Roundup: Commonwealth Day reminders

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Yesterday was Commonwealth Day, and also the ten-year anniversary of the Commonwealth Charter, which was supposed to be a project to spearhead the adoption of more common human rights legislation that would include better inclusion of LGBTQ+ rights in those Commonwealth countries where they are still an issue. In those ten years, that seems to have fallen off the radar, and I have barely heard any mention of that Charter at all, until when the anniversary was mentioned yesterday.

With anything related to the Commonwealth, we were guaranteed a bunch of bad media takes, and lo, for their inaugural episode, CTV News Channel’s new debate show had one of their topics as to whether Canada should stay in the Commonwealth or abandon the monarchy, which is a dumb false dichotomy because the vast majority of Commonwealth countries are not monarchies. Only fifteen member countries are Realms, meaning that we share Charles III as our monarch in a natural capacity (we each have separate Crowns), and newer members of the Commonwealth are not former British colonies, but have requested membership because they see value in the institution. Even if we did abandon the monarchy (which isn’t going to happen because it would mean rewriting our entire constitution and good luck trying to make that happen), we would still probably retain membership in the Commonwealth because of the relationships forged there, and it can be good forum for getting things done with countries.

Meanwhile, I’m going to re-up this interview I did with MP Alexandra Mendès, who is the chair of the Canadian Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, about the work these associations do and how Canada helps to train the legislatures and parliaments of smaller Commonwealth countries.

Ukraine Dispatch:

The battle near Bakhmut continues to rage, while the International Criminal Court is expected to seek the arrest of Russian officials responsible for the policy of forcibly deporting children from Ukraine, as well as their continued targeting of civilian infrastructure.

Good reads:

  • The federal and Ontario governments signed a deal with Volkswagen to build a major EV battery facility in St. Thomas, Ontario.
  • The federal government is using their authorities under the Fisheries Act to order an end to the tailings pond seepage in northern Alberta.
  • There will be a major overhaul of parental leave benefits when the major EI reform package is released…eventually.
  • There are concerns about a rise in misinformation around the consultations for a foreign agent registry.
  • Oh noes! The AUKUS pact is moving ahead without Canada—erm, except those nuclear submarines are going to cost Australia some A$368 billion.
  • The Star has a deeper look into the Safe Third Country Agreement and how that drives people to Roxham Road, and why suspending it may be the best option.
  • There is an e-petition circulating about giving refugee status to trans people, but that right already exists, though it may be harder for Americans to access it.
  • Google and Facebook are trying to prevent Bill C-18 from passing in Canada for fear of similar legislation in other countries. (Also, it’s not a “link tax.”)
  • The Commons national security committee is calling on the government to table annual threat assessment reports, and to do more to prevent cyber-attacks.

Odds and ends:

For National Magazine, I delve into what a national inquiry into sport might look like, and why the federal government may have more leverage than they think.

My Loonie Politics Quick Take disputes that NSICOP is a “secret committee that produces secret reports” and is controlled by the prime minister.

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