The Globe and Mail - 06.11.2019

WEDNESDAY,NOVEMBER6,2019 | THEGLOBEANDMAILO A21

U.S. President Donald Trump has

approved an expanded military

mission to secure an expanse of

oil fields across eastern Syria,

raising a number of difficult legal

questions about whether U.S.

troops can launch strikes against

Syrian, Russian or other forces if

they threaten the oil, U.S. officials

said.

The decision, coming after a

meeting Friday between Mr.

Trump and his defence leaders,

locks hundreds of U.S. troops in-

to a more complicated presence

in Syria, despite the President’s

vow to get the United States out

of the war. Under the new plan,

troops would protect a large

swath of land controlled by Syr-

ian Kurdish fighters that stretch-

es nearly 150 kilometres from

Deir el-Zour to al-Hassakeh, but

its exact size is still being deter-

mined.

Officials said many details still

have to be worked out. Mr.

Trump’s decision hands com-

manders a victory in their push

to remain in the country to pre-

vent any resurgence of the Islam-

ic State, counter Iran and partner

with the Kurds, who battled IS

alongside the U.S. for several

years. But it also forces lawyers in

the Pentagon to craft orders for

the troops that could see them

firing on Syriangovernment or

Russian fighters trying to take

back oil facilities that sit within

the sovereign nation of Syria. The

officials spoke on condition of

anonymity in order to discuss in-

ternal deliberations.

Mr. Trump’s order also slams

the door on any suggestion that

the bulk of the more than 1,200

U.S. troops who have been in Sy-

ria will be coming home any time

soon, as he has promised.

Senator Tim Kaine, a Virginia

Democrat, called the mission

misguided. “Risking the lives of

our troops to guard oil rigs in

eastern Syria is not only reckless,

it’s not legally authorized,” Mr.

Kaine told the Associated Press.

“President Trump betrayed our

Kurdish allies that have fought

alongside American soldiers in

the fight to secure a future with-

out ISIS – and instead moved our

troops to protect oil rigs.”

The Pentagon will not say how

many forces will remain in Syria

for the new mission. Other offi-

cials, also speaking on condition

of anonymity to discuss contin-

uing deliberations, suggest the

total number could be at least

800 troops, including the roughly

200 who are at the al-Tanf garri-

son in southern Syria.

According to officials, lawyers

are trying to hammer out details

of the military order, which

would make clear how far troops

will be able to go to keep the oil

in the Kurds’ control.

The legal authority for U.S.

troops going into Syria to fight IS

militants was based on the 2001

and 2002 Authorizations for Use

of Military Force (AUMF), which

said U.S. troops can use all neces-

sary force against those involved

in the Sept. 11 attacks and to pre-

vent any future acts of interna-

tional terrorism.

Legal experts say the U.S. may

have grounds to use the AUMF to

prevent the oil from falling into

IS hands. But protecting the oil

from Syriangovernment forces

or other entities may be harder to

defend.

“The U.S. is not at war with ei-

ther Syria or Turkey, making the

use of the AUMF a stretch,” said

Stephen Vladeck, a national-se-

curity law professor at the Uni-

versity of Texas at Austin. He

added that while the U.S. Consti-

tution bestows significant war

powers on the President, those

are generally meant to be about

self-defence and for the collective

defence of the country. Arguing

that securing the oil is necessary

for national security “just strikes

me as a bridge too far,” he said.

Members of Congress have al-

so raised objections to the Trump

administration using the AUMF

as a basis for war against a sover-

eign government. That type of ac-

tion, he and others have argued,

require approval by Congress.

U.S. officials said the order ap-

proved by Mr. Trump does not in-

clude any mandate for the U.S. to

take Syria’s oil. Mr. Trump has

said multiple times that the U.S.

