Roundup: An astronaut for GG?

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Despite some MPs are agitating for the next Governor General to be Indigenous, it looks like it’s going to be Julie Payette, former astronaut. Payette is a woman and francophone, which fulfils the Anglophone/Francophone alternation that has been the pattern since we started naming our own Governors General, and the government’s desire to have more women in top spots. That she’s not Indigenous will be criticised by some, but I suspect that it may actually avoid other headaches because I do wonder if an Indigenous GG may not find themselves in an inherent conflict of interest given the relationship with the Crown that Indigenous people have which is as sovereign people in a treaty relationship, and being the Queen’s representative has the possibility of being far more complicated once you dig into it. As well, there would likely be pressure on an Indigenous GG from other Indigenous communities to exert influence on the government, given that the understanding of Responsible Government and heeding the advice of the government of the day isn’t all that well understood, and would lead to a lot of disappointment. Meanwhile, here’s Philippe Lagassé on some other aspects of the GG that are worth thinking about.

https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/885286674468614146

https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/885289432747782144

https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/885290949588508672

https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/885291808942690305

https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/885292570997399554

https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/885294316247277569

https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/885295661742215168

https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/885296355324952576

https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/885297826862960640

While Paul Wells has a great piece about the message being sent with Payette’s appointment, Lagassé also makes a good point about how her appointment is being framed.

https://twitter.com/pmlagasse/status/885307090935451649

And this comment from Denise Donlon seems to sum up a lot of the sentiment I’ve seen:

Good reads:

  • The Bank of Canada raised interest rates for the first time in seven years. Here’s an explainer as to why. Bank Governor Poloz credits the Child Benefit for the growth.
  • Here’s a look at Omar Khadr’s request for the court to reject the injunction filed by Sergeant Speer’s widow to keep him receiving the money from his settlement.
  • 104 Canadian troops are serving with other nations on exchange programmes and DND won’t say if they’re in combat. Thomas Mulcair is taking issue with that.
  • Apparently we are now going over who has attended Liberal fundraisers and comparing them to the lobbyist registry and crying foul when names match.
  • A group of Indigenous Manitoba families want the MMIW inquiry scrapped and reset, and for a grassroots-led regional inquiry held in their province.
  • The Federal Court voided the citizenship revocations of 312 Canadians as a result of an earlier ruling striking down the Harper-era law.
  • Here’s a long read from Michael Petrou about the exodus of Syrian refugees into neighbouring countries.
  • The three other NDP leadership candidates are all turning their guns on Jagmeet Singh, which I guess makes him the threat.
  • Rona Ambrose talks about her political career as a way to encourage more young women to run for office.
  • Craig Forcese offers his legal analysis of the Khadr settlement, and Aaron Wherry got three other legal opinions.
  • Andrew MacDougall says that the political fallout from the Khadr settlement will now fall on what he does with the money. Alert the cheap outrage police!

Odds and ends:

Here is your regular rundown of top and least-spendng MPs.