Roundup: Caretakers and emergencies

Posted on by

The situation in BC, where there is an emergency situation of wildfires and evacuations in the midst of a change of government, can be pretty instructive as to how our system of government works. Right now, as with during an election period, the machinery of government goes into “caretaker” mode, and because Christy Clark remains the premier until the moment John Horgan is sworn in, she is able to respond to the situation as she is doing now.

https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/884468259185209344

This is why, after Clark’s visit to the lieutenant governor, the statement from the LG was that she “will accept her resignation,” not that Clark has resigned on the spot.

Why is this important? Because the Crown must always have someone to advise them, especially in circumstances like this. Add to that, we have a professional, non-partisan civil service means that they are already in place, and don’t need to have a massive new appointment spree to fill the upper layers like they do in the US. That means that they can respond to these kinds of situations, and while the caretaker government gives the orders, the incoming government’s transition team is being briefed so that they can handoff the files when they form government. It’s an elegant system that we’re lucky to have.

Good reads:

  • In an interview with a German tabloid, Trudeau mentioned that he finds the Germans more organized than Canadians. Cue the outrage.
  • While relatives of slain Sgt. Speer want a freeze on Omar Khadr’s assets, his settlement is in line with others including the UK and Australian detainees’.
  • Also, people seem to think that Charter rights are up to public opinion. Who needs the rule of law?
  • The Navy’s head of procurement says building ships in Canada is better for the long-term because we won’t have to rely on foreign companies for service (like our subs).
  • Catholic bishops are grumbling about our foreign aid policy as “ideological” because it includes funding for abortion services.
  • Amazon Prime is becoming the lifeline for affordable food in Iqaluit, but there are concerns that it’s not a long-term solution.
  • The American government says it’s “travel ban” isn’t affecting NEXUS card holders and yet they are having them cancelled for vague reasons.
  • Here’s a look at Andrew Scheer’s first visit to the Calgary Stampede.
  • Andrew MacDougall grouses that Trudeau seems to be amassing political capital globally, but isn’t spending any of it.
  • Scott Gilmore writes about the Conservatives’ “gay problem,” with leaders who won’t attend Pride and how that affects their reaching out to moderates.
  • Kady O’Malley looks at ways the Conservatives could try to force the Khadr issue to go before committee over the summer.
  • Martin Patriquin looks at the similarities between the Khadr and Maher Arar cases.
  • Paul Wells writes about how the Conservatives and Liberals are trying to frame one another over the Khadr issue.
  • I have a piece in Maclean’s talking about why open nominations are an essential part of our democratic system.

Odds and ends:

The Red Ensign flag is suddenly taking on darker undertones as it becomes increasingly employed by white supremacists.

One thought on “Roundup: Caretakers and emergencies”

  1. “Also, people seem to think that Charter rights are up to public opinion.”

    The respondents to the Angus Reid survey rejected the government’s actions regarding Khadr. Seventy-one percent answered that the government did the wrong thing in settling the case and should have fought it in court. In other words, “Being sued doesn’t mean you have to settle.”

Comments are closed.