Roundup: Royal tour, day one

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It is now approximately day eighty-four of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and we have some confirmation now that the fighting in Mariupol is at an end. Both sides are claiming victory—Russia claiming it is a mass surrender, Ukraine stating that the garrison achieved their objectives, and in particular, they tied up Russian forces that couldn’t be deployed elsewhere, as those forces have been pushed back, as far as the border in some cases. There is now a negotiated withdrawal taking place, and prisoner swaps may be in the works, so we’ll see how this plays out.

Elsewhere, it sounds like today is the day that Sweden and Finland both make their applications to NATO, and while Turkey is still being sour about it, but we’ll see what particular concessions they try to extract before their membership is accepted.

Closer to home, it was the first day of Charles and Camilla’s royal tour, starting in Newfoundland and Labrador. They visited the provincial legislature, the lieutenant governor’s residence, and the village of Quidi Vidi, as well as met with residential school survivors. Prince Charles did talk about the need for reconciliation in his speech, and that is going to be one of the themes of the tour.

https://twitter.com/ClarenceHouse/status/1526656706914271233

https://twitter.com/ClarenceHouse/status/1526657592495423490

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau has criticised Soccer Canada’s decision to invite Iran’s soccer team to a friendly in Vancouver.
  • Pablo Rodriguez is promising that the CRTC will be modernised if their bills on expanding broadcasting regulations to the online space goes ahead.
  • The government introduced a bill in the Senate that will close loopholes to ensure that Russians facing sanctions are actually barred from entering the country.
  • More dairy disputes between Canada and the US, part elevety-five.
  • Airport authorities are blaming ongoing public health measures for delays (instead of things like scheduling bottlenecks and understaffing).
  • The interim Ottawa police chief says he was involved in conversations about invoking the Emergencies Act but didn’t make a direct request.
  • Monarchists are (rightly) criticising this government for its lacklustre and embarrassing Platinum Jubilee plans, as they did the absolute bare minimum.
  • Pierre Poilievre’s disclosure documents show that he has been investing in crypto (and that the vehicle he uses has lost 40 percent of its value).
  • Green Party interim leader Amita Kuttner wants the federal government to develop an anti-transgender hate strategy.
  • Today’s the day that Jason Kenney’s leadership review numbers get revealed.
  • Jason Markusoff looks at how Jason Kenney’s base is not only angry about COVID, but also that he didn’t deliver in his “fair deal” rhetoric (which was always bullshit).
  • My column explains why the Queen cannot apologise for residential schools (or anything else), as it would crumble our entire constitutional order.

Odds and ends:

Here is an explainer on the Howitzers we are sending to Ukraine.

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