Roundup: Home for the summer

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It is day one-hundred-and-twenty-one of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and still no news out of Severodonetsk, but there is additional bombardment of the area including air strikes. The big news, however, was that the EU has granted the request to make Ukraine a candidate for membership—itself a years-long process that will require great reforms, most especially Ukraine cracking down on its problem of government corruption—but more than anything, this is a symbolic victory. It signals that Ukraine is moving more to the west, and away from Russia, and that further undermines Putin’s aims.

Closer to home, both the House of Commons and the Senate have risen for the summer, the latter being a problem because it was supposed to sit next week and they rammed through a bunch of legislation with little or no debate or scrutiny in order to make it happen. Below is a speech by Senator Paula Simons about one of those bills being expedited, and why that’s a problem (and you’d better believe I have an angry column about this coming out over the weekend).

Meanwhile, Aaron Wherry had an interview with the Commons’ Speaker, Anthony Rota, and frankly I wonder if we’re living in the same reality. Rota seems to think that his method of gentle chiding of MPs gets results, and that they change their behaviours when he hints that he knows who’s being disruptive (but won’t actually name and shame them). Except he doesn’t get results, and they continue to openly flout the rules, because they know that he’ll belatedly make some gentle comment that won’t actually do anything to enforce the rules that they broke, so it keeps happening again and again. But he thinks this is a good way, because things aren’t as bad as they were in the pre-2015 days before the Liberals largely stopped applauding and being as vociferous in their heckles. He’s not doing his job, plain and simple.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau says he has confidence in Commissioner Lucki, and that the government had questions after the Nova Scotia mass-shooting, but didn’t interfere.
  • Trudeau also announced $250 million in new funds for the World Food Programme, and made sure people know that any food shortages are because of Russia.
  • The government tabled a bill to introduce a national council to oversee progress being made toward reconciliation with Indigenous people.
  • The bill on extreme intoxication was rammed through both Chambers yesterday with virtually no debate or scrutiny. Why have Parliament at all? Come on, guys.
  • The union representing passport workers says they sounded the alarm about the rising number of cases a year ago but got little response.
  • Here is a look at whether releasing information on firearms in a shooting could jeopardise a police investigation. (Spoiler: Not really).
  • A CMHC report says that Canada needs to build an additional 3.5 million homes on top of the million already pledged in order to achieve affordability. Yikes!
  • Another report shows that the Chinese government may have sown disinformation during the election, but there is no proof it changed any outcomes.
  • Pakistan is granting safe passage to Afghans, which will make it easier for more of them to head to Canada.
  • Here is the transcript of an interview with AFN national chief RoseAnne Archibald on the situation in the organisation, and why her suspension isn’t valid.
  • MPs voted to extend hybrid sittings for a year, and I can’t even. The absolute immorality of such a decision given the human toll is galling.
  • Former Liberal MP Raj Grewal allegedly invited lenders who were paying his gambling debts to a reception with the prime minister in New Delhi.
  • CTV obtained a list of which Conservative MPs attended the event with the occupation organisers on the Hill (and one of the names surprised me).
  • The Brown and Charest campaigns want the membership lists released so that they can determine how many duplicate memberships were sold.
  • Michelle Rempel Garner won’t run for the UCP leadership, citing the party being a gong show. Some federal Conservatives are trying to oust her using the Reform Act.
  • Matt Gurney tests for himself the lines at the passport office in Toronto, and it’s not great (but could be worse).
  • Heather Scoffield explores the notions of fuel tax cuts at a time of high prices and inflation (but doesn’t quite go forcefully enough on the downsides).

Odds and ends:

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2 thoughts on “Roundup: Home for the summer”

  1. “Another report shows that the Chinese government may have sown disinformation during the election, but there is no proof it changed any outcomes.”

    If I am reading that article correctly a Global Times article started the equivalent of a twitter storm. Big deal. We probably do the same to China daily.

  2. Ukraine in the EU? Hilarious. A PR victory. It was given candidate status and it make take years to gain full membership. That is if it undertakes out “reforms” -replacing it’s own corrupt homegrown oligarchs with corrupt EU approved oligarchs. Fat chance of that happening.

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