CBCN - Thursday, May 23, 2024 - 12:00 a.m. (ET) - Segment #30

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surely a day that he will not forget and it would be even better if the oilers won tonight for those two fans from barrie, ontario. >> Jacqueline: that's a pretty big win for that young fan though, madeleine. That really is a great day for him. Lucky kid. Okay, so what about the fan support that the oilers have been getting when they are away from home? Has that been helping so far in these playoffs? >> Yes, I mean, the oilers have had success playing away games and they won two games against los angeles in the first round of the playoffs and they won two away games against vancouver in the second round. So they can win away. They are here for two away games in dallas against the stars. But it could be an uphill battle. These two teams met three times during the regular season and the oilers lost two out of those three games, winning the one in overtime. Dallas is a very deep team, they have a lot of excellent players, but, on the other hand, the oilers have their superstar connor McDAVID and leon drisidle and they're strong in penalty kills so fans say don't count them out, they could absolutely win tonight. But it might be a bit of a battle. >> Jacqueline: madeleine, there will be a lot of people watching, that's for sure. Thank you for the preview. Madeleine cummings in dallas for tonight's playoff game between the oilers-stars. ( ) >>> Taking you now to washington, and U.S. president joe biden is taking questions at a joint news conference with the president of kenya. Let's listen in. >> President Joe Biden: this raises all kinds of questions that can be easily be misrepresent body what we're tryingrepresented by what we'retrying to do and used those that disagree with us in the united states. So we set out to find a partner, partners, who would lead that effort and we would participate in, and with supplies and making sure that they have what they need. And so, you know, I'm very grateful for the leadership here, and kenya's willingness to really take care of this matter. We're not the only country -- but there's going to be forces not on the ground but we'll supply logistics and intelligence and equipment. In fact, some equipment has already arrived and kenya is stepping up with police and other countries plan to do as well. The united states can support the collective effort here. And, of course, kenya won't do it allow alone, and we are providing $300 million for the mission and $60 million additional for equipment assistance. And we are continuing to bring major contributions from other partners as well. And the people deserve better and they deserve peace and security and I thank him for taking on this responsibility, and that we have his back and we're there all of the way. >> Question: a question for you, president ruto. But before I do, I do very briefly have a question on whether the united states has any evidence at all that this substantiates the I.C.C. prosecutor's allegations against the israelis that they're using starvation as a tactic of war in gaza or evidence for that matter. If you would commit to releasing that information before any potential issuance of icc arrest warrants. And it's a support mission that is well known, but the fact is that haiti's national police have been internationally funded and trained for some time and, nevertheless, have obviously failed to beat back these gains. Will the kenyan forces in partnership with the mss be out front in the fight against these gangs? Or will they be a status force behind? And are you concerned about casualties among the canadian forces? Kenyan force? >> We believe that peace and security anywhere in the world, including in haiti, is a collective responsibility of all nations and all peoples who believe in freedom, self-determination, democracy, and justice. And it is the reason why kenya took this responsibility because we have been participating in peacemaking and we have been

participating in peacekeeping over the last 40 years in many countries, including very difficult neighbourhoods like what we're going to face in haiti. We are going to take up that responsibility, alongside the haiti police, and we have clear mandates on how we'll relate with the situation on the ground that has been agreed under the united nations framework. So we are looking forward to this deployment because we believe that the women and the children in haiti deserve peace like all other women and children and people that are around the world. >> President Joe Biden: you guys never keep to the deal but that's okay. That, you know, we have made our position clear on the icc. We don't think that -- we don't recognize their jurisdiction. The i.c.c., the way that it's being exercised. And it's that simple. We don't think that there's an equivalent between what israel did and what hamas dead. Do I have [indiscernible] expressions as well? >> The next question. >> Question: thank you. President ruto, one question, and it is from haiti. President biden, explained the heavy lifting in the regions, and the democratic republic of the congo. And washington has committed millions of dollars for the cause in haiti. Is it ironic while america is spending [indiscernible] in 2021 under your leadership [indiscernible] and you that are committing to another foreign war -- I mean, why -- [indiscernible] >> President Joe Biden: there's a reason why afghanistan is known -- [indiscernible] afghanistan is highly, highly, highly unlikely on the line. Number two, there are ways to control isis other than occupying afghanistan. It was an unnecessary need. Now in regards to haiti. Haiti is in in a part of the caribbean that is very volatile. A lot going on in its history, and we're in a situation where we want to do all we can without us looking like america wants to be stepping over. This is what must be done. The haitians are looking for help as well as the folks in the caribbean are looking for help. So we have checked out with a number of other countries and one who stepped up is haiti. And committed to provide whatever quality intelligence and equipment and the like to haiti. So it's a lot to do to have that capability and to keep your word. >> I believe that it's not so much about what happened in the past, it is about what we believe in -- the peace and the security of humanity. We -- [indiscernible] the U.S. cannot. I am the president of kenya, and it is to me to make that decision. And it's the people of kenya to commit their own troops, using their own structure. We have a period, and those who met their interests, and as was global citizens and understanding that instability anywhere is insecurity and instability everywhere. [indiscernible] suffering... And the united states is the largest humanitarian donor and providing $375 million of humanitarian funding this year. [indiscernible] we have engaged in more than one

