Roundup: The bullshit narrative around the just transition “memo”

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Because Alberta politics is plumbing the depths of utter stupidity, there has been a multi-day freak out over the federal government’s supposed “just transition” plan (and yes, the federal ministers say they don’t like the term and prefer “sustainable jobs,” but the term is internationally recognised from the Paris Agreement and from similar American initiatives). Earlier in the week, there were a couple of credulous columns about a supposed “leak” of a federal memo talking about 2.7 million energy jobs being imperilled, or due to be transitioned, or some such nonsense.

And it was a completely bullshit story—there was no leak. There was no memo. There were selective quotes taken out of context and then torqued some more that came from a publicly available briefing package prepared for the minister of natural resources prior to a committee hearing back in June. And it doesn’t say 2.7 million jobs will be “transitioned”—it says that’s the size of the energy sector, and that there could be “significant labour market disruptions” given the transition of the industry due to global forces.

And while Danielle Smith was caught out on this lie, it not only hasn’t stopped her from having a public meltdown about it, but Rachel Notley decided to get in on the action, because it’s pre-election season, so that means out-bidding, and trying to distance herself from Trudeau—never mind that her own climate plan when she was in government included “just transition” language for coal workers. It’s all so bloody stupid, and we’re all dumber for watching it play out. I’m going to especially call out Power & Politics for adopting Smith’s mendacious framing of this supposed memo, and for both-sidesing it on their website rather than fact-checking Smith’s claims against the actual bloody document. This shouldn’t be that hard. Stop giving these lying liars the credibility they’re looking for. Call them out for what they are.

Ukraine Dispatch, Day 329:

The search for survivors has been called off at the site of the bombed apartment building in Dnipro, with the death toll sitting at 45 including six children. Meanwhile, Germany looks willing to approve the transfer of Leopard 2 tanks from allied countries to Ukraine in the next few days (and a few may come from Canada if that’s the case). Ukrainian officials are also saying they are still fighting in Soledar, and that it has not completely fallen to the Russians or their mercenaries.

https://twitter.com/zelenskyyua/status/1615314617374212097

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau went to Windsor, Ontario, to see electric vehicle manufacturing facilities.
  • When asked, Trudeau sounded a more cautious note that there is still more work to be done with provinces before reaching a health transfer agreement.
  • Jean-Yves Duclos was in PEI to announce further expansion of the pharmacare pilot there, and acknowledged concerns about private surgical clinics.
  • Marc Miller says no decision has been made if the settlement for survivors of Indigenous boarding home programmes will include an apology.
  • The federal government announced $9.7 million to support jobs in the hydrogen sector in Alberta. Because they’re trying to kill jobs there, remember.
  • Global Affairs is planning a plaque in their headquarters to mark the evacuation of diplomatic staff from Kabul, which is baffling critics.
  • The special interlocutor for the search for grave on residential school sites says that there are still missing records from those schools.
  • At the site of a former residential school near Kenora, Ontario, a search has located 171 plausible burial sites.
  • The government operations committee is calling an emergency meeting on those McKinsey contracts, so expect this to be an excuse for showboating.
  • The CBC has more from Bill Morneau’s book, and how he’s unhappy with the way that vaccine mandates were used in the last election.
  • The NDP are holding a caucus retreat and say they want to press the Liberals on pharmacare. (How do they plan to force provinces to sign on? Seriously).
  • New data confirms that Quebec is taking a diminishing share of immigrants (while they complain about labour shortages).
  • My column points out all of the places where Doug Ford essentially told on himself as a liar around his justifications for further privatising surgeries in Ontario.

Odds and ends:

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