Roundup: Poilievre’s egregious video problem

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It’s egregiously partisan, and Pierre Poilievre won’t apologise for it. He released a pair of YouTube videos featuring himself talking about the government’s new tax measures, never mind that they still haven’t passed into law yet. Most of all, he filmed them on a weekend, using public servants on overtime. He says it was only two hours (but rules are they need to be paid a minimum of three), and not unsurprisingly, the public sector unions consider it an abuse of resources. Because it is. Liberal MP David McGuinty is hoping to leverage it into support of his bill to limit this kind of nonsense, much in the way that Ontario created an advertising commissioner in the Auditor General’s office to vet ads so that things like party colours, or the faces or voices of politicians are outlawed from government advertising. The funny thing is that the current Conservative government rode into power on the white horse of accountability, waving the banner of outrage over partisan advertising and polling by the previous government – never mind that their advertising was never this blatant or nakedly partisan. But apparently that doesn’t matter because this government can justify and rationalize absolutely anything, no matter how much they end up looking like hypocrites.

Good reads:

  • A number of senators, including Conservatives, think that David Tkachuk and Majory LeBreton shouldn’t be on the Internal Economy Committee any longer.
  • The government set new emissions targets of 30 percent reduction (from 2005 levels) by 2030 – but with no plan to actually achieve it. Kathleen Wynne is not impressed.
  • Stephen Harper fleshed out some details of the Canada 150 infrastructure plan that was in the budget.
  • MPs have nearly completed work on their anti-harassment policy.
  • Susan Delacourt writes about why Harper’s decision to opt out of debates held by the broadcast consortium should be no surprise.

Odds and ends:

The CRTC says that anyone can host election debates, but they have to be “equitable” so that one party isn’t favoured for airtime.

Here is the Ottawa Citizen Gargoyle’s roundup of smaller stories of the week.

Soon you won’t be able to bring backpacks up to Parliament Hill if you want to go for a tour.

https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/599383034211803136