Roundup: Hybrid sittings are now permanent, and Parliament will suffer

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I knew that this was now inevitable, but that doesn’t mean it’s still not infuriating. After invoking closure and ramming it through with little debate, the government has forced through the changes to the Standing Orders that will make hybrid sittings permanent. The government has ignored all criticisms about this move, and blinkered itself to the supposed benefits to this system that are largely a false economy, because it “feels progressive.” They tried to force this before the pandemic, and they certainly didn’t let a good crisis go to waste.

The biggest losers out of this are the interpretation staff. Working by Zoom is an absolute killer for them, both from acoustic injuries because MPs can’t be arsed to use their headsets properly most of the time, or simply ignore those rules when it suits them (as the Conservatives did when they pretended to have issues with their voting apps), and because the cognitive load from interpreting this way burns them out. The Speaker, meanwhile, can’t be bothered to enforce rules or guidelines, and merely gently chides MPs that they should be nice to the interpreters, but with no consequences, these behaviours continue undaunted. We’re now accelerating toward a crisis of bilingualism in Parliament because they can’t just hire more interpreters. They’re not graduating enough at a rate to overcome attrition even before the injuries, and fewer of them are going to stick around in order to expose themselves to injury and the possibility of permanent hearing loss. It’s morally repugnant and unconscionable that MPs behave this way, treating the interpreters like furniture, but they’re still in the fuck around stage. They’re going to find out really soon, and Parliament is going to be in a genuine crisis, because the Liberals and NDP in particular are too self-centred to look at the harm they’re causing.

Ukraine Dispatch:

Russian authorities say they’re staging elections in occupied territories as a sign that they’re in control, as the Ukrainian counter-offensive makes progress but faces “tough resistance,” according to president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukrainian officials also say they are still advancing on Bakhmut around the north and northwest.

https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1669255405610909698

Good reads:

  • Marco Mendicino has not provided any answers as to why he think he was the last to know about the Paul Bernardo transfer from his staff.
  • Mélanie Joly has announced more sanctions on Haitian elites and more funding for their police, and is trying to get other countries to follow suit.
  • Jonathan Wilkinson has tabled the government’s “sustainable jobs plan” legislation, aka the “just transition” that Danielle Smith freaked out about.
  • David Lametti has had two of his ministerial cars stolen over the past two years. (The first one was recovered).
  • Mary Ng unveiled a $25 million LGBTQ+ entrepreneurship fund.
  • The government is moving ahead with land expropriations to build a rail bypass around Lac Mégantic, in spite of fierce opposition.
  • The Star did a deep dive into the Public Accounts to find that the government has so far underspent billions of pledged dollars on climate initiatives.
  • A former national security advisor suggests that CSIS’ legislation may need to change in order to better allow them to warn those being targeted by foreign agents.
  • The Russian government has summoned the Canadian ambassador over the seizure of that Russian cargo plane at Pearson airport.
  • The Senate has passed the bill that will allow aid to flow to countries like Afghanistan where it could trigger anti-terrorism-financing laws.
  • A Senate committee report says that provincial barriers have prevented Indigenous people from being able to benefit from the cannabis market.
  • Erin O’Toole will be heading up the North American division of a French firm that does “strategic intelligence.” (Did he get ethics clearance for it?)
  • In New Brunswick, one Cabinet minister has resigned and others are in revolt over the premier’s decision to change the safe schools policy for LGBTQ+ students.
  • An Ontario Justice of the Peace who was removed from the bench for an op-ed describing frustrations with the bail system has been restored to her position.
  • Susan Delacourt looks at the options available to the government for a reset that it desperately needs, some of which are more likely than others.

Odds and ends:

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