is “keeping the oil.” But the White

House and Pentagon have so far

been unable to explain what he

means by that.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Trump

green-lights

widermission

toguardoil

fieldsinSyria

LOLITABALDOR

Mr. Trudeau credited Dominic Barton for
the rescinding of the ban. Mr. Barton was
appointed ambassador to China in Sep-
tember, filling a post that had been left
vacant for more than eight months as re-
lations worsened.
The appointment of Mr. Barton, and
China’s subsequent posting of a new am-
bassador to Canada, the source said,
helped ease discussions.
The source said Canada provided what
it felt was a solid plan for resuming trade
that China could offer as a reason for re-
opening the market.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency
presented a detailed plan to Chinese cus-
toms officials detailing steps the regulator
would take to ensure no further export-
certificate fraud occurs, according to pro-
ducers.
Producers said they have been told the
Canadian Food Inspection Agency would
be prepared to sign export certificates as
early as this week for pork and beef ship-
ments destined for China.
Former Canadian ambassador to China
Guy Saint-Jacques said he doesn’t believe
the appointment of new ambassadors
made a difference. He said Canadian pork
producers told him earlier this week they
had received a query from China asking
how much pork they could provide in the
next three months.
“They may have lost 40 per cent of
their pigs. The farmers are reluctant to
buy new pigs as they are not sure whether
they will lose them again. This means it’s
15 to 20 million tonnes of pork that have
disappeared,” Mr. Saint-Jacques said.
He said while the ban removal is a good
development for Canada-China relations,
he cautioned that things will remain un-
stable as long as Ms. Meng is detained
here.
Canada was acting on an extradition
request from the United States when it
seized Ms. Meng. She will face an extradi-

tion hearing in early 2020.

The Chinese also locked up two Cana-

dians shortly after Ms. Meng’s arrest – for-

mer diplomat Michael Kovrig and entre-

preneur Michael Spavor, in what was

widely seen as retaliation.

Beijing has repeatedly said the key to

repairing relations is returning Ms. Meng.

Mr. Saint-Jacques said the next potential

source of China-Canada friction will be

whether Ottawa sides with the U.S., Aus-

tralia and other allies in barring China’s

Huawei from this country’s 5G networks.

“We have to brace ourselves that we

could have years of turbulence in the rela-

tionship with China,” the

former envoy said.

The Chinese embassy in

Canada was not able to offer

immediate comment.

Canada’s 7,000 pork pro-

ducers were already coping

with turmoil in agricultural

markets from the trade war

between the U.S. and China

when the ban hit.

The Washington-Beijing

conflict had diverted U.S.

pork into Canadian and Eu-

ropean markets, and the ban

only worsened things for

producers in Canada.

Pork producers sold more

than $500-million of prod-

uct to China in 2018 and had

expected to record more than $1-billion in

sales in 2019 before the ban.

China has turned to global sellers to

replace its pork supplies after the out-

break, purchasing 43 per cent more from

the U.S., Brazil and other sellers, accord-

ing to Chinese data, and driving up global

prices. But the loss of the Chinese market

has meant Canadian pig farmers have

missed some of the boost from higher

prices.

“It’s been difficult,” said Gary Stordy,

director of government and corporate af-

fairs at the Canadian Pork Council, which

represents Canadian hog farmers. Mr.

Stordy said the loss of the Chinese market

has deprived Canadian producers of a

market for pig parts – hooves and offal –

that they could not find elsewhere. “It af-

fects the economic stability of the entire

industry.”

The Canadian Meat Council, which rep-

resents 55 federally inspected meat pack-

ers and processors, thanked the govern-

ment, noting that before the ban, China

had been the second-largest export mar-

ket for Canadian pork and the fifth largest

for beef.

“Our long-standing trade relationship

with China is very impor-

tant to both sides and this

represents an important

step for both countries,”

president Chris White said.

There are no signs the im-

passe affecting Canadian ca-

nola shipments is set to be

lifted.

Heidi Dancho, a spokes-

woman for the Canola

Council of Canada, said seed

exports remain blocked.

“We hope today’s good news

for the livestock industry

helps create momentum to

restore access for what used

to be Canada’s most valua-

ble export to China − cano-

la.”

China began limiting the import of the

oil seed in March by suspending the li-

cences of two big Canadian traders, Viter-

ra and Richardson International. The Chi-

nese government blamed quality prob-

lems that Ottawa said were unsubstantiat-

ed.

China is a major market for the crop,

buying 40 per cent of Canadian canola

seed, oil and meal. In 2018, China bought

$2.7-billion worth of Canadian canola

seed.

