By Canadian Press

Remembrance Day and Don Cherry’s poppy rant; In-The-News for Nov. 11

Nov 11, 2019 | 4:58 AM

In-The-News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of Nov. 11.

What we are watching in Canada …

Canadians will gather at cenotaphs and monuments across the country this morning to remember and honour those who took up arms — and in some cases paid the ultimate price — to defend this country and its way of life.

Thousands are expected to gather at the National War Memorial in Ottawa to mark the national Remembrance Day ceremony, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Julie Payette will be among those laying wreaths in memory of those who died serving Canada.

Also present will be this year’s Silver Cross Mother, Reine Samson Dawe, whose youngest son, Capt. Matthew Dawe, was killed in Afghanistan in 2007 alongside five other Canadian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter.

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Samson Dawe will lay a wreath on behalf of all Canadian mothers who have lost children to war.

This year’s Remembrance Day ceremony follows a major ceremony in France earlier this year marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day, when thousands of Canadian stormed the beaches of Normandy with their British and American allies to fight Nazi Germany.

It also comes exactly 101 years to the day after the end of the First World War.

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Also this …

Sportsnet has apologized for hockey commentator Don Cherry’s televised rant about his belief that new immigrants don’t wear poppies, and in turn don’t support veterans — comments that sparked a swift, and widespread, backlash.

The station’s apology was echoed by “Coach’s Corner” co-host Ron MacLean, who said during a Sunday evening broadcast that Cherry’s remarks didn’t represent his own views or those of parent company Rogers Media.

“Don’s discriminatory comments are offensive and they do not represent our values and what we stand for as a network,” Sportsnet President Bart Yabsley said in a statement earlier Sunday. “We have spoken with Don about the severity of this issue and we sincerely apologize for these divisive remarks.”

MacLean also shouldered some of the responsibility saying “Don Cherry made remarks which were hurtful, discriminatory, which were flat out wrong … I owe you an apology, too. I sat there, did not catch it, did not respond.”   

Cherry, 85, singled out new immigrants in Toronto and Mississauga, Ont., where he lives, for not honouring Canada’s veterans and dead soldiers during his weekly “Coach’s Corner” segment on “Hockey Night in Canada.”

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie called his comments “despicable,” while the National Hockey League said in a statement that Cherry’s remarks were “offensive and contrary to the values we believe in.”

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What you may have missed …

Neil Young says his marijuana use has cast a cloud over his application to become a dual citizen in the United States.

The legendary singer-songwriter and proud Canadian says in a statement on his website that he recently applied for American citizenship so he could vote in the 2020 presidential election.

Young says he passed a test in which he was asked many questions and answered truthfully, but was recently told he must do another test due to his use of cannabis.

In April, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a policy alert stating that applicants who possess, grow or distribute marijuana may lack “good moral character,” even if the activity is legal in their state or country.

Young, who has lived in the U.S. for decades, writes in his post that he sincerely hopes he has exhibited good moral character and will be able to vote with his conscience on President Donald Trump and his fellow candidates.

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What we are watching in the U.S. …

WASHINGTON, D.C. — For only the fourth time in U.S. history, the House of Representatives has started a presidential impeachment inquiry.

House committees are trying to determine whether President Donald Trump violated his oath of office by asking Ukraine to investigate political rival Joe Biden’s family and the 2016 U.S. presidential election all while the White House was withholding military aid to the East European ally that borders Russia.

This week Americans will have their public first view of the inquiry, as live hearings begin.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., will gavel in the sessions on Wednesday and Friday.

What’s unclear, though, is what people will see in two days of hearings.

Will the proceedings serve as a clarifying moment for the country, when a common narrative emerges over the president’s actions and whether or not they are, in fact, impeachable? Or in this era of peak partisanship, will the days devolve into a reality-TV episode showcasing the divide?

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What we are watching in the rest of the world …

HONG KONG — A man has been set on fire following an apparent dispute over national identity in Hong Kong, where police shot a protester on a day of escalating violence.

The man set on fire around midday was in critical condition in a city hospital. Video posted online show him arguing with a group of young people, before someone douses him with a liquid and strikes a lighter.

The police shooting was also captured on video Monday as demonstrators blocked train lines and roads during the morning commute to push their demands for democratic reforms. The Hong Kong hospital authority said the person shot was in critical condition.

The violence is likely to further inflame passions after a student died Friday from injuries suffered in an earlier fall and police arrested six pro-democracy lawmakers over the weekend.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 11, 2019.

The Canadian Press

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