Roundup: The PM is staying put this year

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It is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, otherwise known as “Orange Shirt Day,” after Phyllis Jack Webstad told the story about going to residential school with a new orange shirt that she was so proud of, and was forced to remove it upon arrival, which became a symbol of her forced assimilation that the school enforced. Something to reflect on over the day.

It also sounds like the prime minister has learned his lesson about his visibility, and whereas his intention last year was to step back and not make it about himself, he spent the day heading to Tofino for a weekend off with his family, which became a minor scandal. So today he’ll be attending ceremonies and events both in the Niagara Region, as well as here in Ottawa, and conspicuously not taking off with his family.

Ukraine Dispatch, Day 218:

Russia is claiming to recognise the “independence” of two of the regions in Ukraine subjected to sham referendums this past week, as a prelude to annexation. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in response, has made a direct appeal to Russians that they don’t have to die in Ukraine, like 58,000 have so far, and called on ethnic minorities in Russia to resist mobilization. Further north to those regions, Ukrainian forces have nearly encircled the city of Lyman, and are preparing to trap Russian forces therein. One of Zelenskyy’s advisors says that the sham referendums change nothing, and that they will liberate those territories, with military force if necessary. Meanwhile, Ukrainian children are trapped in Russian camps after promoting them as a summer break for children in occupied territories, so that’s going well.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau was at Îles-de-la-Madeleine in Quebec to see the Hurricane Fiona damage there for himself.
  • Trudeau also reiterated his denunciation of the sham referendums in occupied territories in Ukraine, and said more sanctions are on the way.
  • Mélanie Joly is headed to Washington DC to meet with her counterpart about Ukraine, Russia, and other foreign policy matters.
  • Anita Anand is standing by the military’s vaccine mandate (as well she should).
  • Harjit Sajjan is extending the programme to match donations for flood relief in Pakistan, feeling it didn’t get the media attention it needed.
  • Pascal St-Onge is calling out Hockey Canada’s toxic culture, and is unwilling to restore their funding because they haven’t demonstrated a willingness to change.
  • The federal privacy commissioner says a data breach by a CBSA contractor has affected some 1.38 million licence plates and associated information.
  • AFN national chief RoseAnne Archibald says at the current pace, it will take 40 years to complete the TRC Calls to Action, which is too long.
  • The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal is holding up the settlement agreement between the government and the AFN to compensate apprehended children.
  • The Supreme Court of Canada has declined to hear a challenge to the decision of Alberta’s energy regulator to turn down permits to resume open-pit coal mining.
  • Senator Vern White is resigning his seat and moving to Finland with his family.
  • The Green Party is reducing its leadership contest from two votes to just one, following staff resignations and difficulty organizing said votes.
  • Ontario is looking to refurbish the Pickering nuclear power plant to extend its lifespan for another 30 years, after it was planned to shut down in 2025.
  • The Alberta government has come to an agreement with doctors in the province after bitterness over their last imposed contract. (Still nothing about nurses).

Odds and ends:

The Royal Mint in the UK has unveiled their first planned coins with King Charles III’s effigy on them.

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