News came out yesterday that Canada had lined up 19 Spanish-speaking soldiers for a UN peacekeeping mission to Colombia, only for National Defence to drag their feet until the opportunity closed. With more tales like these, and others about Canada being offered leadership positions in peacekeeping operations and then turning them down repeatedly, is causing a lot of questions to be asked about just how serious we are about the promises the government made during the last election about returning to peacekeeping operations. The Chief of Defence Staff has said that there were questions about operational security, but those claims are being questioned in light of other evidence being presented. There was a very good interview on Power & Politics with Peggy Mason, president of the Rideau Institute and the former Canadian Ambassador for Disarmament, who challenged many of the points that the government and the military has made, and points to the current culture in DND, which has been out of peacekeeping game for long enough that it’s looking down on those kinds of missions. It’s worth watching if you’ve got five minutes to spare.

Good reads:

• Justin Trudeau met with Bill Nye the Science Guy to talk innovation; Nye asked him about pipelines at the end. Here are five things we learned from the discussion.
• Paul Wells sets the Trudeau-Nye conversation in the bigger picture, especially in relation to the budget.
• Sophie Grégoire Trudeau talks about the Atwal photo (at an event where people lined up to have them), and that the outfits were from Canadian designers.
• There are more tales about that reception at the Indian High Commission coming out, about uninvited guests and the gong show at the door.
• Canada is not threatening retaliation for those threatened tariffs, while talk of us being exempted so long as there’s a NAFTA deal (preferably soon) continue.
• Apparently Canada will be 66 megatonnes off of its 2030 climate targets, but Catherine McKenna says transitioning takes time and we’re only partway there.
• The MMIW Inquiry has formally asked for a two-year extension, along with another $50 million (reportedly) to finish their work properly.
• Here’s a look at how Black MPs think of the promised funds to help racialized communities in the budget. This led to an Twitter fight with Maxime Bernier.
• The agriculture and transport ministers are giving the railways until the 15^th to get their acts sorted on grain transport…or else.
• The RCMP Civilian Review and Complaints Commission is taking another look at the Force’s conduct in Colton Boushie’s death.
• Here’s a look at whether the federal government may be underestimating its share marijuana revenues.
• CRA was forced to pay over $1 million in damages to a couple after they engaged in malicious prosecution.
• Neil MacDonald has some theories about why Jaspal Atwal is not on the No Fly List, and why he got is Indian visas.
• My column looks at a new Senate bill that aims to force the government to keep their promises on borrowing bills, given that the weaselled out of it.

Odds and ends:

Maclean’s has a new lengthy profile of Jason Kenney.