Jason Kenney released his list of “safe” countries of origin for refugee claimants, where claimants from those countries will be subject to an expedited process (which critics charge is an inadequate time to prepare a case), and no access to appeal. Included on the list are countries like Hungary and Latvia, where Roma populations have been targeted by far-right groups (and despite Kenney’s repeated claims to the contrary, they can’t actually seek asylum in other EU nations), but Mexico has not been (yet), to which Kenney says they are still deciding because of the security situation in that country. (Maclean’s has an interesting article about refugee claimants from Mexico who were targeted in that country because they were wealthy).

The Supreme Court upheld anti-terror legislation when weighted against other Charter rights.

As part of Leona Aglukkaq’s mandate to get Health Canada out of the business of doing anything at all, the department is now getting out of the medical marijuana business and turning it all over to approved commercial growers, which may make it easier to get, but also way more expensive, which is a problem for people on fixed incomes because they can’t work as a result of the conditions for which they are using said medical marijuana.

Canada has now officially and fully withdrawn completely from the Kyoto Protocol.

Kady O’Malley looks at reaction to the Prime Minister’s Volunteer Awards, which is a cautionary tale as to why we should leave awards to the Sovereign and the Governor General and not the political leaders of the day because of the discomfort that such attention engenders.

Despite all of the warnings about it, Diane Finley is going full steam ahead for new, stricter EI rules in the New Year.

Elections Canada made their presentation in the court case around alleged voter suppression.

Here is a look at one year of progress on the Beyond the Border initiative with the US.

Aaron Wherry has a sit-down conversation with Thomas Mulcair, and talks about public administration, carbon pricing (where Mulcair swears that he won’t use the revenue for social programmes if he forms government), and “big union bosses.”

Nathan Cullen complains once again about decorum in the House, and names two Conservatives as “frequent offenders.” So Aaron Wherry talked to them, and they not only denied being singled out by the Speaker or their party whip, but hit back at some of the NDP MPs who are just as bad if not worse *cough*Charlie Angus*cough*.

It seems that the National Defence website’s F-35 procurement page has vanished into the digital aether.

Paul Wells writes about the government’s rash of reversals, be it around the F-35s, official languages for officers of parliament, or foreign takeovers.

Here is your recap of the political shows yesterday, such as they were with the continuing Connecticut shooting coverage.

And John Raulston Saul is getting his spousal portrait at Rideau Hall, and he has chosen Keith Monkman as the artist to do it. Monkman would not only be the first aboriginal artist at Rideau Hall to paint a portrait, but he’s a very challenging post-colonial and queer artist whose work is challenging, which is the kind of work that Raulston Saul often promoted during his time at Rideau Hall.