Roundup: Scheer’s British adventure

Posted on by

Conservative leader Andrew Scheer is off to London to talk about a possible future free trade deal with a post-Brexit UK if he were to become prime minister. Which is odd, because the current government has already said back in September that they will lay the groundwork for this very kind of free trade deal once the path to do so is clear, and it won’t be clear until after Brexit happens because the UK literally can’t negotiate until then. (They also may not be able to afterward by the sheer fact that they don’t actually have any negotiators in their civil service, as they’ve all been working for the EU parliament since the 1970s). It’s an open question as to just how appropriate it is for Scheer to go over there to talk trade – even the hypothetical possibility thereof – given both his position and that of the UK government at present.

A couple of  other observations:

  1. Scheer’s people are trying to sell this as “relationship building,” right after they derided a trip by Trudeau doing the very same kind of work in India as a trip without substance and being dubbed a “family vacation” with a few meetings tacked on. (Oh, look – yet more disingenuous and mendacious framing. How novel).
  2. Said people are also trying to bill this as taking advantage of “generational change” as the UK gains “independence,” and as a new market for Canada to enter into in the age of a protectionist United States. Err, except the UK market is pretty small, and in no way could actually replace what the US market is for us.
  3. The Canadian Press story makes no mention that Scheer was a Brexit supporter at the time of the referendum, and it’s likely not a stretch of the imagination to see Scheer going there to try and lend succour to Brexiters in the midst of very live political debates, to assure them that they have Canadian allies should he become prime minister in a few years (and indeed, the fact that Scheer has used phrases like “independence” in relation to Brexit is telling). And again, the appropriateness of this becomes an open question.

Good reads:

  • The seventh round of NAFTA talks concluded with a little more progress, but not enough in the face of looming political deadlines.
  • Donald Trump is also using the steel and aluminium tariffs as a threat for NAFTA leverage. Trudeau called Trump last night to discuss the issue.
  • Here’s a more in-depth look at India’s chickpea tariffs, and why they don’t affect Canada much (and why they’re not Trudeau’s fault).
  • The Federal Court has agreed to expedite its hearing on the constitutionality of the “attestation” that the government wants signed for summer jobs grants.
  • Colten Boushie’s uncle says that federal MPs from Saskatchewan aren’t doing enough to address the tensions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
  • Liberal MP Greg Fergus is pushing the government to deal with pardons for people previously convicted of marijuana possession.
  • The budget promised some kind of parental leave for MPs, but didn’t spell out how long or any other circumstances around it.
  • The trial of an ISIS recruiter has been delayed indefinitely because CSIS and the RCMP wouldn’t disclose evidence needed by defence counsel.
  • Oh, look – another glitch with the Phoenix pay system that means employees can’t get their pay stubs. Wheeeee!
  • National Defence is trying to get Seaspan yards in Vancouver to start cutting steel on the new Joint Supply Ships in advance of them actually getting built.
  • Jason Kenney threatens unconstitutional action with federally regulated pipelines to protest BC’s threats of blocking federally regulated pipelines (if he was premier).
  • Former senior Finance officials give the budget a high rating, especially for policies that are realistic, prudent, and transparent.
  • Kady O’Malley’s Process Nerd column looks at what MPs can do in the event a trade war breaks out. (Spoiler: Not much other than a take-note debate or two).
  • Chantal Hébert says that Jagmeet Singh’s appearance on Tout le monde en parle may have redeemed him for the Quebec voting public.
  • Andrew Coyne makes the case for keeping our powder dry and not retaliating immediately in the event that those steel and aluminium tariffs get levied.

Odds and ends:

In this week’s Law Times, I have a look at how corporate governance lawyers are preparing their clients to deal with #MeToo revelations by senior management.