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In today's Morning Brief, Washington's aid package will certainly help Ukraine against Russia's invasion, which has lasted over two years. But it also raises questions about the plan, if any, for a final Ukrainian victory.
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$61 billion sounds like a lot, unless you're at war with Russia
When U.S President Joe Biden signed into law an aid package that included $61 billion US for Ukraine's fight against Russia, his national security adviser acknowledged that, while the funds would make a difference, "there is no silver bullet in this conflict."
Jake Sullivan also cautioned that it will "take some time for us to dig out of the hole that was created by six months of delay." Still, Sullivan said the funding will improve Kyiv's position and that the administration believes "Ukraine can and will win."
The aid package, delayed for months by congressional wrangling, will certainly help repel Russia's invasion, which has lasted over two years.
WATCH | U.S. military aid package 'very important step,' Ukrainian ambassador to Canada says: 2 days ago Duration 11:45
U.S. military aid package 'very important step': Ukrainian ambassador to Canada
It's "enough to stabilize the front lines," Mark Cancian, a retired U.S. marine colonel and expert on defence logistics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Vox in a recent interview. "You'll see almost an immediate battlefield impact."
But the aid also raises questions as to how significant it will be in providing ultimate victory for Ukraine. "OK, you've stabilized the front. Now what? The Ukrainians have to answer that question. What is their theory of victory?" he said.
Joe Buccino, a research analyst at the Defense Innovation Board and a former communications director at U.S. Central Command, wrote in February that he saw no path for Ukraine to win and that the aid package "will not significantly change the future."
"This fight is a long haul one that will require additional aid. The spigot will close at some point — perhaps soon — turning off aid and sealing Ukraine's fate," he wrote in The Hill.
- U.S. secretly sent long-range missiles to Ukraine for its fight with Russia
- As Russia presses forward, Ukraine pleads with Canada for armour, air defence
More recently, one U.S. senator suggested the aid was a waste of money because the administration "has no viable plan" for a Ukrainian victory. Biden had "failed to articulate even basic facts about what Ukraine needs and how this aid will change the reality on the ground," Sen. J.D. Vance wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times.
"This $60 billion is a fraction of what it would take to turn the tide," wrote the Ohio Republican, who voted against the package. He added that the U.S. lacked the capacity to manufacture the amount of weapons Ukraine would need to win.Read the full story here.
Colourful queue
(Biju Roro/AFP/Getty Images)
Voters stand in a line outside of a polling station in the village of Gashbari in India's Assam state today to cast their ballots during the second phase of voting in the country's general election.
In brief
The federal government's latest budget sets aside $1.5 billion to implement pharmacare — a major financial commitment with the potential for a wide-ranging impact on the country's health-care system.The program, long demanded by the government's supply-and-confidence partners in the NDP, will start small by covering just two categories of drugs. For the program to get off the ground, the provinces and territories also will have to be on board. Ottawa has made a commitment to expand pharmacare — it's standing up a panel of experts to provide advice on how best to implement a universal, single-payer program sometime in the future. CBC News has received a number of questions from the public about the program.Read here for some of the answers.
Air Canada says it's sorry after staff tried to stow away the headdress of the Assembly of First Nations' national chief in cargo storage before the departure of a flight Wednesday.The company said in a statement Thursday it's apologizing to National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who said on social media Thursday she was forced to hand over a case containing the headdress that was with her in the plane's cabin. "I won't be letting anyone take away my headdress or case again," Woodhouse Nepinak said on a public Facebook post, ahead of a different flight to Montreal. "Air Canada needs a protocol for First Peoples so that we are not harassed for our sacred items. Our headdresses don't belong in [garbage] bags by airlines." CBC News contacted Woodhouse Nepinak, but she was still in transit and wasn't ready to talk at length about the incident Thursday night. The national chief said staff wanted to put her headdress in cargo storage because there was no room at the cabin, and that the situation got tense. She said the flight crew threatened her staff, and that other passengers stood up for her.Read the full story here.
