Roundup: A few answers and a fuzzy line

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The RCMP gave a lengthy press conference yesterday on the “domestic terror” incident in Quebec, and laid out several more facts to the case – that they were aware that the person of interest was being radicalized, that they had been in contact with his family and the Imam at that local mosque after concerns were raised that they arrested him back in July and seized his passport after he expressed a desire to head to Turkey in order to join the fighting in Syria, but that they seemed to be making progress and that he appeared to want to turn his life around just a few weeks ago. And then the incident happened, but there wasn’t much that they could have done to prevent it because it’s not illegal to have radical thoughts, or to drive a car. One of the two soldiers that he ran down died of his injuries yesterday, the other’s injuries are minor. The whole incident raises questions about passport seizures – especially as it means that they might be more likely to commit an act of violence here in Canada – and also highlights the fact that the threshold for where an act of violence becomes an act of terrorism is a subjective one. Defence Minister Rob Nicholson said that the death of that soldier will strengthen the resolve of our CF-18 pilots headed to Kuwait. Stephen Saideman offers some perspective sauce on the whole issue. Michael Den Tandt says that Canada can’t pretend to be immune to the threat of terrorism any longer, but it depends how the government handles the next steps that will be the most telling.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai will be in Toronto today to collect her honorary Canadian citizenship, which both the Commons and the Senate voted unanimously to grant yesterday. Senator Salma Atuallahjan met with Yousafzai’s family while Malala was recovering from her gunshot wound, and has been in touch with them since.

Former Bloc MP Jean-François Fortin joined forces with NDP MP Jean-François Larose to form a new regional party, Forces et Democratie. The NDP immediately lashed out by saying that Larose betrayed the memory of Jack Layton, and demanded he step down and run in a by-election, while also spreading the rumour that he was unlikely to win his riding nomination. Classy! Meanwhile, with a party of two each named Jean-François, well, the jokes pretty much write themselves.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer is cautioning against plans to start spending down the expected surplus, either with spending announcements or permanent tax cuts, as many of the factors contributing to the surplus may be cyclical and not structural (not to mention the fact that those surpluses depend on continued austerity in the Conservative “starve the beast” mentality).

The Commissioner of the RCMP was back before a parliamentary committee yesterday, this time the Commons Procedure and House Affairs committee with regards to the prima facie breach of privilege when MPs were delayed by RCMP members from reaching the Commons while the German president’s motorcade was going by. Paulson had footage to show the delay was 70 seconds, as it happened just as the motorcade arrived, and said that MPs might have to suffer such minor delays, and that they don’t plan the events – just provide security. Nevertheless, motorcade routes may well change to a different entrance to the Hill going forward.

Lisa Raitt launched a public campaign for drone safety.

800 scientists from 32 countries signed an open letter to Stephen Harper to reverse funding cuts and lift communications restrictions on federal scientists. The fact that they joined with PIPSC to do this, however, raises questions, because PIPSC’s survey with regards to “muzzled” scientists aims to blur the line between what civil servants can say about government policies they disagree with, which would violate the oaths of a civil servant, and yes, that is a problem.

Irving Shipyards denies the stories that a government report says the Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship contract will be downsized to control costs.

The left-wing “think tank” Broadbent Institute says that CRA’s charity audits are biased because no right-wing group has publicly said they’re being audited. Erm, because they have cause to go crying to the media when they get audited why?

Justin Trudeau told Huffington Post that Stephen Harper’s “ego” is what led him to send CF-18s to Iraq without regard for the longer-term consequences, and didn’t back down from the dick joke he made a couple of weeks ago. Cue the outrage.

Because it’s apparently a relevant question, Evan Solomon asked Trudeau if the reference to “ups and downs” in his marriage from his book was code for extramarital affairs. Trudeau said no. Erm, since when have we started asking these kinds of questions in Canada?

And Aaron Wherry talks to Pierre Poilievre about partisanship. No, really.