Roundup: Empty threats to sit into the summer

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Because this whole thing is nothing but really bad theatre, Pierre Poilievre went back before the microphones yesterday morning, declared victory from his fauxlibuster that didn’t accomplish a single gods damned thing, and then said that he was prepared to sit through the summer to make sure that the he got his budget demands. But that was another empty threat, because he doesn’t have the votes to block anything.

And lo, after Question Period, the budget bill passed as it was expected to, and is off to the Senate. Poilievre says his senators will try to stall or stop the bill there, but again, they don’t have anywhere near enough votes for that to make a difference, even if they do have a few more procedural opportunities to slow it down a little. Of course, this is a government bill so the Leader of the Government in the Senate can attempt time allocation if he thinks he has the votes to pull it off (and he probably does), so the delays will likely be fairly minimal.

This being said, the Government House Leader also said that he won’t let the House rise for the summer until they pass his motion to make hybrid sittings permanent, which is an abomination that is going to hasten the decline of our already weakened Parliament. (And yes, I have a full column on this coming out later today).

https://twitter.com/EmmMacfarlane/status/1666830949420609537

Ukraine Dispatch:

While evacuations are taking place in Kherson as a result of the flood caused by the breached dam, Russians are shelling the area, including evacuation hotspots, because of course they are. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the area to see the flood devastation first-hand. Russians launched another overnight air attack, killing one person in Uman in the Cherkasy region.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau led a Pride flag raising on Parliament Hill, and spoke about countering rising levels of hate and intolerance.
  • The draft policy on implementing Bill C-11 instructs the CRTC to exclude social media users from regulation, (which was the aim the whole time).
  • David Johnston ended his relationship with Navigator because Han Dong may also have hired them (which should be Navigator’s problem to manage).
  • The prime minister’s former national security advisor, Vincent Rigby, says the system for flagging intelligence is ad hoc and inconsistent. (You don’t say!)
  • The chair of the Trudeau Foundation’s board says that Chinese donation has been returned now (for what it matter).
  • India’s foreign minister is lashing out at Canada after a Sikh parade float in Brampton appears to have portrayed the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
  • The Conservatives ended their filibuster at immigration committee and the bill on restoring citizenship to certain groups has been amended.
  • In spite of the attempts to focus on the climate issue this week, Pierre Poilievre’s climate plans remain vague, and reliant on the “technology not taxes” slogan.
  • In New Brunswick, six ministers and two backbenchers have revolted over Blaine Higgs’ gutting the LGBTQ+ safe schools policy, and Higgs is threatening an election.
  • Danielle Smith is downplaying the link between wildfires and climate change, and instead wants to investigate arson, because of course she does.
  • Paul Wells wonders whatever happened to those plans for a big lessons-learned exercise post-COVID, and gets a few answers.
  • Colin Horgan reflects on why people turn to conspiracy around complex problems, and what that says about where we’re at.

Odds and ends:

For Xtra, I have a one-on-one with Sean Fraser about the government’s new partnership with Rainbow Railroad to streamline LGBTQ+ refugee referrals.

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One thought on “Roundup: Empty threats to sit into the summer”

  1. P. Poilievre is good at sitting in the HOC. Its the only place he spends his time in never having had a regular job. Now let him stand. There will be no difference. whether sitting or standing, he will still flap his lying gums and spout his lies. In his time there he will continue to rail against the government and by extension the Canadian people without divulging any policies that would assist Canadians through very difficult times. However this is what authoritarian tyrants do.

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