Roundup: The sound and fury of a special committee

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NDP MP Niki Ashton sent out a press release yesterday calling on the minister of national revenue to create a special committee to crack down on tax avoidance by billionaires. I have my doubts about just what a parliamentary committee could do on its own. Asking them to recommend solutions seems like a fairly inefficient way to go about it because there are changes put forward every year to close loopholes, and the tax avoidance experts find new ones. 🎶It’s the circle of life! 🎶

My deeper suspicion is that this is mostly just about performing for the cameras, which MPs are increasingly using committees to do rather than doing serious work, and Jagmeet Singh was trying to get in on that in a big way over the past few months, such as his little dog and pony show with the stack of papers that were supposedly all questions he was going to ask Galen Weston, and then promptly did not. Additionally, however, parliamentary resources are constrained because of hybrid sittings, and the injury and burnout rate for interpretation staff, and in the most bitter of ironies, Ashton is one of the worst offenders for abusing hybrid rules, and has pretty much opted to almost never show up in Ottawa. (She may deign to visit once every six to eight weeks, and only if she is required for some kind of media event).

Because economist Lindsay Tedds is one of the foremost tax policy experts in the country, I pointed this out to her, and well, she had thoughts.

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/1695109929902993636

https://twitter.com/LindsayTedds/status/1695104974353842372

Ukraine Dispatch:

Ukrainian officials say that Russian forces are regrouping in occupied territories in the country’s east, and will likely try another offensive push. Ukraine is also saying they hit a Russian military base deep in occupied Crimea as part of their operation earlier in the week. The Ukrainian government has also dismissed the head of its State Emergency Service after an inspection, but haven’t said what the reason was.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau was in Okanagan to meet firefighters and hear about the damage, and warns insurance may get more difficult to obtain as climate effects accelerate.
  • Trudeau also mused about needing to change the way the federal government funds infrastructure programmes in light of the need for climate adaptation.
  • The Fiscal Monitor shows the federal books in a surplus of $3.62 billion for the first three months of the fiscal year.
  • The federal government has changed up how it deals with specific First Nations land claims in the interests of furthering reconciliation.
  • Canada will join with the US in pushing back against Mexican prohibitions on using genetically modified corn in certain food products.
  • The Global Environment Facility meetings happening in Vancouver are showing a desire by leaders to accelerate climate action given this year’s fires and heat waves.
  • There are a number of conspiracy theories circulating around the wildfires, and some are making people reluctant to evacuate when ordered to.
  • Here is a look at more of the policy resolutions at the upcoming Conservative convention, and the grassroots really wants to go hard on the culture war stuff.
  • Three years later, Peter MacKay says he’s fully repaid his leadership campaign debt.
  • NWT premier Caroline Cochrane is demanding the federal government better support infrastructure in the North, particularly around communications.
  • Stephen Saideman shows how politicisation of the military is playing out in Canada, particularly as the Conservatives bring a retired general to their convention.
  • Shannon Proudfoot illustrates the absurdity of the final Cabinet retreat presser playing out, with a tired government that is too lost in its own messaging.
  • My weekend column questions Jagmeet Singh’s assertion that Edmonton and Calgary are full of seats ready to vote for him because of the Alberta election.

Odds and ends:

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2 thoughts on “Roundup: The sound and fury of a special committee”

  1. Good to see you adding . I can’t imagine how you keep your sanity amongst all the crap you report on. It’s these little touches that help me too. Thanks.

  2. I pasted the musical notes to the end of the first sentence. That didn’t work. Could you add “whimsy” or drop the comment. Otherwise I’m not making any sense. Not the first time. Cheers.

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