Concern for civic literacy in this country took another blow as numerous media outlets started reporting that prime minister Justin Trudeau was meeting with Governor General Julie Payette to “signal his intention to form government.” They took this obviously wrong line directly from the PMO press release, but let me reiterate that it is wrong. Worse, Power & Politics said that Trudeau went to Payette to ask permission to form a government, which is so wrong that it should make the walls bleed with anguish. Payette doesn’t give permission. Trudeau is already the prime minister and the election doesn’t change that. Government doesn’t change – it merely carries over into a new parliament. What Trudeau was really doing was meeting about his intentions for the upcoming parliament, including when he would like her to summon it – but this was not actually or accurately communicated to Canadians. And true, he could have theatrically resigned and got sworn in again, but that would be both counterproductive and dumb, but again, this is the language that we’re using to describe this routine bit of government business.

Shortly thereafter was news that Trudeau had tapped Canadian ambassador to France, Isabel Hudon, and Anne McLellan, for his “transition” to his “second term,” at which point my head exploded because there is nothing to transition, and we don’t have “terms” in Canada. He may be shuffling his Cabinet, and there may be shakeups in PMO or in their Machinery of Government shop, but it’s the same ministry. There is nothing to actually transition to or from. It’s just a Cabinet shuffle. And again, this was not accurately communicated nor explained to Canadians.

There are clear concepts in Westminster parliaments that are not being accurately described, either by the hapless fools in Trudeau’s PMO, or by any of the media bureaux, who should know better. We are inundated with Americana politically, and there are so many people – both politicians and journalists – who want to playact American politics in Canada because it’s “fun” or “sexy,” when we’re a different country with a very different system, and “borrowing” terms or concepts (or in the case of the NDP, entire election planks that don’t make sense) that don’t actually translate here don’t help anyone. Instead, they create confusion that bad actors exploit to their own purposes, who know that they won’t be corrected when they deliberately misconstrue things. This is a problem, and would that our media outlets could see that this is a problem that they have the power to fix – but they don’t, and here we are. Do better, everyone. Seriously.

Good reads:

• Ninety-eight newly elected MPs showed up in Ottawa yesterday for their first day of orientation, where they will learn some of the rudiments of their new job.
• After a few days’ wait, Canada has joined the call for new elections in Bolivia.
• Saudi Arabia is apparently late in paying some $3.4 billion for that LAV contract.
• Trans Mountain has added some 2200 positions over the last month as they begin construction on the expansion pipeline.
• At least one Conservative senator wants to re-litigate the Mark Norman settlement when Parliament returns.
• The Star interviewed some of the newbies on their first day of orientation.
• Here are eight MPs who are making their comeback after having been defeated in 2015, but reclaimed seats this election.
• The NDP and Bloc are asking for recounts in three ridings with close results.
• As top Conservatives are in town for two days of post mortem meetings, Andrew Scheer hopes for a “clear mandate” from delegates at his leadership review in April.
• The Conservatives tweeted out greetings for a Sikh holiday, but used a wrong image, then took forty-eight hours to delete in, raising questions about their processes.
• Alexis Brunell-Duceppe, son of Gilles Duceppe and brand new MP, spoke about his desire to chart a different political style than his father.
• Quebec raised the legal age for cannabis and banned certain edibles – because this is how you try to beat the black market.
• Alberta is imposing a new carbon price on large emitters in the hopes of not being subjected to the federal output-based system (but the general price is still coming).
• Kevin Carmichael previews today’s Bank of Canada rate decision, and notes that the danger of lower rates are the high levels of indebtedness in Canadian households.
• Matt Gurney suggests that the electoral map of the GTA’s losses for the Conservatives may be what seals Scheer’s fate as leader.
• Max Fawcett rips the Alberta budget for the choices that undercut any attempt at diversification in favour of trying to recapture an bygone era that isn’t coming back.
• My column looks at what André Pratte’s resignation from the Senate signals regarding how the Independent senators view their roles.

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