One almost suspects that the Conservatives are worried about the Trudeau phenomenon in the upcoming by-elections as they continue to mount increasing attacks against him, whose relevance to reality slips further and further away. Today it was Peter MacKay suggesting that Justin Trudeau told schoolchildren that recreational drug use was okay and hay for legalising pot. Um, except that’s not what happened, but rather that at a school event he was asked about it, and Trudeau said that not only should children not use pot because their brains are still developing, but that right now the government’s approach was ineffective. Well done Conservative attack machine operating under MacKay’s name. Meanwhile in Toronto Centre, the NDP put out releases that decried how awful it was that Chrystia Freeland laid off all those journalists when she was at Reuters, but conveniently omitted the line from the story where the Reuters spokesperson specifically said the layoffs were not Freeland’s decision. Added to that, the NDP somehow intimated that they would protect media jobs by rewarding job creation with tax breaks. Erm, corporate taxes are not the woe that is facing the haemorrhaging media industry, and unless they plan to shut down the Internet and start subsidizing newspaper subscriptions, I’m not sure how exactly they’ll protect media jobs.
The final day of arguments at the Supreme Court took place yesterday, with the “Friends of the Court” making their additional arguments, agreeing that term limits are likely to need a constitutional amendment and that abolition would likely require unanimous consent as it also means needing to amend the amending formula. They did posit the argument that “consultative elections” are just consultations and remain non-binding, despite the argument that an elected senator would be have as one. Justice Cromwell put forward that if these elections are non-binding, why would there be any objection to a Prime Minister holding a “non-binding” auction for a Senate seat – so long as it was non-binding. To which I say exactly – the argument that it is “non-binding” is a convenient out and end-run around the constitution. University of Ottawa professor Carissima Mathen gives her take on the hearings here.
Heritage minister Shelly Glover has ordered the CRTC to produce a report on the impacts of the forced unbundling of cable packages.
Industry minister James Moore has told wireless companies that they must either start using blocks of spectrum that they are sitting on, or they will lose it. There are accusations that companies are hoarding spectrum to deny other players, and this particular band of spectrum could be used to extend broadband data to rural and remote areas.
Immigration Minister Chris Alexander is opening up the phone lines to help determine whom to fast track when it comes to helping Filipino family reunification in the wake of the typhoon. It also looks like we’ll be sending a number of helicopters to the region to assist with the disaster relief efforts.
In order to bolster his tough on crime talk, Peter MacKay is now musing about expanding the use of consecutive sentencing and ending sentencing discounts. Because promising more jail time solves everything!
More court documents in the Guelph robocall case revealed that one of Stephen Harper’s top advisors, Jenni Byrne (now his deputy chief of staff) warned staffers to hold off on speaking to Elections Canada investigators until she could get legal advice. Shortly thereafter, all witnesses were in the company of party lawyer Arthur Hamilton.
John Ivison suggests that the government is looking to start a small trade war with the US in order to get concessions on Buy America provisions, as well as the Keystone XL pipeline.
Rosemary Barton has a look at the success that Thomas Mulcair has had in Question Period of late, including an unnamed staffer taking credit for suggesting the approach and Mulcair’s initial reluctance to take more than the first three questions. I would add, however, that there has been little stamina for good Question Periods – they last for a couple of days, and then peter off in to the same old, same old.
Conservative MP and assistant deputy speaker Barry Devolin has announced that he won’t run again in 2015, but he will serve out his term.
Over in Quebec, a Muslim Liberal MNA has come out in favour of the Charter of Values so far as it applies to the equality of men and women, despite the fact that her party and leader oppose that charter writ large.
And the CBC has a cool slide presentation of the National Shipbuilding Strategy and the vessels it will encompass, at an estimated price tag of $38.6 billion.