We’re now less than a week away from the opening of Parliament, and there’s a lot for the Liberals to do. One of those things is deciding what to do about the assisted dying file, and it looks like the Liberals have planned to strike a special joint committee of MPs and senators to quickly examine the issue and provide some legislative recommendations to the government. Remember that the deadline the Supreme Court gave the government is February 6th, and they haven’t decided if they will as the Court for an extension – one they may not be granted, and one where that extension will be a burden to those on the ground who may actually need the law in a timely fashion. There are a couple of reasons why the inclusion of senators in the process is noteworthy – one is that it can help to speed up the process of passing the inevitable legislation, because it can be like a bit of pre-study, getting them involved earlier in the process in order to speed up their own deliberations on the bill when it arrives. The other reason is that the Senate was debating a bill on doctor-assisted dying in the last parliament, which had been sponsored by Conservative Senator Nancy Ruth, based on her consultations with former MP Stephen Fletcher, and had workable solutions to some of the issues raised in protecting the vulnerable. That bill was debated over several days at second reading, but never was voted on to send to committee, likely because of some foot-dragging, but that debate happened, and those same senators are still there. If it’s something that can help speed the process, it’s not a bad idea that they’re in the loop and participating in solving the problem, which could potentially get legislation in the system before that Supreme Court deadline, and with a little luck, they won’t need to ask for an extension.
Good reads:
- No, single Syrian men are not actually being shut out of the refugee process. Also, we’re giving $100 million to the UNHCR to help with those refugees in the region.
- While our CF-18s will eventually be pulling out of Iraq, the Aurora surveillance planes and Polaris refueller will remain in theatre.
- Michael Petrou has harsh words for Trudeau’s recent utterances on the situation in Syria, particularly around Turkey downing that Russian fighter.
- Here’s a look at the expectations being set for Canada at the Paris conference.
- The premier of Nova Scotia wants assurances on the shipbuilding programme, because of course it’s more about jobs than getting the best ships at good value.
- Stéphane Dion says it’s important the civil service be impartial, but didn’t see the cheering at the Pearson building to be other than excitement about a new minister.
- Hugh Segal has resigned from the advisory panel on modernizing the civil service, but he has plenty of advice to offer Trudeau, like reducing layers of management.
- Ralph Goodale says he’s not making any decisions just yet on RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson’s demands for more online powers.
- New science minister Kirsty Duncan promises more support for basic research, after the last government cut it in favour of commercialization.
- The Canadian Press takes their Baloney Meter™ to the Liberals’ fiscal update and claims of a deficit (and it’s only a little baloney).
Odds and ends:
In case you were wondering, Canadian Forces personnel and DND bureaucrats are now cleared to speak to the media.
Tom Clark had a walking interview with Justin Trudeau while in London, talking about his first few weeks on the job.
Here’s Trudeau’s appearance on BBC’s Newsnight.