It wasn’t unexpected that the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion was given the green-light by the government, with assurances that there would be construction this season – but there are still details to come. More accommodations were made as part of their Indigenous consultations, and it sounds like there may be more details to be ironed out, particularly around one First Nation who is concerned about the pipeline traversing their aquifer. More than anything, however, Trudeau made it clear that any profits from this pipeline – which could be $500 million per year – would go toward clean energy projects. (It also needs to be said that Trudeau came and faced the media for this announcement – something Harper never did with Northern Gateway).

See, when you put it that way, it still sounds stupid, @AndrewScheer.

— Andrew Leach (@andrew_leach) June 18, 2019

The answer, of course, is that Stephen Harper knew that the pipeline was already under federal jurisdiction, that there is no legislative means to override s35, and he knows today that Andrew Scheer is making stuff up.

— Andrew Leach (@andrew_leach) June 18, 2019

https://twitter.com/andrew_leach/status/1141060718743048192

If @JustinTrudeau is going to talk about today's solutions and yesterday's problems, he should also acknowledge that until ~2010, market play was pipes to US mid-continent. That's why Clipper and Keystone took priority over pipes to the coast early in Harper govt time in office.

— Andrew Leach (@andrew_leach) June 18, 2019

None of this was good enough for Trudeau’s critics, however – Andrew Scheer made up a bunch of nonsense about how the government failed to get the project moving until now, Jagmeet Singh flailed about how this was contrary to climate goals, and Elizabeth May was in high dudgeon about how this made a mockery of all other climate actions (never mind the fact that oil would flow by rail without this pipeline, and this actually reduces emissions overall – crazy, but true). John Horgan promised to keep fighting the pipeline, while Jason Kenney promised to keep fighting every other environmental measure.

Oh my goodness, @AndrewScheer is pretending that somehow there was a thing that @JustinTrudeau could have done to avoid an s35 challenge to TMX by "invoking federal jurisdiction" which, spoiler, was already in place.

— Andrew Leach (@andrew_leach) June 18, 2019

Once again, @jkenney is making stuff up. In no way did the PBO find that the existing federal carbon pricing regime has no effect on emissions. They estimate what would be required over and above current policies to meet the Paris targets. #ableg

— Andrew Leach (@andrew_leach) June 18, 2019

Wait, did the NDP just say that TMX would triple bitumen production?

— Andrew Leach (@andrew_leach) June 18, 2019

NDPs and Greens talking about how they know more about the oil industry than the oil industry is a bold strategy.

— Andrew Leach (@andrew_leach) June 18, 2019

And then the hot takes – Aaron Wherry enumerates why this pipeline is the compromise that it is. Chantal Hébert doesn’t think that this approval will be the political problem that some think it will be. Jody Wilson-Raybould isn’t a fan of the approval, for what it’s worth. Don Braid waxes about how this entrenches the view of Alberta as a “resource bucket to pay for national dreams.” (Erm, isn’t that exactly what Kenney and company keep selling?)

Good reads:

• Here is a guide to what is left on the Order Paper before Parliament can rise for the summer. (Pretty sure the Senate will have to sit into July to pass it all).
• David Lametti says he will carefully consider a committee recommendation to revive the hate speech provisions of the Canadian Human Rights Act.
• The Liberals are hinting that they won’t institute a handgun ban, but would allow municipalities to impose additional restrictions.
• The government plans to reject several Senate amendments to the solitary confinement bill, which may mean the bill won’t be constitutional.
• The national security bill is now set to pass after Senate amendments were rejected, while the pot pardons bill returned from committee without amendments.
• The government rejected some of the Senate amendments to its criminal justice reform bill.
• The CRA released their report on the “tax gap,” which could be as high as $11 billion – but it also looks like media may be misreading it. (More from Kevin Milligan here).
• A Canadian soldier was killed in a parachute training accident in Bulgaria.
• The Parliamentary Budget Officer says the National Housing Strategy may not move the needle on housing need, but the government says he didn’t evaluate everything.
• Andrew Scheer is set to unveil his climate policy today, and all indications are that it’s focused on “technology” without price signals – i.e. magic.
• Conservative MP Michael Cooper is being accused of making racist remarks about “goat herder cultures” while in law school.
• Kady O’Malley tracks just what opposition motions got through during this past parliament.
• Paul Wells gives a sardonic look at the Liberals pre-butting Scheer’s climate announcement, from their own precarious perch.
• Kevin Carmichael debunks the notion that our economy is wholly dependent on oil and gas jobs – but also notes the structural weaknesses that need to be addressed.
• Chris Selley disputes the polling data pointing to a rise in anti-visible minority immigrant sentiment.
• My column looks at how successive governments have dropped the ball on vice-regal appointments, and how this government in particular has made a hash of it.

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