With a report from Robert Fife

PigsareseenattheMeloporcfarminSaint-ThomasdeJoliette,Que.,inJune–thesamemonththatChinabannedimportsofCanadian
porkandbeef.China,theworld’slargestporkproducer,hasseenitspigherdplummetbymillionsamidanoutbreakofAfricanswinefever.
SEBASTIEN ST-JEAN/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

China:Formerambassadorsaysnewenvoyslikelydidn’tmake

differenceandBeijingliftedbanbecauseofmajorlossofpigs

FROMA1

We hope today’s

good news for the

livestock industry

helps create

momentum to

restore access for

what used to be

Canada’s most

valuable export

to China − canola.

HEIDIDANCHO

SPOKESWOMAN, CANOLA

COUNCIL OF CANADA

In the end, she had no choice. Her mother
is a self-described “huge vaccine advo-
cate” who has spent years impressing up-
on her children the importance of immu-
nization.
Barry Power, senior director of digital
content for the Canadian Pharmacists As-
sociation, is concerned that parents who
aren’t as committed to vaccinating their
children against the flu will be deterred by
the lack of a nasal-spray option.
“For kids who are particularly needle-
phobic,” he said, “that could be the decid-
ing factor for this year.”
However, Mr. Power pointed out that
the nasal spray was a small portion of the
overall influenza vaccine supply in Cana-
da last season – the Public Health Agency
of Canada put the figure at 2 per cent –
and its lack of availability appears uncon-
nected to delays in delivery of the tradi-
tional shot.
“What we’re hearing is that when phar-
macies order their flu-shot supply, they
get part of it. They rarely get the whole
thing,” Mr. Power said. “It seems to be a
widespread problem affecting anybody
who’s involved in the delivery of flu
shots.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada
(PHAC), which manages the country’s flu-
shot supply, has acknowledged there were
delays in the shipping of shots this fall, a

short-term lag the agency traced back to

the World Health Organization’s unusual

decision to postpone by about a month

its recommendation for one strain of the

virus to be included in the 2019-20 flu vac-

cine for the Northern Hemisphere.

However, Anna Maddison, a spokeswo-

man for PHAC, said that more than 95 per

cent of Canada’s total influenza vaccine

supply is now available to provincial and

territorial governments, which are re-

sponsible for allocating the

shots to pharmacies, doc-

tors’ offices and public-

health clinics.

A small portion of Cana-

da’s order of a high-dose

vaccine for seniors is still

outstanding, Ms. Maddison

added, but the remaining

supply is expected to be de-

livered by the end of this

month.

Candice Bruton, a spokeswoman for

FluMist maker AstraZeneca Canada, said

by e-mail that the global shortage is af-

fecting supplies in other countries as well,

and that Canada is not the only place

where FluMist is completely unavailable.

Unlike traditional flu shots, FluMist is a

live, weakened version of the influenza

virus that patients inhale, one time in

each nostril.

In 2011, Canada’s National Advisory

Committee on Immunization recom-

mended FluMist as the preferred influen-

za vaccine for children between the ages

of 2 and 17.

The committee, which advises PHAC,

dialled back its enthusiasm for the nasal

spray when its American counterpart,

concerned about U.S. data that showed

the inhaled vaccine was less effective than

the shot, withdrew its support for FluMist

for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 flu seasons.

Canada’s committee continued to rec-

ommend FluMist during

that period, but downgrad-

ed its recommendation to

say the inhaled vaccine was

no better than the tradition-

al shot.

There are many ways to

mitigate the pain of a flu

shot, said Samina Ali, an

emergency physician at Ed-

monton’s Stollery Children’s

Hospital and senior author

of the Canadian Paediatric Society’s new

position statement on managing pain and

distress for children undergoing brief pro-

cedures.

She recommends applying numbing

cream beforehand and, if children aren’t

too big, putting them on your lap and

wrapping them in a “teddy bear hug.”

Distractions, including smartphone

videos and hand-held video games, can

be a huge help, Dr. Ali added. “This is not

the moment to be the technology police.”

Vaccine:Pharmacistsayslackofnasal-sprayoption

couldbe‘thedecidingfactor’forsomefamilies

FROMA1

Unlike traditional

flu shots, FluMist

is a live, weakened

version of the

influenza virus that

patients inhale, one

time in each nostril.

NEWS |