Talk of reforming NSICOP into a full-fledged parliamentary committee is circulating, and it’s all just as well. While I have a full column on this coming out later today, I wanted to post this thread from professor Saideman to set some of the context for that, and to explain part of why we’re in the state we are in Canada when it comes to these things.
Twitterless Phil™ Lagassé opined about the need for a national security committee within parliament that has security clearances https://t.co/xmYfvkOmgT When I found out the Defence Committee members had none, I was flummoxed. 1/x
— Steve Saideman (@smsaideman) January 17, 2022
.@colaresi has written on this https://t.co/QGnMPdr45e
Finding this out inspired the Steve/Dave/Phil project, producing a piece that the editors changed from "Ignorant Critics vs. Informed Overseers" to this https://t.co/lZ8wuxej54
Phil's op-ed is informed by this project 3/— Steve Saideman (@smsaideman) January 17, 2022
As I interviewed the former PM about other stuff (Afghanistan) way back when but brought this up as it confused me as, well, this picture illustrates 5/ pic.twitter.com/sUZX0PuHmn
— Steve Saideman (@smsaideman) January 17, 2022
Impeachment which delayed my trips to Brazil and South Korea.
But two takehome lessons so far as we try to finish the book this year
1. Canada is very lame re oversight but does not have to be given how it is done in similar countries
2. US is a crappy basis of comparison
7/x— Steve Saideman (@smsaideman) January 17, 2022
https://twitter.com/smsaideman/status/1483076151417389057
The MPs who never are in cabinet are not given access.
Could we trust them? Sure
Do they want to be trusted? Not really. I have been told quite clearly that they would prefer to know less so that they can speak freely.— Steve Saideman (@smsaideman) January 17, 2022
Sure. But once they are out of cabinet, they don't get the flow of secrets so they don't have the problem of accidentally talking about a classified matter if they are focused on present day stuff.
It was, in my mind, a lame excuse. As Phil points out, politicians can handle it
— Steve Saideman (@smsaideman) January 17, 2022
Good reads:
- Health Canada has approved Paxlovid, an anti-viral to treat COVID infections, but it’s not a replacement for vaccination.
- Jean-Yves Duclos says that the omicron wave is too severe to drop mandatory testing for air arrivals in Canada, in spite of concerns over resources.
- Sean Fraser announced $35 million in new funding for refugee settlement services.
- Some Canadian special forces have been deployed to Ukraine.
- The government hasn’t filled the Victims of Crime ombudsman position, but they say it’s because they are waiting for the legislative review of the mandate.
- The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner ruled that Dominic Barton didn’t contravene rules when he accepted the job at Rio Tinto post-ambassadorship.
- The RCMP union says the new process to deal with harassment in the Force isn’t working because there aren’t enough independent investigators.
- China claims its omicron cases came from Canadian mail, which is risible.
- Canada’s loss at a trade dispute over its supply management practices to the US has New Zealand champing at the bit to challenge it as it relates to TPP.
- It was revealed that Alberta’s justice minister phoned up the Calgary chief of police when he got a distracted driving ticket—but says he didn’t dispute the ticket.
- Adnan Khan profiles some of the women in Afghanistan who had connections to Canada but have been unable to flee.
- Philippe Lagassé argues that NSICOP should be turned into a full-fledged parliamentary committee.
- Susan Delacourt shares her recollections of Alexa McDonough as a trailblazer for women in political leadership.
Odds and ends:
My Loonie Politics Quick Take looks at why the provinces may have a weaker hand than ever in upcoming health care talks with the federal government.
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