The big news yesterday was that WE Charity is folding their Canadian operations – and putting a hefty share of the blame on the political situation around the whole WE Imbroglio. Never mind their pre-existing problems, convoluted structure, reported financial problems with some of their properties, problems with their board of directors and the resignations therein, and the fact that their whole modus operandi of voluntourism and White Saviour complexes turned into an existential problem for the organization – no, it’s so much easier to blame the slow-motion scandal around them that laid bare many of those pre-existing problems. (For a history of the organization, Maclean’s has a great longread here).

In response, the NDP are crowing that this means that the pre-existing problems that WE faced, exacerbated by the pandemic and the Imbroglio, just proves that the Liberals were trying to help them out all along – erm, which is a bit of a leap. The Conservatives, meanwhile, have demanded that WE still turn over all of the documents that the committee has requested (which WE’s lawyers laughed at given that the committee does not currently exist). And Liberal partisans all over social media are wailing and gnashing their teeth that this organization that did so much good was being killed by the petty partisan games of the opposition. (And, erm, they didn’t actually do that much good, and they are still carrying on their US and UK operations, as well as their for-profit arm – only the Canadian charity arm is being folded).

Meanwhile, Matt Gurney makes the very salient point that this whole situation happened because the Liberals were inept enough not to ensure that Justin Trudeau and Bill Morneau do the simplest of steps and recuse themselves from any decisions involving WE because of their personal investment in the organization and its causes. It’s possible Morneau would still have his job as he wouldn’t have made his continuation in the role untenable (thought I have previously contended that even before this all blew up, he was probably overdue to be shuffled because he wasn’t terribly suited for it), and Trudeau wouldn’t be in as precarious a situation as he is (though the cultural problem of not caring about the rules and letting the ends justify the means because they mean well would still be there) if they had simply been a little more aware of what they were doing. Alas, they weren’t, and here we are.

Good reads:

• Prime minister Justin Trudeau made an announcement about assisting Black entrepreneurship in association with major banks (who often deny needed loans).
• Trudeau continues to insist that he doesn’t want to trigger an election with his “ambitious” Throne Speech.
• Trudeau also continued to praise Julie Payette’s record as a “scientist and astronaut,” but this time said he was waiting for the review of the allegations.
• Bill Blair says he has ordered Correctional Services to turn over their data on solitary confinement to an independent panel, but that data may not actually exist.
• A Canadian Rangers reserve group currently under investigation for far-right infiltration posted that they are “watching for illegal immigrants” on their website.
• Erin O’Toole met with his caucus yesterday, and kicked it off with a speech decrying “cancel culture” and repeating his plea for people to take another look at his party.
• There are high hopes for Gérard Deltell being named Opposition House Leader.
• Derek Sloan says he has no regrets about his leadership run, and is sponsoring a petition about denying gender-affirmation surgery for transgender minors.
• Kady O’Malley’s Process Nerd column makes the plea for O’Toole to drop the term “shadow minister” in favour of “critic,” which I agree with.
• Robert Hiltz points out the complete lack of police accountability in this country.

Odds and ends:

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