The RCMP's federal wing is at a "critical juncture" and its ability to police key files like foreign interference, terrorism and financial crime is on the line, says a recent report from the Mounties' independent advisory board.After studying the sustainability of federal policing for more than a year, a task force set up by the external Management Advisory Board drafted a report that says the RCMP must change to survive — and the federal government needs to step up to protect Canadians' safety. "Federal policing has now arrived at a critical juncture of its sustainability, which present risks for the national security and safety of Canada, its people, and its interests," said the report, shared with CBC News this week. It's just the latest report to offer dire warnings for the federal government about the direction of the national police organization.Read the full story here.
A new bill would give the Alberta government more power over municipalities, including granting cabinet the power to remove councillors from office and forcing councils to repeal bylaws the province doesn't like.Bill 20, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment, was tabled in the legislature Thursday. The bill would also allow the creation of municipal political parties, but it comes in the form of a pilot project only affecting Edmonton and Calgary. Bill 20 proposes many other changes to the Local Authorities Election Act and the Municipal Government Act to reinforce the province's authority over municipalities. If passed, the bill would allow cabinet to call a public referendum on the fate of a municipal councillor, or go as far as to unilaterally remove them from office if it is deemed in the public interest. Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver insisted that provision would be rarely used. Aaron Paquette, an Edmonton city councillor, suggested on social media that the new rules would be a threat to municipal politicians who didn't share the same views as the governing United Conservative Party. "Bend the knee or be fired?" he asked on the social media platform X. "Is this democracy?"Read the full story here.
Enormous investments in EV technology shook the automotive industry in both Canada and the U.S. this week.On Thursday, Honda promised to spend $15 billion in Ontario, while Toyota unveiled new investments in Indiana, bringing its total spending on EVs in that state to $8 billion US. But the surge in investment comes as the underlying EV industry remains at a crossroads. Growth forecasts have plateaued, charging infrastructure has not kept pace and electric vehicle prices have pushed the cars out of reach of many consumers. So, do massive subsidies and tax credits for the EV industry make sense when the industry itself seems to be struggling? "The entire industry agrees we are going to get to a place where we are at zero emissions. The only debate is how long it's going to take," said Flavio Volpe, head of Canada's Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association. "A lot of this is chicken and the egg," Volpe said. "You've got to get companies like Honda, like Stellantis and Ford to commit to making these vehicles in partnership with provinces and the country." As they build up capacity, Volpe says prices should come down.Read the full analysis here.
WATCH | 'Historic' Honda EV investment will boost economy for generations, says Trudeau: 22 hours ago Duration 3:05
'Historic' Honda EV investment will boost economy for generations, says Trudeau
Now here's some good news to start your Friday:Edmonton Oilers fans will line up to take pictures with Dale Steil when he's decked out in his Oilers getup at games. He shows up in full face paint and wearing over 300 lapel pins. CBC's Mark Connolly spoke with the superfan about how it all started, and an injustice involving Will Ferrell.Watch the video here.
Front Burner:The keffiyeh's history of culture and conflict
Why has the keffiyeh, a scarf worn by Palestinians for centuries, sparked so much debate, and even a ban at the Ontario legislature?
Front Burner21:56The keffiyeh’s history of culture and conflict
Cross Country Checkup
This weekCross Country Checkupwants to know: What should the government do to reduce the amount of plastic in the environment? What have you done?
Fill out the details onthis formand have your say!
Today in history: April 26
1900:Charles Richter is born in Overpeck, Ohio. Along with German-born seismologist Beno Gutenberg, he invented the earthquake magnitude scale that bears his name.
1922:Jeanne Sauvé is born in Prud'homme, Sask. She became a journalist, a federal cabinet minister, the first female Speaker of the House of Commons and the first female governor general. She died on Jan. 26, 1993.
1923:Prince Albert, Duke of York, marries Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. He later became King George VI, while she became Queen Elizabeth and — after her husband's death in 1952 — the QueenMother. Their oldest daughter became Queen Elizabeth II.
1977:The disco haven, Studio 54, opens in New York City. It became the centre of the jet-set disco society in the late '70s, attracting the likes of Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger.
With files from The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters
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