From all accounts, it was one of the worst press conferences in recent memory. Former Liberal MP Scott Andrews, currently an independent, said he’s not going to fight to rejoin the Liberal caucus, that he accepts what was in the executive summary of the investigation into the harassment allegations, but wouldn’t say anything more concrete about whether he feels he was guilty or innocent of the allegations. There were hints, however, that he is not contesting what has been in the media – that he followed an MP home, pushed her against the wall and groped her, stopped when she told him to but subsequently referred to her as a “cockteaser.” Talking about learning the lessons of “the importance of personal space” and his “jovial Newfoundland personality” seems to indicate that he’s tacitly admitted he’s done something. The fact that he said he’s laying down partisanship, however, does raise questions, but with no answers forthcoming, we will be left to speculate. Andrews said that he hasn’t decided if he’ll run again in the next election, but even as an independent it would be a long shot. Justin Trudeau, meanwhile, says he considers the matter closed, so unless someone starts leaking the contents of the investigator’s report, this is probably the last we’ll hear about it.

Good read:

• A government programme that gave jobs to developmentally disabled workers will be saved after public outcry.
• It should come as no surprise that the government continues to deal with data breaches.
• Jason Kenney’s tendency to embellish and exaggerate has some people alarmed, especially when he posits being closer to war with Russia than NATO suggests.
• The CRTC has mandated that cable companies start offering a “skinny basic” package as well as pick-and-pay pricing by next year, which could devastate the Canadian television industry.
• The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in favour of religious freedom in Quebec high schools, which may be a signpost on the current debate elsewhere in the country.
• If anyone starts talking about the best economic manager during the election, here are some measures (parts one and two) to help prove who it was.

Odds and ends:

One of the former student leaders in Quebec is now organising against the Energy East pipeline.

It turns out that the NCC was opposed to the Victims of Communism memorial when it was first proposed six years ago, not that it stopped Jason Kenney.

A second former provincial judge is running for the NDP in BC, but they failed to mention that he resigned from the bench because of problems with “episodic alcoholism.”