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politics briefing

Heritage Minister Melanie Joly scrums with media in Ottawa on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017.Matthew Usherwood/The Canadian Press

Good morning,

Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly is unveiling "Creative Canada" today, the first major overhaul of the country's cultural policy framework in over 25 years. The headline-grabber at the centre of it all is a five-year, $500-million deal with Netflix that will see the streaming giant produce and distribute Canadian content. Also included will be increased spending on the Canada Media Fund, a private-public partnership that helps to fund broadcast and digital media. The government will also be creating a Creative Export Strategy that will get $125-million in funding over five years to promote Canadian content around the world.

What isn't included in the plan is interesting as well. There's no plan to bail out Canada's news media. There's no mention of Quebec-specific initiatives, even though Ms. Joly is one of the government's key representatives in the province. There's also no mention of the Indigenous Languages Act, a bill that was first mentioned by the government in 2016 and was reiterated in Budget 2017. The announcement is set to come at noon but The Globe's Daniel Leblanc has the scoop on what's included. We've also built a guide to the announcement, including what the 10 biggest takeaways are.

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CANADIAN HEADLINES

Finance Minister Bill Morneau has introduced a new argument for the Liberal government's proposed tax changes: It encourages small businesses to take money out of savings and into operations. "We're actually giving people incentive to sit the dead money on their balance sheet and invest it in something else. We've created a big, gaping hole for tax planning and at the same time a decreased likelihood that people are going to invest in their business. That's what we're getting at here," he said at a meeting of The Globe and Mail's editorial board. The tax proposal is sure to come up next week at a meeting between the Prime Minister and the premiers. As always, if you've got any questions about how the small-business tax changes work, head on over to our concise explainer.

The Liberal government has another historic apology in the works: this time for, infamously, turning away a boat of German Jewish refugees in 1939.

And the House of Commons' Status of Women committee is stuck in a standoff over the Liberal MPs' rejection of Conservative MP Rachel Harder as chair, because she is against abortion.

Konrad Yakabuski (The Globe and Mail) on Joly and Cancon: "Mélanie Joly created unrealistic expectations in promising to take Canadian cultural policy in a 'bold' new direction in the digital age, so no one should be surprised to see the grab-bag of measures the Minister of Canadian Heritage unveils on Thursday fall short of the hype."

Chantal Hébert (Toronto Star) on the Liberal tax changes: "This is the first time the 2015 class of Liberal MPs is getting some serious pushback on a fiscal policy. Some of its members are running for cover even as their leader remains far more popular than his rivals, when their party is as competitive in voting intentions as it was on the day of its majority victory two years ago. The tax reform they are distancing themselves from did not come out of left field; it was part of the last Liberal budget."

Kate Harrison (iPolitics) on Conservative MP Rachel Harder and the Status of Women committee: "Even a cursory look at Harder's path into politics shows us a young woman who had to work exceptionally hard to get where she is today, winning a nomination in a riding that was hotly contested (primarily by older, male Conservatives). Harder ought to be an inspiration for other women with political ambitions. Instead, her accomplishments are being ignored by the governing party — which prefers to reduce her views and opinions to her position on abortion and nothing else. The message from the Liberals for any woman who holds views similar to Harder's is clear: If you don't think exactly as we do, you're not welcome here. It's like a politicized scene from Mean Girls: You can't sit with us."

INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES

The fallout from the trade dispute between Boeing and Bombardier continues. The U.S.-based aerospace giant requested an 80 per cent tariff but the U.S. Commerce Department opted for countervailing duties of nearly 220 per cent. Boeing is alleging that Bombardier is being unfairly subsidized by the federal government and Quebec, as well as the U.K. (Bombardier employs thousands in Northern Ireland). The British government is threatening to retaliate against Boeing. One thing to note: From 2000-2015, Boeing received more than $13-billion in grants and tax breaks from the U.S.

The first three rounds of NAFTA negotiations have now concluded. But there isn't much to show for the most recent set of talks, which were held in Ottawa. All three countries remain far apart, primarily because the U.S. is taking a hard line over any provisions that may create a trade deficit. The only substantive agreement reached was to support small- and medium-sized business that were looking for access to export markets. The talks head to Washington, D.C., in the middle of October.

More details continue to come out about how Russia used social media to influence voters' minds during the 2016 U.S. election. Politico reported that Facebook ads were purchased by Russian accounts in support of Jill Stein, Bernie Sanders and U.S. President Donald Trump. The New York Times, meanwhile, is reporting that Russia-linked Twitter accounts (including troll farms and fake accounts) used the platform during the campaign to spread misinformation. CNN is reporting that a Black Lives Matter ad was bought by Russians and targeted Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri. The Daily Beast is reporting that Russians impersonated U.S. Muslims on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

And the Iraqi government is pressuring Kurds to cancel the results of an independence referendum in which the minority group overwhelmingly voted to create a new state.

Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on NAFTA: "The gloom and doom started to really set in around the NAFTA talks on Tuesday evening. U.S. negotiators had started to put forward proposals that were so aggressive that some observers were calling them poison pills."

Patrick Leblond (The Globe and Mail) on Boeing and Bombardier: "This dispute is Trumpism at its worst. For the United States, it could ultimately mean no duty revenues, fewer manufacturing jobs, lower airline profits, higher prices for travellers and a fiercer competitor. What a way to make America great again."

Bessma Momani (The Globe and Mail) on freedom for Kurdistan: "The Kurds of Iraq have been patiently waiting for the right time to secede from the troubled state. Monday's referendum turnout was high and the result was clear: 92 per cent are overwhelmingly in favour of independence. While many Kurds felt the time was right to have a referendum on the question of independence, it is the worst time for all regional stakeholders and the Kurds may have made it more difficult for themselves to realize their national dream."

Denise Balkissoon (The Globe and Mail) on Saudi women and driving: "The right to drive is a seriously hard-won battle that Saudi Arabia's women should properly celebrate. Like them, observers should realize this is just one obstacle on the long road to freedom."

Peter Donolo (The Globe and Mail) on NAFTA: "The fact is, the NAFTA talks have been triggered not by actual trade problems or by the need to recalibrate or adjust practices, but by politics, pure and simple – and really not so pure."

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