He still won’t meet with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, dropping by Toronto for a meeting with new mayor John Tory on Thursday instead, and yesterday, Stephen Harper met with Paul Davis, the new premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. That meeting, however, did not go happily as the premier is accusing the PM of changing the rules unilaterally regarding their agreed-upon compensation for fish processing losses under the EU trade agreement in such a way that the province will never see those funds. So, still trying to win the province over, I see. Meanwhile, PostMedia imagines how the conversation between Harper and Wynne will go when it eventually does happen, and Paul Wells has some thoughts on the affair as well:

https://twitter.com/inklesspw/status/543599417958629376

https://twitter.com/inklesspw/status/543599850051620864

https://twitter.com/inklesspw/status/543600261449936896

https://twitter.com/inklesspw/status/543600752879763456

Good reads:

• In Liberal open nomination drama, Trudeau insists he didn’t sideline a Sikh candidate in Vancouver South, while the former Brandon–Souris candidate from the last by-election says he’s not running again because he blames the party office for his by-election loss.
• A Department of Heritage committee bent the rules for that anti-abortion protest involving the 100,000 pink and blue flags on the Hill lawn, despite RCMP objections.
• There is discussion that the prostitution law may not be challenged in court for a while because the provinces may decide to not direct police to enforce it. (It does seem like a bit of a long shot, however).
• Following the review of the HMCS Whitehorse discipline issue, the Royal Canadian Navy has declared no more alcohol aboard ship while at sea. Stephen Maher wonders if this isn’t changing the social contract of the lower ranking sailors because of a few miscreants.
• The First Nations Education Bill hopelessly stalled, it sounds like the government may strike deals with First Nations on a local level instead.
• Apparently hunting for crooked immigration consultants is harder than it looks. Who would have thought?
• The government’s apparent prioritizing of resettling only religious minorities from Syrian refugee claimants is raising eyebrows, while some private sponsorship agencies are apparently getting bent out of shape if they find out they’re helping to resettle Muslim families.
• Susan Delacourt offers some New Years resolutions for political advertising.

Odds and ends:

NDP deputy leader Libby Davies has said she won’t run again in 2015. Let’s hope that we have a new out lesbian elected next year so that we still have some representation for that community.

Here’s an interesting piece on foreign diplomats living above the law in Ottawa.

Here is this week’s The Gargoyle roundup.