We are on day one-hundred-and-thirty-three of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the governor of Donetsk province is urging some 350,000 residents to evacuate in order to both save lives and make it easier for the Ukrainian army to repel Russian advances. This being said, the Russians have been using up so many personnel and equipment on this advance that they may be forced to stall later in the summer, though they still have abundant resources that the Ukrainians don’t have at this point. Meanwhile, here is a look at Ukrainians struggling in towns and villages outside of Kyiv, as their homes have been bombed out and they don’t know when they might get new ones.
1 – At the #URC2022 in Lugano, #Switzerland, Parliamentary Secretary Rob Oliphant reiterated Canada’s commitment to help rebuild a strong, resilient and prosperous Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/MKzDhQwGfM
— Foreign Policy CAN (@CanadaFP) July 4, 2022
Closer to home, the Conservative Party’s Leadership Election Organising Committee has taken the decision to disqualify Patrick Brown on the basis of “serious allegations of wrongdoing,” and that they are planning on turning the file over to the Commissioner of Elections. Brown’s campaign responded a short time later saying this is all based on anonymous allegations they haven’t been able to respond to, and that their lawyers are now involved. So, it’s going well. Nevertheless, it’s one more reminder of just how bastardised this whole process is because our parties keep trying to ape American presidential primaries, while filling their coffers and databases rather than worrying about things like accountability, or parliamentary leadership. These races are a mockery of our system, and we really, really need to return to a system of caucus selection of leadership, so that MPs are empowered, leaders are held to account, and that the party isn’t just a hollow vehicle for a personality cult.
Statement from the Brown campaign. pic.twitter.com/gzgpu1yeuB
— Chisholm Pothier (@chisholmp) July 6, 2022
https://twitter.com/acoyne/status/1544519706127831041
The LEOC source tells me that the party will follow the same process they did in 2017 when Kevin O'Leary pulled out late in the game — they'll only count the second, third, fourth, etc. choices of the people who put Brown first.
— J.P. Tasker (@JPTasker) July 6, 2022
The LEOC source tells me there's no threat to the integrity of the vote — they already weeded out questionable memberships as part of their internal review, which was completed late last month.
— J.P. Tasker (@JPTasker) July 6, 2022
https://twitter.com/robert_hiltz/status/1544531763254411265
Oh, and while we’re at it, one of Peter MacKay’s staff from the last leadership contest is now suing Erin O’Toole for alleging he was behind a hacking theft, so there really is no end to the drama here.
Good reads:
- Canada was the first country to ratify Finland and Sweden’s accession protocols to join NATO. (Ratification is a Crown prerogative, so it doesn’t need a vote).
- Mélanie Joly is promising to not shake Sergey Lavrov’s hand, and to confront him about his disinformation at the upcoming G20 meeting.
- François-Philippe Champagne is in Japan to drum up investment in the electric vehicle and battery sector in Canada.
- Health Canada could approve vaccines for children as young as six-months old this month; meanwhile, half of our AstraZeneca doses are about to expire.
- The military is relaxing their dress and uniform codes to include things like dyed hair and face tattoos (because they really, really need to up recruitment).
- The soldier who recorded an anti-vaxxer message in uniform and who helped lead last weekend’s protests is now facing a court martial.
- At the AFN’s annual general meeting, national chief RoseAnne Archibald survived a vote to suspended her, while she has two other resolutions on the table.
- Lindsay Tedds explains Alberta’s de-indexing of tax credits and brackets, and why it’s a stealth tax hike of the kind that Jason Kenney used to rail against.
- Susan Delacourt sees parallels between what’s happening with AFN National Chief RoseAnne Archibald and Annamie Paul with the Green Party (but it’s a stretch).
- Colby Cosh notes the ban on adoption of dogs from most countries abroad, the reasons most news stories haven’t cited, and the shelter situation in this country.
- My column notes that the premiers have put out a misleading ad campaign to pressure the federal government into increasing health transfers.
Odds and ends:
https://twitter.com/SenateCA/status/1544380597715406848
“When you’ve gotten past the energy shield, proceed directly to the rendezvous point. Understood?” pic.twitter.com/FTxLiwy3UD
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) July 5, 2022
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CPC should be disqualified as a party. The way they ratf_ck each other, it’s unfathomably gut-wrenching to even contemplate what they’d do to Canadians on the whole. Unfortunately, at least one-third of the population seem to be OK with that for as long as it “owns the Libs.” I haven’t much sympathy for Brown, but am repulsed by Poilievre. None of them deserve to be elected for so much as flea catcher, let alone dog catcher. As the saying goes, with this MAGA brand of conservatism more properly called fascism: the cruelty is the point.