place. >> Question: you said that kenkenyayou said that they are committed, and you can explain your political [indiscernible] and if you are committing on forces to haiti, [indiscernible] talking about security... [indiscernible] to make sure that they are in areas that have been restored in kenya. [indiscernible] is it an irony that you are putting it in a farn far away, when our own homes are on fire? >> Thank you very much. I made a commitment to the people of kenya to stomp out insecurity in the past weeks. As we talk, there are 3,000 [indiscernible] and 2,000 [indiscernible] and we have 15 schools and completed and we have reopened 20 schools -- in the north. And that exercise is on the ground. We have made tremendous progress in making sure that we have security at home, but that does not take away our responsibilities, even as we are deploying troops and policemen in our own country, to stomp out the problem. We could employ a thousand troops, because that is our response. We have 5,000 troops in somalia because equally that is our responsibility. And haiti should not be an exception. That's why deploying a thousand security men to haiti speaks to the commitment to peace and security. Next question. >> Question: mr. President, and president biden and president ruto, thank you. First of all when you talk about haiti, president ruto you said that haiti is a collective responsibility for all nations. And so do you believe that these nations can break the back of this militia that has gripped the nation there? And also when it comes to this, and especially [indiscernible] mr. President, could you tell me that the african union, as well when it comes to the humanitarian crisis? Thank you. >> President Joe Biden: that was my question? [laughter] >> Question: sir, your question. Can the united states and kenya or the nations collectively break the back of this militia that has the grip of the nation? >> President Joe Biden: yes. We're not talking about a thousand person [indiscernible] this is a crisis. It needs to be dealt with and we feel that we can deal this with a multinational approach with haiti leading the way and that is providing intelligence as well as equipment. >> Gangs and criminals do not have nationality. They have no religion. They have no language. And their language is one, to deal with their families and that's why we are building a coalition of nations beyond kenya and the U.S. and we are making contributions towards securing that country and to break the back of the gangs and the criminals that have to -- [indiscernible]

and the communities and kenya are filled with that attitude that kenya has -- [indiscernible] we now have another 800 within haiti but within the d.r.c., and another 800 troops from [indiscernible] and we are going to be having a meeting of the community and I defend my minister, my foreign minister, we had a conversation, and we will be looking at how to begin the dial-up process, because we believe that there is no military solution to what is going on in the d.r.c., but, instead, dialogue should be able to give us the necessary momentum and outcomes that -- [indiscernible] and for kenya as a country are seized of that matter. We know that the humanitarian crisis we are seeing has displaced close to seven million people. Now I want to thank the united states of america for stepping in with the humanitarian support for that region, because it is a collaboration of different countries in different ways, and we are committing and deploying our infrastructure to solutions for the matters that we are seeing. Let me ask -- [indiscernible] [indiscernible] for developing countries... [indiscernible] what is the commitment of this? Thank you. >> President Joe Biden: I'm sorry, I didn't hear your question. >> Question: I'm sorry. I'm asking america to lead the way on contributions to the stability assistance to help developing countries. So to alleviate their -- [indiscernible] and to tackle climate change, what is your commitment on this? >> President Joe Biden: we made a major commitment, number one, so the united states is a long champion of the financial institutions that provides low-cost resources for developing countries. Including from the I.N.F. [indiscernible] establishing new initiatives for low-cost funding for countries enhancing their resiliencies. And we heard them and we stand with them. Now that's why we have worked with congress to enable the united states to make available in the coming weeks up to $21 billion in new funding to the I.N.F. trust fund to give lending to new countriesful countries. And that is what this is about. We believe that supporting friends and this partnership -- and we're happy to do our part. And we have also doubled our commitment the i.d.a., and I am proud to [indiscernible] and I'm proud to be working alongside kenya to support the robust financing and practises to help the most vulnerable countries address their investment needs. There is debt and there is growth and you have to deal with the debt before you deal with the growth. So we're trying to be with international orginisations to provide that capability. So that people can grow. That's what it is about. >> Jacqueline: you have been listening in to president joe biden and kenya's president william ruto amid a visit of the kenyan president to the U.S. that will last a couple of days there. And at the top of their agenda is this kenyan-led support mission in haiti which is, of course, dealing with intense gang violence. So biden talking about how he appreciates kenya's willingness to lead this mission in haiti and saying that deploying the U.S. forces in haiti would raise all kinds of questions, he says, and he says that he wants to be

