Roundup: The painful French debate

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It is now on or about day ninety-two of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the twin cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk are becoming pivotal battlefields that Russian forces are trying to encircle. Russian missiles also struck the city of Pokrovsk, as part of the offensive in the Donbas region. Russia, meanwhile, is trying to accelerate their granting citizenship to people in captured areas, in order to somehow legitimise their occupation of the territories. Russia also has allegedly offered to open up Black Sea access so that Ukrainian grain can flow to the world market and avoid a food crisis—but only if the West lifts sanctions on Russia. So weaponizing food security is not above Putin’s regime.

Meanwhile, Swedish and Finnish diplomats are in Ankara, Turkey, to discuss NATO membership, and to assuage Turkey’s concerns about their perceived support for Kurdish groups that Turkey considers to be terrorists. Sweden has denied providing financial or military support for these groups.

Closer to home, it was the French debate in the Conservative leadership race last night, and it was…challenging to watch. Most of the French was not good, and they largely read prepared statements with halting and rehearsed attack lines against one another, which was not cute. Most of the night was spent with Pierre Poilievre, Patrick Brown, and Jean Charest going at one another, while Scott Aitchison, whose French was better than he let on, stayed out of the fray, and Roman Baber and Leslyn Lewis struggled to be even coherent (not that Baber is coherent at the best of times in English, considering that he’s an utter moron). The topic of inflation was painful because they kept insisting on policies that would fuel inflation and denouncing policies that would tame it, because of course they would, and there was an attempt to corner Poilievre on Law 21 and religious symbols, as he has been saying different things in English and French. As expected, Charest mopped the floor with his competitor on French ability alone, but his closing remarks, exhorting party members to reject Americanised politics, may simply go over like a lead balloon in a party base who thinks that Poilievre is their guy because he’s pugilistic and wants to fight like this was American talk radio. None of it leaves much room for optimism as to the direction of the party.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau cancelled an appearance in BC after the RCMP warned him it could escalate, as the mob outside included people carrying a noose. Seriously.
  • Steven Guilbeault says that there can be improvements made to the emergency alerts system when it comes to extreme weather.
  • David Lametti spelled out that the federal government will join any challenge to Quebec’s Law 21 when it reaches the Supreme Court of Canada.
  • Former military members are telling Justice Arbour that the senior brass treats sexual misconduct allegations as bad PR to be managed rather than a legit problem.
  • The military’s former head of personnel (nicknamed “Mulligan Man” for getting away with misconduct) will face trial for sexual assault and indecent acts next year.
  • Women’s groups are unhappy with the proposed “red flag” provisions in the gun control bill, as it downloads responsibility to potential victims.
  • Quebec has tabled a bill to extend medically-assisted dying to those with Alzheimer’s,  so that they can consent to death before they are incapable.
  • Kady O’Malley’s Process Nerd column divines the pre-summer legislative blitz as the government tries to pass several bills in the next four weeks.
  • Aaron Wherry tries to unravel who was providing the advice to government on the invocation of the Emergencies Act.
  • Heather Scoffield explains the rise of “friend-shoring” our supply chains, and how this kind of a system benefits Canada.
  • Susan Delacourt worries that Poilievre will start attacking the integrity of the electoral system, because it’s part of the playbook he’s following.
  • Althia Raj gives her take on the French debate, the focus on Law 21, and how the Liberals inadvertently threw a lifeline to Poilievre.

Odds and ends:

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