Roundup: Undermining the central bank to score points

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It is now approximately day sixty-one of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and after saying that they would blockade the remaining Ukrainians trapped in Mariupol, the Russians have instead tried to storm the steel plant where they are holed up. As well, over Orthodox Easter weekend, they have shelled residential areas of Kharkiv, and fired missiles at Odessa, so that’s concerning. As well, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a meeting with two US cabinet members, where Zelenskyy is expecting more arms and security guarantees.

https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1518192560816201728

Closer to home, as the narratives around inflation get more ridiculous the longer they go unchallenged, remember that this both undermines the ability of the Central Bank to do its work, and ultimately it undermines its independence because they have to fight political narratives about them without actually fighting them, which is a hell of a thing to try to do.

And the longer the nonsense goes unchallenged, and my media colleagues try to be cute about “heehee, everyone is a little bit right!” as they both-sides the nonsense, the closer I’m getting to this particular Effin’ bird:

Good reads:

  • Mélanie Joly says that the use of sexual violence by Russians in Ukraine isn’t getting the attention that it needs to.
  • The Star delves into the decision to approve Bay du Nord, and how this has turned Steven Guilbeault from an activist into a pragmatist.
  • While governments point the finger at foreign speculation in the housing market, the truth is that domestic speculation is just as big of a problem, if not more so.
  • CSE is having a hard time recruiting new codebreakers, given how tight the labour market is and how exacting their security requirements are.
  • Experts say that the pandemic has proven that we’re completely unprepared in the event of a biological weapon being used. No kidding.
  • Documents show the government consulting on how to better protect the country from economic security threats.
  • Here’s a look at how Indigenous traditional knowledge is being used to help reintroduce bison to Banff national park.
  • Senator Ratna Omidvar wants her bill on seizing Russian assets fast-tracked (though the problem is our lack of expertise in pursuing financial crimes like these).
  • The Ontario Office of the Independent Police Review Director deemed most of the complaints about the Ottawa police in the occupation to be not worth investigating.
  • Heather Scoffield draws connections between the distrust around the freezing of accounts under the Emergencies Act and Poilievre’s discourse around inflation.
  • Supriya Dwivedi calls out the falsehoods around the “truck tax” as more of the ongoing attempt to erode the norms of political discourse, and the effects that has.
  • Chantal Hébert sees some parallels between Poilievre’s leadership campaign and that of Justin Trudeau, but also cautions about expectations based on crowds.

Odds and ends:

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