Roundup: Harper unhappy with NAFTA talks

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Stephen Harper has apparently written an angry memo to his clients about the governmetn’s handling of the NAFTA negotiations, accusing them of bungling them by not evaluating American demands seriously (err, you have seen how many of their demands are literal impossibilities, right?) and of ignoring a softwood deal (which officials say was never on the table), and of aligning themselves too much with Mexico when they were the targets of America’s ire. Canadian officials are none too pleased, and consider it a gift to the Trump administration.

Alex Panetta, the Canadian Press reporter who broke the story, has more commentary below.

Paul Wells offered a few thoughts of his own on the news.

https://twitter.com/inklesspw/status/924052193673543680

https://twitter.com/InklessPW/status/924052610776055808

Incidentally, the PM has also vocally disagreed with former Conservative minister James Moore’s assertion that trade talks with China are hurting our talks with the Americans.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau says that Canada recognises one independent Spain in response to Catalonian independence calls, to the chagrin of the Bloc and the NDP.
  • Morneau Shepell has come out to say that they aren’t benefitting from federal tax and pension changes. Gosh, you think? (Seriously quit with the conspiracy theories).
  • In light of recent events, there are questions being raised about the Ethics Commissioner and her role. (Note: MPs have had multiple chances to fix this.)
  • The outgoing RCMP commissioner said that renewing the relationship with the Shared Service Canada gong show would be “reckless and arguably criminal.”
  • The former ministerial representative for First Nations child welfare has blasted Charlie Angus for “lateral violence” in his criticisms of her.
  • The government and the Auditor General are at a major legal impasse over his access to Cabinet documents regarding fossil fuel subsidies.
  • CSIS is looking to have the lawsuit from five employees dismissed, but will admit that they used “inappropriate language” in “informal communications.”
  • Manitoba has come out with their climate plan, where their carbon price maxes out at $25/tonne instead of $50, and is daring the federal government to step in.
  • The Canadian Forces are temporarily halting their training operations of Kurdish and Iraqi forces as the two have begun clashing in recent weeks.
  • The new female ambassadors to Canada reflect on Canada’s new feminist foreign policy.
  • Jen Gerson digs into Alberta’s anger on the eve of the UCP leadership vote.
  • Colby Cosh notes the lessons of open prescribing data when it comes to opioid crises.

Odds and ends:

A new chief justice was appointed in PEI.

Tristin Hopper digs into the Notwithstanding Clause (but I think there are some points of analysis that he’s missed).

Here’s a look back at the life of Michael Pitfield, former Senator and Clerk of the Privy Council.

2 thoughts on “Roundup: Harper unhappy with NAFTA talks”

  1. Dale, you might want to re-read the National Post/Canadian Press story you linked to and amend your assertion that Harper wrote “an angry memo to the government” about NAFTA negotiations. In fact, as the story says, he wrote a memo to his clients, not the government, on the subject — not an unusual thing for a consultant to do, most folks would agree.

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