Alberta premier Danielle Smith has announced the plans to amend her “Sovereignty Act” to take out the egregious aspect of giving Cabinet unlimited powers to amend existing legislation without through decree, and framed in a way that this was about “listening to caucus” rather than admitting that this was one giant omnishambles from the get-go. The problem is that her planned amendments…don’t actually make any sense. It sounds like they plan to send any proposed amendments from Cabinet back to the legislature to vote on, but that doesn’t make sense if you would just remove that whole section and let the legislative amendment process carry on as usual? And does it really remove the Henry VIII clause, or just add an extra step to it that would wind up being pro forma given their majority? None of it makes any sense, but considering just how incompetent she and her government are, nothing can really be surprising.
Biggest change?
UCP will amend Sovereignty Act so it's clear cabinet can't make unilateral changes to legislation without sending it back to MLAs for a vote in legislature.
That's the opposite of what was first proposed and then confirmed by the Premier and Justice Minister.
— Courtney Theriault (@cspotweet) December 5, 2022
So, I guess we'll see the amended legislation, but it seems like that press release was drafted by the only person less capable of clarity than the people who drafted Bill 1 in the first place.
— Andrew Leach (@andrew_leach) December 5, 2022
or, maybe you take out the "and" before introduced and passed, so it's clear that the introduced and passed refers to the resolution not the changes in statutes? But, it still leaves open the question of what they changes become operative (is the Henry VIII clause still there?).
— Andrew Leach (@andrew_leach) December 6, 2022
Ukraine Dispatch, Day 286:
Russians fired another barrage of missiles into Ukraine, many of them hitting the suburbs of the city of Zaporizhzhia, plus other energy facilities including near Kyiv. Two Russian airbases were hit, allegedly by Ukrainian drones, but Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for a strike inside Russian borders. Meanwhile, here’s the tale of how Ukrainian healthcare workers saved children from being deported into Russia. Elsewhere, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court denounced a plan by the EU to create a UN-backed special tribunal for war crimes in Ukraine, saying that the ICC is perfectly capable of doing the job.
It was an honour to meet with Ukrainian MPs @IKlympush and @MPMaria_Ionova during their visit to Ottawa. They provided important, first-hand updates on the current situation in Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/6lQBafAPxd
— Speaker of the HoC (@HoCSpeaker) December 5, 2022
Good reads:
- Justin Trudeau was in Ingersoll, Ontario, as the first EV rolled out of the GM factory there. There, he offered assurances about hunting rifles in the gun control bill.
- Trudeau also said he is “extremely concerned” by reports of Canadian-made parts found in Iranian drones used by Russians in bombarding Ukraine.
- Trudeau said that he is “watching closely” as the Americans respond to European complaints about North American protectionism in their Inflation Reduction Act.
- In a year-ender, Trudeau says that Canadians need to be reassured about the allegations of Chinese interference in elections.
- The COP15 biodiversity conference begins in Montreal today, which Canada is co-hosting with China (and I’m sure there’s no awkwardness there).
- Mélanie Joly announced new sanctions on Haitian elites accused of empowering the criminal gangs in the country.
- Sean Fraser says the federal government will fund projects to remove barriers for foreign-trained health care workers from practicing in Canada.
- Employment data is showing that the national child care programme is having the desired effect, as more working-age women are entering the labour market.
- The Royal Canadian Mint plans to release a special $2 circulation coin to honour the late Queen Elizabeth II.
- Permanent residents can now apply to join the Canadian Forces.
- Major-General Dany Fortin was acquitted of a sexual assault charge dating from 1988, and says he wants to get his career back.
- As you may have heard, researchers at Dalhousie University predict that food prices will continue to climb by another seven percent next year.
- A Spanish civil rights group reports that there are at least three Chinese “secret police stations” in Toronto, one in Vancouver, plus one more unknown location.
- The Assembly of First Nations is likely to vote this week on the child welfare settlement agreement that their negotiator helped to craft.
- Grocery oligopoly executives were at the Commons agriculture committee to push back against the claims they are driving food price inflation. (They’re not really).
Odds and ends:
My Loonie Politics Quick Take sorts some fact from fiction on the notion that Justin Trudeau has turned his back on Europe looking for LNG.
25 years ago today, the Ottawa @MineBanTreaty was signed, banning the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of landmines among 122 signatory countries. Watch our NEW #MemoryProject video to learn more about Canada’s demining work and advocacy: https://t.co/UV0kxKraq2
— Historica Canada (@HistoricaCanada) December 3, 2022
Need a copy of #UnbrokenMachine? Find it now for 25% off! https://t.co/2x5tOpO5ne
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 13, 2022
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