Dermatologists say Canadians should protect themselves from skin cancer all year around.

They recommend seeking shade between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., wearing protecting clothing, a wide brimmed hat and UV-protective sunglasses and using sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30.

Got a weird or changed mole? Get it checked soon, is the best advice. (iStock)

People should check their own skin regularly

They add that early detection is key and everyone should regularly check their skin and if they spot something suspicious to have it checked by a certified dermatologist. Warning signs include a change in an existing mole, development of a new coloured growth on the skin, moles with irregular shapes, irregular borders, a change in colour, new growth in a mole larger than 6 mm.

If caught early, melanoma can be treated, says Carroll. “So, preventing it, monitoring for it and then bringing it to your doctor’s attention as soon as you notice a change is so important because with those three things we can easily decrease the burden that we have from melanoma.”

Dr. Julia Carroll says melanoma can be deadly but it can be prevented and treated if detected early enough.

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It best to show a changed or irregular-shaped mole to a dermatologist.

So what's going on with Canada's older folks these days?

They don't have a lot of political clout and some are not aging all that well.

If they're only collecting government pensions, they don't have a lot of buying power.

A lot of people believe that Canadian seniors are a resource that is way undervalued. (Pixabay)

Meanwhile, they are living longer than they used to and will soon outnumber the number of Canadians under 14.

Are they an underused resource?

There are a whole lot of folks who will tell you that, indeed, they are.

Are they in need of some help as they head down the home stretch?

There are a whole of lot folks will tell you that, indeed, they do.

One of those persons is Shannon Hebblethwaite, an associate professor at Montreal's Concordia University and director of Concordia's engAGE research centre.

Concordia professor Shannon Hebblethwaite is director of the university's engAGE research centre. (Concordia University)

She is one of the primary movers of a two-day conference being held this week in Montreal to figure out how to make things better for seniors.

The conference entitled B/OLD and is co-presented by two research projects that are being run out of Concordia, engAGE and the ACT project, led by Kim Sawchuk.

Researchers, professors, social activists--many of them members of the subject under study--are attending.

Since many are baby boomers, events will not be limited to meetings and more than a bit of music and other artistic projects will be shared.

I spoke with Professor Hebblethwaite on Monday about the conference.

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Canada's economy set a record in April, adding 106,500 net jobs.

Statistics Canada says that's the biggest one-month employment surge since 1976 when the government began charting the numbers.

A employee works at a Loblaws store in Toronto in this May 3, 2018, file photo. Job gains hit an modern record in April dropping the unemployment rate to 5.7 per cent. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press)

Canada has struggled with low oil prices and trade uncertainty, but the labour market has been been a bright spot, showing strength since mid-2016.

As the CBC's Scott Peterson reports, the surge in jobs wasn't the only good news.

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Last November, the federal government's fall economic statement projected two per cent growth for 2019, but many predicted the number would likely come in lower following a drop in oil prices.

The Canadian Paediatric Society wants all Canadians under the age of 25 to have free and confidential access to effective contraceptives. Birth control can be expensive for young people and, while some young people may be covered by their parents’ insurance plans, they may not want them to know they are sexually active.

Thousands of unwanted pregnancies every year

“Consequently, we know that many young people who are sexually active and not wanting to become pregnant are not using effective contraception,” says Dr. Margo Lane, adolescent medicine specialist and on the society’s adolescent health committee. “It ends up meaning that we have thousands of young women getting pregnant every year in Canada even though they are not wishing to become pregnant.”

Doctors say the cost of providing free contraception to the young is less than the cost of unwanted pregnancies. (iStock)

Lack of contraception has implications for women and society

This has implications for the young woman’s life and for society as a whole. Lane says first, the women must decide whether to terminate the pregnancy and, if they go ahead and have the baby, they are less likely to finish school, less likely to get post-secondary education and that sets them up for less access to quality jobs and greater chances of having to rely on government assistance.

Health care is under the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories in Canada. The position paper from the Canadian Paediatric Society recommends measures to help governments achieve the goal of providing free and confidential access to effective contraception to all Canadians under 25. It also points out that in the long run, the cost of providing this is less than the overall cost of not doing so.

Dr. Margo Lane explains why pediatricians want free and confidential access to contraception for young Canadians.

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There are several methods of contraception. In June 2018, the Canadian Paediatric Society recommended that birth control advice to teens should focus on IUDs first..

The Crown has withdrawn criminal charges of breach of trust against the Royal Canadian Navy Vice Admiral Mark Norman.

The case involves the stop-gap purchase and conversion of a cargo-ship into a naval re-supply vessel.

The controversy revolved around the contract to purchase and convert a container ship to a re-supply vessel, The MV Asterix was built on time and on budget. Shown here on its maiden voyage from Quebec City to Halifax December 25, 2017 ( CNW- Davie Shipbuilding)

The officer was accused of leaking sensitive government information to the ship builder and to a reporter.

CBC military issues reporter Murray Brewster has followed the case.

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As far back as 1994, the government had been discussing replacement for Canada’s two naval re-supply vessels. By 2015 with no ships under construction, the two ships were out of service and paid off leaving the Royal Canadian Navy scrambling without any such resupply vessels.

