Roundup: Taking the blame, children’s cold medicine edition

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There has been a concerted effort to try and make the shortage of over-the-counter children’s cold and fever medication the federal government’s problem, even though they have precious few levers at their disposal. The Conservatives are trying to demand that Health Canada lift restrictions on imports that aren’t labelled in English and French, though I’m not sure that would really help if these shortages (which are due to high demand because COVID isn’t over!) are more widespread, and even there, that would require a lot of provincial coordination because pharmacies are also under provincial jurisdiction. But apparently the minister can’t just say that people need to talk to the provinces—that simply won’t do.

I had a bit of a debate over Twitter about this last night, and I will concede that part of this is a problem with the government’s inability to message and get ahead of these kinds of issues, or leverage some righteous anger and direct it to the provinces to do their gods damned jobs for once—but this government doesn’t like to do anger, and it really doesn’t like to blame the provinces for the things that the provinces aren’t doing when they should be, because they want to be “nice,” and “cooperative,” and “not divisive.” But that’s not helping anybody, and so we get more platitudes and feel-good pabulum that doesn’t actually make anyone feel good. I do have real problems with everyone—particularly media—trying to make every problem the federal government’s, but the government need to get better at messaging around this tendency, which they steadfastly refuse to do.

 

Ukraine Dispatch, Day 224:

As Russia’s president signed papers that purport to annex territory in Ukraine, Ukrainian forces continue to press ahead in their counter-offensive in both the east and the south, collapsing Russian lines even further. And those new troops Russia has been conscripting to send to Ukraine? Much of them come from the country’s ethnic minorities, which is a calculated move. Ukraine, meanwhile, is making a bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup as a way of survivors of the invasion healing from the war.

Good reads:

  • The prime minister is denouncing Hockey Canada and calling on its provincial wings to dissociate themselves, as Tim Horton’s and other sponsors are starting to.
  • David Lametti says the government hasn’t figured out the best way to find a way the laws against terrorism funding that will allow aid to flow to Afghanistan.
  • Pascale St-Onge says that the new sport integrity commissioner can initiate wider-range inquiries into the toxic culture at Canadian sporting organisations.
  • NAVCanada has reversed their request for the American FAA to stop tracking of certain Canadian government aircraft, including the prime minister’s.
  • The Information Commissioner wants the power to review documents to ensure they actually contain Cabinet confidences and not just excuses not to disclose.
  • The Star has some added context to why the government can’t simply declare the IRGC a terrorist entity like is being demanded.
  • Google is making a public push against the online streaming bill claiming it will mess with algorithms—which aren’t neutral and are about YouTube’s business interests.
  • Arguments against the Safe Third Country Agreement were heard at the Supreme Court of Canada yesterday.
  • Most Conservatives including Pierre Poilievre supported Kelly Block’s “conscience rights” bill, but it looks like four MPs didn’t, including Lantsman and Duncan.
  • Althia Raj calls on the government to scrap the Safe Third Country Agreement.
  • Susan Delacourt explores how Doug Ford and François Legault survived COVID fury, but Jason Kenney did not. (Not stated was Kenney tried to be too clever about it).
  • Paul Wells reflects on the Quebec election and the way that François Legault played it, with the entire province against the perception of Montreal.

Odds and ends:

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