Roundup: The dog and pony show around Telford at committee

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After weeks of haranguing, filibusters, and Question Period clown shows, the prime minister’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, appeared at the Procedure and House Affairs committee. Shortly before she appeared, documents were tabled to show some dates of briefings the prime minister had with his National Security and Intelligence Advisor, but there weren’t many specifics, and in her testimony, Telford didn’t fill in any of those blanks. And nearly two-and-a-half hours were spent with Telford largely telling MPs that she couldn’t confirm or deny anything, except when the Liberals asked her to pat herself on the back for all of the actions the government has thus far taken around taking foreign interference seriously.

And of course, the Conservatives spent the time putting on a show for the camera, whether it was Larry Brock playing prosecutor—in spite of committee chair Bardish Chagger repeatedly warning him that this was a committee and not a court room—or Rachael Thomas’ rehearsed Disappointment Speech at the end. It was nothing but a dog and pony show.

This never should have happened. Telford never should have been summoned. We’ve once again damaged the fundamental precepts of parliamentary democracy and Responsible Government for the sake of some cheap theatre and clips for social media. Our Parliament should be a much more serious place, but this was just one more incidence of MPs debasing themselves and the institution for the sake of scoring a few cheap points.

Ukraine Dispatch:

Russian missiles struck the eastern city of Sloviansk, hitting residential buildings and killing at least nine people and wounding over 21.

Good reads:

  • Canada’s GHG emissions did increase slightly in 2021 from the pandemic lows, but were nowhere near pre-pandemic levels, signalling that we are bending the curve.
  • The federal government has offered to buy the stretch of Wellington Street in front of Parliament Hill from the City of Ottawa in order to keep it closed to traffic.
  • Here is a look at the demands from the public service unions as their negotiations with the federal government are in a strike position.
  • Here is a look at the increasing capacity for domestic vaccine production in Canada.
  • The Trudeau Foundation has requested the Auditor General to look at their books (which baffles me), while Pierre Poilievre wants the CRA to audit them.
  • The Supreme Court of Canada upheld Quebec’s prohibition against growing your own cannabis plants for personal use.
  • An unnamed MP talks about CSIS confronting him about meeting with a particular diplomat, and says they need to learn more tact and cultural competency.
  • Ontario MPP Vincent Ke has served Global News with a libel notice for their alleging him to be a financial intermediary of the Chinese regime.
  • Andrew Coyne savages Danielle Smith and her constantly changing tales.
  • My weekend column lays out the case why staffers shouldn’t testify at committee, and that doing so doesn’t solve any of the actual problems of accountability.

Odds and ends:

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