Roundup: Senate debate continues on emergency orders

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The Senate spent the day debating the emergency orders, but did not reach a vote by end of day. (This doesn’t really meet the Act’s requirement that the order be debated “without interruption” either, much as the House of Commons’ Speaker made a bad ruling around statutory interpretation). We heard many of the same concerns from Conservative senators as from their Commons counterparts, and a lot of questions as to why the orders are still needed if the occupation in Ottawa and the border blockades are over, plus questions about the special committee of MPs and senators that the statute demands, and the fact that while they are probably going to be sworn to secrecy, it won’t have them sworn in like they would be for NSICOP, so they likely won’t get particularly sensitive intelligence. That committee was still being negotiated between the party leaders in the Commons and Senate caucus leaders last I heard, but is likely waiting for the Senate to confirm the emergency orders, before it can be established, and at this pace, the orders may be lifted by the time we get there. It is worth noting that the Government Leader in the Senate, Senator Marc Gold, spent some five hours answering questions from other senators, like he should be in this kind of a situation. It’s just too bad he’s not a member of Cabinet like he should be, because this is the kind of situation where that really matters.

Elsewhere, the Commons’ Finance committee heard from department officials about the freezing of the bank accounts of occupation organizers and some of its participants. It was reiterated once again that they did not have donor lists, the RCMP did not turn any over to banks, and that with the occupation ended, the RCMP was working with the banks to “unfreeze” those accounts, given that the whole point was to make it uncomfortable or difficult for them to remain. So what of the fictional “Briane” and other supposedly small-time donors for whom it is claimed that they had their accounts frozen? That it’s “very unlikely” they would be, given the data the banks are working with. Not that this has stopped the continued insistence that accounts are being seized (untrue) or frozen retroactively (also not true), not only from Conservative MPs, but also some talking heads and columnists acting credulously echoing these made-up allegations, because they are sold on the narrative that Trudeau wants to punish dissenters.

In the meantime, Rideau Hall to go to the extraordinary step of putting out a release to tell people to quit contacting them because they don’t have anything to do with a declaration of non-confidence in the government, despite what a disinformation meme going around social media claims as it encourages people to call them and demand a non-confidence vote. (Seriously, guys—only MPs can vote non-confidence). And to add to that, DND was flooded with calls demanding military protection to the occupiers from police, under the lunatic notion that they were part of some covert United Nations invasion force—because remember, this occupation was packed to the gills with conspiracy theorists. And going around social media were claims that the Sûreté du Québec officers (the provincial police force) were “proof” of New World Order forces because they had different uniforms and “didn’t speak English.” These occupiers are so credulous about such absolute nonsense, but refuse to believe in science, vaccines, civics, or democracy. It’s enough to make one despair about where we are headed as a society, especially as we have a political party that is desperate to earn their favour.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau announced new sanctions on Russia and more Canadians being sent to Latvia, for Russia’s actions with the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine.
  • Trudeau also reiterated that they are continuing to evaluate the continued need for emergency measures, based on input from law enforcement.
  • The OPP are monitoring as many as four encampments outside of the city where occupiers are currently biding their time and waiting for barricades to come down.
  • Occupation organizer and grifter Tamara Lich was denied bail, while fellow organizer Pat King’s bail decision has been put off until Friday.
  • Requests for crypto wallet companies to freeze assets for the occupiers is being called impossible, though crypto exchanges can hold funds from being converted.
  • The Conservatives have ended their boycott of NSICOP now that Candice Bergen is in charge, and she has put forward two names for members.
  • It looks like both Leslyn Lewis and Jean Charest are mulling a run at the leadership of the Conservatives.
  • Joanne Chianello breaks down the lack of trust and toxic culture in Ottawa City Hall that led to last week’s spectacular meltdown in the middle of a crisis.
  • Heather Scoffield worries about the erosion in public trust as partisan games are being played around the emergency order debates (and yet doesn’t call out the lies).
  • My column looks at the “debate” we saw on the emergency orders in the House of Commons, and laments that it is debasing Parliament by its lack of gravity.

Odds and ends:

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