Roundup: Cancelling an invitation that was never issued

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Danielle Smith is at it again, claiming that accepted “on behalf of the Government of Alberta” an invitation to appear at the federal environment committee next week, and that she was sent a letter “rejecting my attendance.” The problem? It’s yet another load of horseshit from Smith, because she was never invited to the committee. Two of her ministers were invited, and she thought that she could just show up and put on a dog and pony show, but that’s not how committees work. You can’t just invite yourself to appear. The witnesses are agreed to by all parties beforehand and a motion is passed to send the invitations. Even if she’s premier, Smith can’t just attend in place of the invited ministers—again, that’s not how committees work.

https://twitter.com/emmalgraney/status/1712598055885910272

https://twitter.com/EmmaLGraney/status/1712599648609972476

https://twitter.com/EmmaLGraney/status/1712601220232446093

https://twitter.com/EmmaLGraney/status/1712602741120684351

In any case, the meetings were cancelled because it was really about hearing from Suncor’s CEO, and they declined, so the committee abandoned that line of testimony, but in any case, Smith is lying again, and trying to spin this into some kind of federal-provincial flamewar, and people shouldn’t treat her with any level of credulity.

Oh, but wait—The Canadian Press did just that, and the headline on the wire overnight repeats the bullshit that her appearance was cancelled, which again, is not true because she wasn’t invited, and in the meagre text of the piece, it both-sides the whole thing, because of course it does. This is utterly irresponsible of CP, who should know better.

Ukraine Dispatch:

There has been fierce fighting around Avdiivka, as Russians have been moving troops and equipment there to try and make a push to show that they’re still capable of making gains in the country as they lose territory elsewhere in the counter-offensive.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau was in Yellowknife to announce a housing project, while the premier continued to press him on more infrastructure funding.
  • Trudeau also announced the forthcoming appointment of a new Lieutenant Governor for Newfoundland and Labrador.
  • The government has announced $10 million in humanitarian aid for Israel and Gaza, as the first two evacuation flights have already taken off from Tel Aviv.
  • The government also continues to call for a humanitarian corridor to get our citizens out of Gaza (which would also allow in relief workers).
  • Mark Holland has concluded his meeting with provincial counterparts, claiming that they have a plan to help address health human resources. (Is the plan to pay them?)
  • Gary Anandasangaree says the government could enter into treaties with Métis once their self-governance legislation passes. (First Nations groups are not in favour).
  • Citizenship and Immigration is using an AI tool to help find fraudulent applications, and insists humans make the final decision, but it raises questions of bias.
  • The PBO put out a report that says that a single-payer universal pharmacare programme would cost billions, but wind up saving the economy even more.
  • Police across Canada are increasing vigilance, particularly around Jewish centres, after a rise in online threats and calls for mass protests.
  • News Media Canada is now calling on the government to capitulate to Google’s demands on the Online News Act, which is just going to embolden the bullying.
  • Here is a look at the mood within the NDP as they head into their biennial policy convention. They are getting Bernie Sanders to record a message for them.
  • Saskatchewan has tabled their bill invoking the Notwithstanding Clause for their school pronoun policy; Pollsters are polling on the rights of these vulnerable youth.
  • Alberta is getting $54 million in federal funds over four years to help combat gender-based violence.
  • Alex Usher (by way of Paul Wells) offers a scathing rant about our national complacency, and how we allowed ourselves to become deeply unserious.

Odds and ends:

For National Magazine, I look at the state of the legal challenge in Saskatchewan over their pronoun policy, as Moe invokes the Notwithstanding Clause.

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One thought on “Roundup: Cancelling an invitation that was never issued”

  1. Avdiivka, in case you don’t know, is located about 14 km from Donesk city in eastern Ukraine. The ukrinazis have turned this town into a small fortress and have been lobbing shells and missiles into the civilian areas in Donesk since 2014. Clearing it would be a tremendous sigh of relief for the residents of Donesk who can now get on with their lives.

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