Roundup: Artificial anti-terror drama

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With the Senate back in the news, it’s like my own personal bat-signal, so let’s delve into it, shall we? First up is a piece about some Conservative senators talking about changes to national security legislation (formerly C-51, which we need to stop referring to it as, since it’s passed and with dissolution the number scheme slate is wiped clean). Despite the ominous headline that warns that they could “disrupt” the plan to change the anti-terror act, there is very little indication in the story that they intend to do just that. They say they’ll study the changes, and they’re not opposed to creating a parliamentary oversight body, so where is the actual plans for disruption? Oh dear. It seems that we may have torqued a headline for the same of drama. I mean, they could disrupt any bill, but they don’t. Try again. Meanwhile, Senate leader Claude Carignan is trying to get assurances that Conservative senators will be able to vote on the interim leader, seeing as that’s in the party’s constitution, particularly because they are now all that is left to represent certain regions of the country – like the Atlantic provinces, or Toronto and Montreal. They will also have a particular heft to their representation, with 47 senators to a current 99 MPs. So that’ll be interesting. (Also, are we really down to four non-Harper appointed Conservatives already? Time flies). Senator Runciman talks about party renewal including proposing that they have their own Kingston Conference to lay the groundwork for their return to power, much as the Liberals have done in times past. Historian Christopher Moore thinks the party should return to caucus selection for permanent leader rather than an expensive and lengthy membership-driven process (which I would agree with), but somehow I doubt the party will buy it.

Good reads:

  • Trudeau and his family have moved to Rideau Cottage – on the grounds of Rideau Hall – for the time being, with the final decision on 24 Sussex still coming.
  • Thomas Mulcair said his standing up to Harper on the niqab issue was a “defining moment.” Um, his “standing up” was a wishy-washy “the courts have spoken.” That’s defining?
  • John Baird is officially out of the Conservative leadership race – not that he was ever in it, as he has zero leadership ambitions. Erin O’Toole is looking at interim leader.
  • Paul Dewar has been tapped to help the NDP reorganize their parliamentary and non-parliamentary operations, after which he’ll leave politics for good.
  • There are concerns that Trudeau’s “open government” proposals could create a return to a more verbal culture where things don’t get written down.
  • Shared Services Canada: Still plagued by problems, including some they should have foreseen by moving a data centre so far away.
  • Canada Post is suspending the conversion to community mailboxes pending consultations with the new government.
  • Adam Dodek thinks the GG should be more transparent with the transition process as a learning opportunity, such as announcing when Harper’s resignation was accepted.
  • Matt Gurney looks at some of the hard questions the Conservatives need to ask themselves about their next leader, particularly around women vying for the job.
  • Andrew Coyne suggests the Conservatives put off their leadership contest until after the electoral reform changes have gone through, as it changes the calculus.
  • Colby Cosh praises Trudeau’s subway station appearance the day after the election.
  • Stephen Gordon notes that the current Liberal party gets its economic credentials right.

Odds and ends:

American and Chinese military aircrews are being told not to be rude to one another.

It looks like the brakes have been put on the Victims of Communism memorial.

Conservatives in the Ottawa suburb of Nepean were less thrilled about the decision to skip the meeting with the mayor.

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