Ottawa

How much will Canada commit to the Mali mission?

Tease the day: The Globe and Mail’s committing more ink to Mali than any other paper—by far.

CP/Richard Lam

The Globe and Mail seems to think the ongoing conflict in Mali deserves the attention of its readers. The mission’s cracked the front page every day this week, and its centrefold folio has examined various elements of Mali, France and what’s at stake for Canadians three times this week. None of the other papers spills so much ink on the topic, though they have by no means ignored it. But the Globe‘s persistence certainly suggests that if Canada’s military contribution expands, as French President Francois Hollande hopes, the paper will have provided its readers with the most exhaustive education of any Canadian source. The paper’s committed a lot of real estate to a conflict to which Canada has so far only contributed a supply aircraft—temporarily, at that—and some peripheral military trainers. But that could be a prescient decision by the folks at Canada’s national newspaper.


What’s above the fold this morning?

The Globe and Mail leads with French President Francois Hollande’s direct appeal to Prime Minister Stephen Harper for a larger contribution to France’s military intervention in Mali. The National Post fronts Aboriginal leaders who are trying to push Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo out of office. The Toronto Star goes above the fold with yesterday’s widespread Idle No More protests across Canada. The Ottawa Citizen leads with the RCMP’s investigation of alleged election misspending in 2008 by Peterborough MP Dean Del Mastro. iPolitics fronts a Washington Post story profiling the historic Jihadist presence in Mali. CBC.ca leads with 20 hostages who escaped their captors in Algeria. National Newswatch showcases a Canadian Press story about Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s allegedly improper support for a radio licence application submitted by a company in his riding.


Stories that will be (mostly) missed

1. Aboriginal issues. Former prime minister Paul Martin says federal Conservatives have “no understanding” of Aboriginal issues—a portfolio Martin prioritized when he was PM. 2. Draft bills. A Department of Justice lawyer says federal parliamentarians aren’t warned when a draft bill is potentially unconstitutional—a dangerous standard, he says.
3. War crimes. The Supreme Court will determine the fate of a refugee who had a lower court deny him refugee status in Canada because of his alleged complicity in war crimes. 4. Foreign workers. Federal Court has ruled the feds should “see if [they] can convince” a mining company to provide documents related to plans to bring in 200 foreign workers.

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