Roundup: Performative anxiety over the pipeline bill

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There’s a bit of performative wailing and gnashing of teeth emanating from the Senate, as the nonsense bill from Conservative-turned-Independent Senator Doug Black about declaring the Trans Mountain pipeline in the national interest passed earlier this week, and they have no indication whether it will be passed by the Commons in short order. After all, there are only some eight days until Kinder Morgan’s “deadline” comes to pass, and under the politician’s syllogism, something must be done and this is something, therefore we must do this. Never mind that as a bill, it’s constitutional nonsense because the preamble invokes Section 92(10)(c) of the Constitution Act 1867, and the project is already federal jurisdiction because it crosses a provincial boundary; invoking the section would imply that it is provincial jurisdiction (it’s not), or that it would perversely declare a federal issue to be provincial for the sake of declaring it federal again (which sets up a really terrible precedent for the future). The bigger problem is that it’s a Senate public bill, which means that when it gets to the Commons, it needs a sponsor (not a difficult get for Black in this case), and then it goes into the queue of private members’ business. It could be weeks before that refreshes and it earns a slot for debate, which will be well past the artificial deadline from Kinder Morgan. This despite the fact that the bill should be defeated because it’s constitutional nonsense. And the Conservative senators who are currently complaining that they have no indication if the government will pass the bill immediately know better – there isn’t a mechanism for them to do so, barring a motion to pass it at all stages once it’s on the Order Paper. Which it’s not. But hey, facts have never stopped anyone from making a big show of something like this before, so why start now?

In other pipeline news, no other company has publicly declared that they are willing to take over the Trans Mountain pipeline if Kinder Morgan backs out (but I’m not sure why they would say so at this point, because I’m sure it would drive up the price if they sounded eager). Jagmeet Singh has firmly put himself in BC’s camp on the issue, earning the rebuke of Rachel Notley – and the fact that he hasn’t bothered to even call her has Notley questioning his maturity. That western premiers meeting that Notley sent her deputy premier to instead happened, and said deputy didn’t sign onto the final communiqué because it wouldn’t show support for Trans Mountain, while BC premier John Horgan talks out of both sides of his mouth, demanding that the expansion be halted while demanding the existing pipeline continue to carry fuel for BC, and insisting that the two are very separate issues.

Meanwhile, as Alberta turns into a single-issue province, I continue to be amazed at the hyperbole being expressed on this issue. One pipeline advocate yesterday referred to BC as a “rogue state.” Guys. Seriously? The most BC has done is hold a press conference and file a court reference that they are likely to lose. This drama queen routine is getting a little embarrassing.

Good reads:

  • The government has blocked the sale of construction giant Aecon to a Chinese firm citing national security reasons.
  • Donald Trump says that Canada is “spoiled” and won’t negotiate fairly. Chrystia Freeland is very diplomatic in response.
  • Freeland also announced aid for Rohingya refugees, but the dollar amount is less than Bob Rae called for in his report on the situation.
  • The text for the TPP agreement has been tabled, but there’s no indication when enabling legislation will be tabled. (My guess would be in the fall).
  • Here’s some reaction to the proposed changes to the Divorce Act.
  • The opposition is demanding to know why the first choice for the new Chief Electoral Officer had his name withdrawn from the running.
  • The elections bill is off to committee, but that hasn’t stopped people from wailing that the extraordinarily long second reading debate was “too short.”
  • A former soldier says he witnessed Agent Orange stockpiles being buried at CFB Gagetown.
  • Here’s a long read about Kathleen Wynne and the animosity people feel toward her.
  • Andrew Coyne is unimpressed that the debate over the elections bill tends to neglect the more fundamental questions about how these changes affect democracy.

Odds and ends:

Patrick Brown took to the op-ed pages of the Starto defend the state of the party under his leadership, and didn’t actually refute the specific problems identified.

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