Roundup: On track for a final cannabis vote

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Over in the Senate, some of the drama around the cannabis bill has resolved itself and we can look forward to some structured, orderly report stage and third reading debate leading up to the June 7thfinal vote. And yes, before you say anything, the Conservative senators are playing along and have been swearing up and down that they will respect this date and not try to play any games and delay it further. (They also know that they’ve burned a hell of a lot of political capital on unnecessary fights lately and aren’t keen to burn any more).

To recap, part of the drama has been that the Conservatives still plan to move amendments at Third Reading, which is their right. But they wanted this as part of the structured plan, and the Government Leader in the Senate – err, “government representative,” Senator Peter Harder, wasn’t playing ball, and wanted the Social Affairs Committee – which funnelled all of proposed amendments from the four other committees that studied the bill and voted on them there – to have a look at those amendments first. And the Conservatives, rightfully, refused. And then members of the Independent Senators Group started giving quotes to newspapers about how they were open to real amendments and not those that were “superficial, tactical, unenforceable, or would only serve to delay this bill.” That, and throwing more shade about how they believed the Conservatives were just playing games, because the modus operandi seems to be that anything the Conservatives do is partisan and therefore bad, but anything they do out of a shared belief is not partisan and just fine, which is a lot of bunk. And some of the Independent senators are getting downright condescending in trying to make that particular case. Suffice to say, peace has broken out after the ISG got over their issues about the amendments, and they now have a plan for debate that will carry them through to the vote on the 7th.

Meanwhile, there is talk about whether the amendments to C-46 – the impaired driving bill – will survive a full vote in the Senate after the likely unconstitutional provisions around random alcohol testing. ISG “facilitator” Senator Woo is hinting that they would vote to reinstate the provisions. I will add, however, that I am not absolutely not buying their supposition that senators were trying to simply embarrass the government by returning the omnibus transport bill to the Commons a second time because it was their own Independent senators who insisted on those amendments. Sometimes senators insist on amendments because they think they’re in the right – which is a novel concept, I’m sure.

Trans Mountain fallout:

  • Rachel Notley takes to the pages of Maclean’sto praise the decision to acquire the Trans Mountain pipeline.
  • John Horgan counters with an enumeration of the risks that are still present.
  • Economist Trevor Tombe walks through the deal, and debunks some of the narratives around this (as in, it’s not socialism or a subsidy).
  • Aaron Wherry considers the political capital Trudeau expended to keep the pipeline going, lest he face worse consequences politically.
  • Chantal Hébert digs into Trudeau’s sales pitch that the pipeline is a necessary part of the broader environmental agenda.
  • Jen Gerson looks at how the decision puts a stick in the eye of some of Trudeau’s allies, but also may shatter some of the enmity that Alberta feels toward him.
  • David Moscrop looks at ways that the BC government may yet win on the issue.
  • Colby Cosh marvels at the myriad of contradictions that this purchase has engendered amongst political camps, as opportunism runs rampant.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau talked to a Bloomberg audience about playing the long game against US tax cuts and unsustainable deficits.
  • Trudeau also hinted that he wasn’t going to end the CP rail strike and hinted he might come down on the side of workers, and lo, the strike resolved hours later.
  • Bill Morneau is meeting with his G7 counterparts, and the question is becoming whether the Trump administration will derail the upcoming summit’s agenda.
  • With NAFTA talks stalling and Trump again threatening steel and aluminium tariffs, Chrystia Freeland says she’s preparing options including retaliation.
  • The government has ordered an independent review of the extradition of Hassan Diab. His supporters say it’s not enough and want a public inquiry (of course).
  • In unsurprising news, DND can’t spend money fast enough and some of its purchases to re-equip the military are being pushed beyond the next election.
  • Canada paid another $54 million to the F-35 consortium development process…just like we did when we joined the consortium. (Not actually a story, guys).
  • Canada is applying new sanctions to Venezuela now that there is more evidence of human rights abuses in that country.
  • Here is a look at the situation in Mali, and what Canadian peacekeepers will be doing once they are in the country.
  • Romeo Saganash’s UNDRIP bill passed the House of Commons.
  • Advertising and marketing professionals dissect Kathleen Wynne’s “Sorry. Not sorry” ad.
  • Kady O’Malley’s Process Nerd column looks at the kinds of antics that can breakout in Midnight Madness season, which we are now officially in.
  • Kevin Carmichael notes that while interest rates held steady yesterday, the Bank of Canada has dropped their cautionary language, meaning rates will soon rise.

Odds and ends:

Ruh-roh! Jean Chrétien ignored a letter from Nova Scotia’s lobbying commissioner regarding a meeting he had with the province’s premier.

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