Roundup: Scheer throws stones at Fergus from his glass house

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The saga around Speaker Fergus’ fate is starting to become farcical, as Andrew Scheer brought up more “proof” that Fergus has been engaged in partisan activities, because he went to a party event…for a Quebec Liberal MNA, which, again, is not the same party or the same league. (Honestly, there are a bunch of former Quebec Liberal MNAs currently sitting in the Conservative caucus, much like there are a bunch of former BC Liberal MLAs in the Conservative caucus.). Scheer’s urge to keep finding this “proof” and tattling is becoming ridiculous.

But then, a twist—CBC found out that Andrew Scheer was fined by the House of Commons for filming a partisan video in support of a by-election nomination candidate in his Hill office, which isn’t allowed, and then had that successful candidate pay for the fine out of his campaign expenses, which may run afoul of Elections Canada rules (but those returns haven’t been audited yet because the by-election is too recent). The NDP have also been finding instances of where Scheer attended party fundraisers when he was the Speaker, but Pierre Poilievre’s spokesperson insists this was totally different, while also falsely saying that the provincial party event was a “fellow Liberal’s fundraiser.” But the fact that Scheer is not only a liar but a hypocrite (to say nothing of being a braying doofus) is no surprise to absolutely anyone.

And because the stupid twists don’t stop, we also learned that Fergus had a conversation with former MP Glen Pearson, who went on to write an op-ed in Fergus’ defence shortly after he took the role (before the drama happened) about the decorum in the Chamber. I’m starting to get very tired of this particular back-and-forth, and hope this doesn’t carry into the New Year.

Ukraine Dispatch:

Russians launched 42 drones and six missiles at southern Ukraine overnight Wednesday, which killed one person. Ukraine and Molodova got the green-light to start fast-tracking their bid to join the European Union, but Hungary remains an obstacle as they held up new aid funding for Ukraine.

https://twitter.com/kyivindependent/status/1735378672029167827

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau says he plans to run again in the next election because too many of his promises and programmes are under threat if the Liberals lose.
  • François-Philippe Champagne is pushing to make the grocery code of conduct a reality, whether Loblaws and Walmart like it or not.
  • The government and the NDP have come to a new agreement to have pharmacare legislation tabled by March 1st (which won’t bring a programme without premiers).
  • The government’s gun control legislation has finally passed the Senate and will likely receive royal assent later today.
  • The government is pushing back against a Senate bill to require age verification online because it is unworkable and likely unconstitutional.
  • The Public Accounts has estimated that the government could face a $76 billion liability in relation to currently filed Indigenous land claims.
  • CSIS will hire an independent human rights specialist to review their diversity policies as part of a settlement agreement with a Black woman officer.
  • Jewish members of the largest public sector union say they feel threatened by the union’s pro-Palestinian organizing and that they don’t listen to their concerns.
  • A gay man in Edmonton is set to be deported to Uganda because he can’t prove to the IRB’s satisfaction that he’s actually gay.
  • The Supreme Court of Canada upheld a police officer’s conviction for aggravated assault during an arrest that resulted in the eventual death of the subject.
  • The immigration committee suggests setting a deadline to clear the immigration backlog with an ombudsman appointed to hold the department accountable.
  • A group of five Liberal MPs have written to 25 Canadian university leaders to ask about their codes of conduct in relation to chants about the elimination of Israel.
  • Jagmeet Singh’s wife gave birth to a second baby girl (which explains his absence).
  • Desperate for a distraction, Doug Ford promised beer and wine in corner stores…in two years’ time, just before the next election. Convenient!
  • Saskatchewan schools are getting censorious about LGBTQ+ materials as a result of what Scott Moe has been doing around pronouns and sex ed.
  • My year-end Xtra column looks at how the moral panic over “parental rights” was the defining political issue for LGBTQ+ communities in Canada this year.

Odds and ends:

https://twitter.com/belgiumincanada/status/1734704361547112926

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