Roundup: Losing faith in the justice system because of provincial choices

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The CBC has a story out about how a retired corporal from the military has lost faith in the justice system because court delays stayed the trial of her alleged attacker, and you can bet that pretty much everyone is going to take absolutely the wrong lessons from this, most especially legacy media.

The administration of justice—courts, Crown prosecutors, support staff—are all firmly within provincial jurisdiction. And for decades, provinces have been under-funding their systems while whinging that the federal government isn’t doing things like making bail harder to get (which is, frankly, unconstitutional). There is a story out of Toronto on the very same day about how staffing shortages—because of the province—have caused closures in courtrooms which led to a different sexual assault trial being tossed because they can’t get a trial within a reasonable time for the rights of the accused. And in the case of the corporal, it was because the Crown prosecutors (again, provincial responsibility) couldn’t get their shit together to push the case forward. And no, this has nothing to do with the federal government not filling judicial vacancies fast enough (which I have condemned this government for). These are all problems that are squarely within the provinces’ responsibilities.

And you can bet that people are going to try to both-sides this military issue because the provinces have been whinging that the military turning over cases to the civilian system is leaving them under-resources, even though it’s a handful of cases and the provinces have consistently made the policy choice over decades to under-fund their system. Trying to shift the blame to the federal government or whine that they’re not getting enough money is a well-worn pattern that we shouldn’t let them get away with. Unfortunately, that’s not in legacy media’s playbook, and you can bet that we’ll get more rounds of angry accusations that the federal government “let this happen” when clearly the failure was provincial the whole time.

Ukraine Dispatch:

Ukrainian forces say they have reclaimed even more territory in the east and south parts of the country, as well as off-shore drilling platforms near occupied Crimea. Ukrainian forces have also been collecting Russian bodies along the “road of death” that they retook in June, so that they can exchange them for their own comrades, living and dead. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling on his country to remain focused on the war, with warnings that a “wartime budget” is coming, meaning this could go on for longer than many have hoped.

https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1701223223440928994

Good reads:

  • A technician and replacement parts for the prime minister’s plane are on the way, and barring that, two separate replacement plans are also en route.
  • François-Philippe Champagne is forcing Rogers to open up its mobile network in the Toronto subway to Bell and Telus customers as an amended licence condition.
  • Treasury Board has come out with new guidelines on use of AI tools by civil servants, and insist this is not about replacing any jobs (which they really couldn’t).
  • There are questions as to whether Global Affairs’ “Future of Diplomacy” overhaul will be able to get the resources it needs to do the work, given the need to find cuts.
  • Here is a look at past problems with prime ministers’ planes (most of which were with the current planes—which will be replaced later this fall).
  • An audit has concluded that RCMP radio equipment purchased from a firm with Chinese ties doesn’t pose any security risks.
  • A former Conservative candidate who is trans (and a former O’Toole staffer) is calling out her former party over the policies at the convention.
  • Here is a look at the party’s move to better unify itself under Poilievre, more than it did under either Scheer or O’Toole (which also means more message discipline).
  • Conservative-turned-Independent MP Alain Rayes says he’s a political orphan and won’t run again in the next election.
  • New Brunswick’s Child and Youth Advocate says that the changes made to the policy on pronouns and names is even more discriminatory and illegal.
  • Global News got a look at the mandate letters from Doug Ford that have been kept secret since 2018, and they insist on high ethical standards. (Oops).
  • Scott Moe is throwing a tantrum about the pause in trade talks with India and accusing the prime minister of sabotaging them.
  • Theo Argitis points out that Poilievre talking about “common sense” ignores that these problems have complex trade-offs, not simple fixes.
  • Justin Ling calls on Pierre Poilievre to publicly reject the anti-trans resolutions at the convention on the weekend, and blunt the Liberals’ attacks. (He won’t).

Odds and ends:

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/1701420936627417225

https://twitter.com/SusanDelacourt/status/1701353446555713602

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