Roundup: Saudi oil and AG reports

Posted on by

While the issue of Saudi Arabia continues to make headlines, Chrystia Freeland insisted that she doesn’t consider the case closed and more sanctions are being contemplated. She also said in QP yesterday that no future export permits will be granted to the kingdom (in reference to the LAVs we’ve been selling to them).

Of course, when I tweeted this, my reply column filled up with a bunch of indignant people who demanded to know when we would stop buying Saudi oil and use Alberta oil in Eastern Canada instead. Let me assure you that it’s never going to happen. If we don’t buy Saudi oil, it won’t impact their bottom line in the slightest. The amount we import from them is a rounding error on their books. Add to that, Energy East was never about domestic supply – it was about export via the long route. If by some miracle, a future Andrew Scheer government not only built said pipeline and they demanded that Eastern Canada start using Alberta oil, he would essentially be demanding that Alberta take a $10/barrel discount on that oil, because economics. I seem to recall a former prime minister who remains demonised in Alberta to this day because he wanted to ensure domestic supply, which would mean Alberta got a lower price for their barrels. Why would Scheer want to repeat that very same policy, but wrapped in an “ethical oil” cloak?

Auditor General’s report

Yesterday was the fall report of the Auditor General, and there were reports on:

  • The fighter jet procurement programme got a spanking, and particular attention was paid to the retention problems around pilots and mechanics.
  • Security at many of our embassies is falling behind; the government blames the Harper era for lack of investment.
  • The military isn’t stamping out harassment as quickly as it should because there is no coordination in its programmes, resulting in a number of gaps.
  • There is a lack of both a strategy and budget for rural Internet connectivity.
  • CRA gives people inconsistent treatment, and where you live can determine how friendly your local regional tax office is.
  • Inmates eligible for parole are being kept in prison for longer than necessary because of a lack of halfway houses and parole officers.
  • The lack of coordination between departments means the government may not even know which historic buildings they own.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau signalled his intention to confront Doug Ford about the cuts to the French language services ombudsman and the planned francophone university.
  • The government has pretty much lost patience with the Canada Post dispute and has put notice on the Order Paper that they’re ready to legislate a resolution.
  • The settlement with women in the RCMP who were harassed on the job will cost the government more than they initially planned for.
  • The RCMP have also tightened their rules about what goes on their website after misleading information about gun control legislation was posted.
  • Health Canada is doing a review of their anti-smoking programmes, as smoking rates have started to increase again.
  • Pilots charged with DUIs have the RCAF wondering if it has a bigger problem with drinking in its ranks.
  • The government has stepped in to stop a Putin critic from being deported to Russia.
  • Parliamentary security is getting a budget boost and police-grade vehicles, as their labour dispute rolls along.
  • Rt. Hon. David Johnston has released a report detailing his post-retirement spending that he draws on the public fund for.
  • Bill Blair has criticized Conservative MP Rachael Harder for a “Guns and Guinness” fundraiser with a teenaged guest speaker.
  • Andrew Scheer unveiled his tautological plan to combat illegal guns which will “target criminals.” Apparently nobody has tried that?
  • The NDP want the Ethics Commissioner to look into absent Liberal MP Nicola Di Iorio’s extended swan song. (Not sure that’s in his remit).
  • BC’s Clerk of the Legislature and their Sergeant-at-Arms were removed by police yesterday, and a criminal investigation is ongoing, but nobody will say over what.
  • Doug Ford says he doesn’t want to be prime minister (yet he continues to attack Justin Trudeau on a daily basis).
  • Here is another explainer of the Alberta oil price differential and its potential economic effects.
  • Economist Kevin Milligan offers ideas on how to make corporate tax reform more progressive (with a bonus thread here).
  • My column digs into the intractable problem of Alberta’s oil price differential, why it’s a problem that’s decades in the making and will take years to solve.

Want more Routine Proceedings? Become a patron and get exclusive new content.