The thing that had everyone’s tongue wagging yesterday was the release of those Trump Transcripts™ detailing calls to Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, and the inevitable Canada angle in which Trump says that there’s no problem with Canada, that they don’t even think about us. Some friend and neighbour.

pic.twitter.com/qS13aIXUcl

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) August 3, 2017

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/893110071571484672

All joking aside, this piece by Andrew MacDougall explaining how readouts of calls with foreign leaders work is crucial reading to understanding why it’s important for diplomacy that world leaders be allowed to have open and frank conversations without these kinds of details leaking out. While yes, these Trump leaks are more about the damage to his domestic agenda, they’re not revealing much about him that we don’t know already, but it remains an issue that it sets a very bad precedent, and that could have bigger and worse repercussions down the road, not only for the ability of politicians to speak freely to one another, but also for the likelihood of there being note takers in the room with Trump in the future, and neither is a good thing.

I can't remember seeing a full PCO transcript of a PM call. I'm sure the audio exists but can't think of who could have leaked this in US. https://t.co/53ufVbeMBp

— Andrew MacDougall (@AGMacDougall) August 3, 2017

But one thing is certain: a leak like this is effing brutal (politically). Leaders need to speak with candor w/out fear of it leaking. https://t.co/XscGoxVKBM

— Andrew MacDougall (@AGMacDougall) August 3, 2017

Good reads:

• Not surprisingly, the government plans to boost their Washington charm offensive come September.
• The government says that they don’t have the power to lay sanctions on Venezuelan political leaders under current legislation; not everyone agrees.
• The government says they’ll help provinces cover the shortfall from allowing judges to not order victims surcharges for those who can’t afford to pay.
• Dominic LeBlanc says that the government will take any necessary measures to protect right whales in Canadian waters.
• The government is also running up against a deadline for protecting caribou ranges, which could further impact an already hurting forestry sector.
• Here is more background on the spike in Haitian refugees streaming into Canada.
• Here’s a look at the importance of the government’s recent document on Indigenous principles.
• Some MPs are getting pensions from previous employment – oh noes! How much cheap outrage can we muster over this non-story?
• The US Senate has approved Kelly Knight Craft as ambassador to Canada.
• There are curious happenings around why Afghanistan’s ambassador to Canada has been recalled.
• Here’s another look at Wednesday’s NDP leadership debate, and the OAS issue that Jagmeet Singh is trying to push.
• Kady O’Malley checks in with what the party leaders have been up to over the summer (where they have leaders, that is).
• O’Malley also gives her own look at Trudeau’s recent shifting narratives and places where he might be a bit more modest than he has been.

Odds and ends:

Here’s the tale of a Canadian commander at the centre of the evacuation at Dunkirk, who was left out of the Christopher Nolan film.

Programming note: Taking a long weekend. See you Tuesday. Probably.