The Parliamentary Budget Officer came out with a report yesterday on the proposed tax changes around passive income, and all of the headlines screamed that they could net the federal government $6 billion. “Oh, but it’s not a cash grab,” opposition MPs said sarcastically in return, including during QP yesterday. The problem, of course, is that if they read, that $6 billion would be over two decades, and more importantly, that the PBO confirmed that three percent of personal corporation holders generate some 90 percent of passive income, which confirms that the point of the measures is to target those who incorporate for the sole purpose of investing and taking advantage of the lower rates as a part of that.

To help walk us through the report and its findings, here are Kevin Milligan and Lindsay Tedds:

https://twitter.com/kevinmilligan/status/933767027197489153

https://twitter.com/kevinmilligan/status/933767712110665739

https://twitter.com/kevinmilligan/status/933768738125496320

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/933759825908862976

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/933768090956865536

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/933768788289261569

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/933769480106270720

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/933774830062542848

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/933775388295053312

Good reads:

• At an appearance at a mall in Scarborough on Wednesday, Trudeau was forced to escape after crowds got unruly, but it may not all have been adulation.
• At a speech in Charlottetown, Trudeau talked about income inequality and tax evasion. Later, he warned against economic migrants claiming refugee status.
• At the Governor Generals History Awards, Her Excellency Julie Payette took on conspiracy theories like how the moon landing was faked.
• Here is the latest Paradise Papers story on Stephen Bronfman that the opposition focused on in QP, and it still seems like a bit of a reach.
• Ralph Goodale says that he would be happy to “offer encouragement” to telecom companies to help plug SS7 vulnerabilities.
• Here’s a breakdown of the nationalities of irregular border crossers. The government says the Americans will be more cooperative in warning them now.
• Here’s an attempt a deciphering what the government means by its declaration that housing rights are human rights, as well as the potential impacts of the plan.
• Here’s a check-in on the state of different trade negotiations the government is engaged in.
• As many as 1100 women have begun the process of opening sexual harassment or discrimination complaints against the RCMP.
• Marie-Claude Bibeau is cautiously optimistic about a deal between Myanmar and Bangladesh about returning at least some Rohingya refugees.
• The Speaker of the Commons will allow a secret ballot vote on whether to make an NDP Private Member’s Bill voteable after a committee deemed it not to be.
• A study out of Carleton university says that Alberta could reduce their methane emissions over the next decade for a minimal cost.
• The rumour is that the rector of Université de Moncton will be nominated as the new Language Commissioner.
• MPs are deciding what thresholds to set for inclusion in leaders debates in the creation of a commission to manage them.
• After much outcry, that rink on Parliament Hill will now stay open until the end of February.
• Craig Forcese offers his thoughts about the number and the classification of these “extremist travellers” for some added context. (See Stephanie Carvin thread below)
• Robert Hiltz and Supriya Dwivedi each take on the Laurier University academic freedom/free speech issue, and how selective the outrage can be.
• Colby Cosh takes note of recent data that shows fairly wild provincial discrepancies when it comes to prescribing opioids.

Odds and ends:

Maryam Monsef still hasn’t received her updated citizenship documents, but I’m not sure why this is an Issue.

A Calgary radio reporter has mastered the Justin Trudeau impersonation.

The CBC put out a story that screamed about the federal government not tracking the “interventions” with returning ISIS fighters. Here’s Stephanie Carvin to dispute the article and the way it tackled the issue.

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/933811681909788677

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/933812119816015872

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/933812947729682432

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/933813557266927617

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/933815555211059201