able to do what they can in haiti without looking like america is stepping all over the region. And you could glean from one of those reporter's questions though that there has been pushback within kenya about taking part in this, and of sending police outside of the country and outside of the continent in order to support haiti. But we'll continue to follow, of course, what is happening on the ground in haiti, and the various support missions as well. >> Andrew: one of canada's worst environmental disasters is getting worse. That's according to new research from scientists on behalf of grassy narrows first nations. It points to how people in that community have been getting sick for three generations. The study suggests that ongoing industrial discharges from a nearby paper mill is combining with the previously leaked mercury to create an even more toxic compound -- methylmercury. In the early 1960s and 1970s, an estimated nine tonnes of mercury was dumped into the english wabagon river system near the manitoba border. Methylmercury accumulates in fish and poisons people who eat them. And it can cause neuromuscular problems and lead to death. Cbc's meagan fitzpatrick has more on the study released today. >> Reporter: well, the lead research is brian branfireon, and the question is whether high concentrations of sulfate and organic matter in that river water -- whether that is contributing to enhancing the levels of methylmercury in that river. And he says that the answer is, yes. His conclusion is that the historic contamination of that river is being made worse by what is currently going on with the current mill that is operating in dryden, ontario. Different owners of the mills from the 1960s to 1970s to now, andrew, but this researcher is attributing those higher levels of sulfate and organic matter to that mill. The researcher saying that there's no other evidence of any other source of sulfate. And he says that what is going on is that the sulfate and the organic matter released into the water by the affluent from that mill is combining with the historically contaminated riverbed, the mercury in that riverbed, to produce methylmercury. And he says that the concentrations are higher than he would have suspected. And he is saying that this kind of confirms what they were already concerned about based on previous studies that he's worked on. Here's more of what he said -- >> So we can connect the dots, right, we can draw the line directly between the increasing the amount of methylmercury in the environment and the methylmercury in the fish. So the corollary is true, if we reduce the amount of sulfate and organic matter and take those two ingredients out of the equation, then the mercury levels in fish will come down. >> Reporter: so, again, he's saying that this situation is making things worse, not better, delaying the recovery of that river water and continuing to pose a risk, obviously, to the health of the people of grassy narrows who consume fish from the river. Now he's saying that he's not an expert in remediation or policymaking but, again, he says that it is important to get these findings out there. This was a technical report conducted for the council of grassy narrows first nation but he wanted to have the findings out there and releasing them publicly with their permission. Again, his main point was that if you dial down, he said dial down the heat on that process that makes methylmercury, then the mercury levels in the fish will go down. >> Andrew: so what kind of reaction is this study getting? >> Reporter: well, we have reached out to the mill. Now, again, it is under new ownership as of last august. And so they've only been operating it for less than a year. But when we reached out to them ahead of this study being released this morning, they told us they hadn't seen it yet and, therefore, couldn't comment on it. We do have comments from the chief of grassy narrows first nation, rudy turtle, who says that he is disappointed by these findings but not entirely surprised. Here's more of what he told us -- >> Our position has always been that everybody in the community should be compensated for the damages that are being done, especially with the new generation and the children that are growing up. The river should be cleaned up for them and they should be compensated because they still are taking mercury into their system. So there is a lot of work that still needs to be done in terms of compensation and in terms of health studies and whatever needs to be done.

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