Murray Brewster, CBC reporter, military affairs analyst (CBC-Power and Politics)

In haste the Conservative government accepted a proposal by the Davie Shipyard to convert a former container ship. This was said to be the fastest and least expensive option to get a re-supply vessel operating.

2014; Canada’s resupply ship HMCS Protecteur under tow by a US Navy tug after an engine fire near Hawaii. It would later be towed back to Canada’s west coast and decommissioned after estimated said repair costs for the already ageing ship due to be retired in 2017, would be excessive.. PHOTO: US Navy

The charge against Vice Admiral Norman relates to alleged release of government information to the shipyard, and to a reporter.

Brewster says even though the charges have been withdrawn the result has been a sort of ‘’chill” amongst those involved in the military equipment procurement process, being more reluctant to discuss issues with reporters and allegedly less willing to challenge decisions about the procurement.

Additional information

CBC: M Brewster: May 8/19: Prosecution to drop criminal charges

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mark-norman-charges-to-be-dropped-1.5127220

CBC: Brewster/Harris: May 8/19-Adm Norman “I acted with integrity”

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/mark-norman-breach-trust-charge-dropped-1.5127463

Global News: A Connolly: May 8/19: Norman vindicated-charges stayed

https://globalnews.ca/news/5253178/mark-norman-charges-dropped/

PostMedia:R Warica: May 9/19: Adm Norman’s lawyer damages Trudeau brand

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/in-an-inspired-performance-henein-did-incalculable-damage-to-the-trudeau-brand

PostMedia: A Coyne: May 9/19: Trial over, but many questions remain

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/in-an-inspired-performance-henein-did-incalculable-damage-to-the-trudeau-brand

Sports figures from across Canada are meeting in Ottawa to seek solutions to a growing problem: sexual abuse and other mistreatment of Canadian athletes.

In attendance are are athletes, coaches and leaders from some 170 sports federations.

The meeting follows similar meetings and the publication of a CBC News investigation in February that found that at least 222 coaches involved in amateur sports have been convicted of sexual offences over the past 20 years.

Bobsledder Kaillie Humphries, twice an Olympic champion, was a participant at the gathering of athletes in Toronto last month to discuss making sport safer. 'Things need to change. As athletes we need to feel safe,' she said. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)

More than 600 victims under the age of 18 were abused.

Experts say there are likely many more victims but many do not report abuse to authorities.

Data shows the problem growing.

In the first 10 years covered by the CBC News investigation, 1998 to 2008, there were 116 charges and 87 convictions.

Lorraine Lafrenière, chief executive officer of the Coaching Association of Canada, says part of the work is addressing the power imbalance between coaches and athletes. (Krystalle Ramlakhan/CBC)

Over the following 10 years, 239 coaches were charged and 148 were convicted.

Authorities say the abuse runs across all sports.

The two-day meeting was organized Lorraine Lafrenière, chief executive officer of the Coaching Association of Canada, who called the results of the CBC News investigation "gut-wrenching."

I spoke with her on Thursday and began by asking her why the meeting was called.

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Tobacco is by far the leading cause of preventable cancer in Canada, according to a study funded by the Canadian Cancer Society. Next is inactivity followed by excess weight. But overweight and obesity are projected to become the second leading cause of preventable cancer in Canada in about 20 years.

Tobacco use is still the leading cause of preventable cancer in Canada. (iStock)

70,000 cancers could have been prevented

“What we found is that currently about 70,000 cases of cancer diagnosed in Canada are due to things that we could have prevented through healthy living and through policies that affect the health of Canadians,” says Leah Smith, senior manager of surveillance at the Canadian Cancer Society and a co-investigator on the study. “When we look to the future we expect this number to increase by about 60 per cent and that’s a very striking number.”

Smith cautions that may seem like Canada is doing worse at preventing cancer but that is not true. Cancer rates are decreasing, but the population is growing and a large proportion is getting to the age of 70 or 80 when the risk for cancer is higher. She says that reinforces the importance of cancer prevention.

Tobacco reduction policy applauded

Given that tobacco is the leading cause of preventable cancer, Smith applauds Canadian government efforts to reduce smoking. in particular by recently passing the toughest rules in the world for plain packaging.

Protection from the sun is a recommended way to prevent cancer. (iStock)

Excess weight a complex chronic condition

Smith acknowledges that tackling the problem of excess weight is very challenging given that it is a complex chronic condition involving social, economic, political, environmental and physiological factors. Among possible strategies she suggests that taking steps to counter child obesity, enacting policies that have been proven to work to reduce excess weight, improving access to obesity treatment and addressing weight bias and obesity stigma in the workplace,  the education system and in the health care system. She adds there must be more research into causes and effective treatments.

The goal of the paper is to help policy makers and individuals understand the causes of cancer which can be prevented.

Advice for individuals

For individuals looking to prevent cancer, the advice from the Canadian Cancer Society is to live smoke-free, have a healthy body weight, eat well (more fruit, vegetables, less red and processed meat), practice sun safety, get vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV) and limit alcohol intake to one drink per day for women and two for men.

Leah Smith talks about preventing cancer.

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