Roundup: Courting the tinfoil hat crowd

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Over the past few days, the Conservatives have been delving into tinfoil hat territory in their attempts to stir up panic and anger toward the UN compact on global migration, which Canada plans to sign next week in Morocco. According to the Conservatives, this non-binding political declaration will somehow erode Canadian sovereignty and be tantamount to “border erasure,” and that if you listen to the Twitter trolls picking up on Andrew Scheer and Michelle Rempel’s posts about this, it will make criticizing immigration a “hate crime.” All of which is complete and utter bullshit, and even Chris Alexander, one-time Harper-era immigration minister, calls this out as factually incorrect. And yet, the Conservatives plan to use their Supply Day today to force a vote on this very issue so that they can express performative shock and dismay when the Liberals vote it down.

https://twitter.com/robert_hiltz/status/1070071215384080389

While Justin Trudeau and Ahmed Hussen have quite rightly called the Conservatives out on this issue as repeating Rebel Media talking points, I have to see this as yet another example of Conservatives not only shamelessly lying to score points, but trying to dip their toe into extremist territory, and the belief that they can just “just enough” extremist language and talking points to try and stir up enough anger and paranoia that they think it will move their poll numbers, but no white supremacists or xenophobes please, “we believe in orderly immigration.” And of course, real life doesn’t work that way, and they wind up stirring up elements that they say they disavow, but continue to wink at because they think it’ll get some kind of benefit out of it.

The other theory raised about why the Conservatives are going full steam on this issue is because they’re trying to head off Maxime Bernier, who is also trolling on this particular bit of lunacy. Why they think this would be a good strategy, I’m not entirely sure, but it’s not as harmless as they might think it is, and that should be concerning to everyone.

Good reads:

  • At the AFN conference in Ottawa yesterday, Justin Trudeau apologised for not getting the consultations on Trans Mountain right the first time.
  • At this week’s first ministers meeting, Trudeau says the oil price “crisis” is already on the agenda, as Rachel Notley and Scott Moe made a big show about it.
  • Trudeau is also cautioning the new Quebec government to rethink their plans to curtail immigration because of labour shortages in the province.
  • The Conservatives and NDP are trying to force Trudeau to appear at the trade committee with a strategy to remove steel and aluminium tariffs. (Good luck).
  • Jody Wilson-Raybould and Bill Blair want to remind you that the mandatory alcohol screening legislation comes into force in two weeks, and it will face court challenges.
  • Unnamed security sources say the PMO redacted the NSICOP report to blame CSIS and the RCMP, but that sounds like ass-covering about ass-covering.
  • DND has budgeted $20 million this year to rejoin the NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control System that the Conservatives pulled out of.
  • In a speech, the Director of CSIS says that commercial espionage is the biggest threat to Canadian prosperity.
  • Here’s a fact check on the comments Justin Trudeau made about gender-based analysis on impacts of mostly male construction workers coming into rural areas.
  • If you hear people trying to talk about the riots in France to protest fuel taxes as some precursor to things in Canada, here’s a fact check for you.
  • DFO officials say that no North Atlantic Right Whales died in Canadian waters this year, but aren’t giving any clues as to how protective measures will change in 2019.
  • The Ethics Commissioner is concerned that Andrew Scheer’s office told Stephanie Kusie to tweet her letter to the Commissioner, which is against the rules.
  • The NDP demand that Raj Grewal disclose his gambling debts and repayments to the Ethics Commissioner.
  • Jean Chrétien says he’s moving to Montreal to be closer to family.
  • Here’s a look at the history of government involvement in Alberta’s oil and gas sector (and it’s a lot more than you may think).
  • There are suggestions that Doug Ford interfered in a hiring process for the top job at the OPP so that a family friend could get it without the necessary experience.
  • Éric Grenier delves into the by-election results from Monday night, and in particular the NDP collapse in the riding.
  • Mike Moffatt and Stewart Elgie give examples about clean tech that can grow the economy while fighting climate change.
  • In light of a recommendation in the NSICOP report on the India trip, Susan Delacourt delves into the ways in which MPs can be weak links in national security.
  • Paul Wells looks back fondly on his time in Centre Block as it prepares to close.
  • My column sorts through the blame being thrown around when it comes to the oil production cut ordered by Rachel Notley.

Odds and ends:

The last surviving Mohawk code-talker from World War II was honoured by the Assembly of First Nations and the House of Commons yesterday.

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