Roundup: Jockeying for first-place ballot support

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We’re in day one-hundred-and-forty-eight of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Ukrainian forces damaged a bridge that is critical to supplying Russian troops in southern Ukraine, where Russia is trying to consolidates its territorial gains, making it clear that their supposed aim of “liberating” the predominantly-speaking Donbas region was always a lie. Russians, meanwhile, bombarded the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, and killed more civilians there. On that note, here is a look at Ukrainian refugees being forcibly relocated into Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia has started up a sham tribunal to document “war crimes” from Ukrainians to justify the invasion, and they are using Westerners living in Russia, who are often promoters of conspiracy theories or who are known for being purveyors of disinformation, as their star witnesses. The whole thing is a thinly-veiled propaganda exercise to bolster support for the invasion in Russia, and to provide a counter narrative to the International Criminal Court proceedings against Russians who are involved in actual war crimes in Ukraine, but

Closer to home, the Conservative leadership race is reaching a critical juncture as ballots are being mailed out and candidates are asking for top billing on their ranked ballot. Jean Charest wants another debate, particularly now that Patrick Brown is out of the race, while Roman Baber is trying to make a plea for people to give him a second look and not simply rank him further down-ballot (though the policies he outlined simply remind everyone that yes, this guy is a moron). Speaking of, the National Post has compiled the various policy positions of the leaders, at which point I am force do once again remind everyone that this remains an abomination in our system—leaders are not supposed to be deciding policy and putting it forward in a leadership contest. That is supposed to be the job of the grassroots membership, who have biennial conventions to do just that, but we have so bastardised our system in order to create a faux-presidential primary that we’ve reached this debased state.

Good reads:

  • Carolyn Bennett says that more doctors should be willing to prescribe safer-supplied drugs to opioid addicts to reduce overdoses.
  • Canada is siding with the US against Mexico over a dispute over alleged protectionist energy policies under the New NAFTA.
  • Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says that inflation is likely going to remain elevated for the remainder of this year and into next.
  • The former head of military personnel for the Canadian Forces is facing charges for an alleged relationship with a subordinate. (His predecessor is also facing charges).
  • The Star got a look into the investigation into former Unifor president Jerry Dias, and the politics within the union over his replacement.
  • Independent MP Kevin Vuong was fined $500 for not disclosing to the Royal Canadian Navy (he is a reservist) about the withdrawn sexual assault charge.
  • Quebec’s Court of Appeal won’t overturn the sealing order in a “secret trial” involving police informants.
  • Matt Gurney has a three-part series on the crisis facing healthcare in Ontario, with interviews about the situation facing hospitals, nurses, and family doctors.
  • Kevin Carmichael reads through the inflation data and gathers the reactions, in order to predict where the Bank of Canada will be headed in September.
  • Heather Scoffield looks at inflation through the lens of wage increases, and whether there is any danger of wage spiral that just stokes inflation further.

Odds and ends:

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