Roundup: Debunking Singh’s dunks

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NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s political comms lately have been a little bit…cringey. Not like that TikTok in the shower staring blankly cringey, but saying ridiculous things that he should have thought about for thirty seconds before posting cringey. Like this housing development in Edmonton, that he’s denouncing as “luxury condos.” Except they’re not, that whole concept is dated, any market housing that increases supply helps push down prices, and oh yeah, it’s a Métis-led development that is geared largely for affordable housing, and most of them are to be pegged at below-market. Yikes.

https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt/status/1748311506620428422

https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt/status/1748313113206636842

https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt/status/1748314188756251009

As if that wasn’t bad enough, he’s pretending that Poilievre will cancel rent control, which, erm, doesn’t exist federally, and then goes on a conspiracy theory about being beholden to developers who contributed to his campaign, in the low thousands of dollars, because remember, this is Canada and we have campaign contribution limits. If you think you’re buying a politician for $1200/year, you’re out to lunch.

https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt/status/1749125638961652148

Of course, this is what happens when as a party, you crib all of your ideas from the “justice Democrats” in Washington, and ignore that we’re two separate countries with different laws, demographics, and circumstances. Unfortunately, this keeps happening, and it makes our politics in this country dumber as a result.

Ukraine Dispatch:

Russia had to suspend operations at a Baltic Sea fuel terminal after what appeared to be a Ukrainian drone strike caused a major fire. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is concerned by Trump’s rhetoric of unilateral action and claiming he could end the conflict in 24 hours, and wants Trump to visit Ukraine so he can see the situation for himself.

Good reads:

  • The three-day Cabinet retreat is now underway in Montreal. On the way in, several ministers promised a national summit on auto thefts will be held next month.
  • The government has sent its proposed security assurances plan to Ukraine for feedback, but did it without much fanfare.
  • Canada’s ambassador to China says that the upcoming public hearings for the foreign interference inquiry will be uncomfortable for Chinese relations.
  • The foreign service officers’ union wants more compensation for diplomats posted to the US because of gun crime and health care availability. (Not everyone agrees).
  • The RCMP are relaxing their regulations for members who use cannabis.
  • Experts are pointing to why trying to link housing to immigration levels is something of a fool’s errand, as houses don’t equal households.
  • The Canadian Press both-sides the Liberals’ painting of the Conservatives with the MAGA brush rather than substantially explore the connections.
  • The five Liberal and NDP MPs who visited the West Bank want action to prevent the ongoing humiliation and dehumanisation of the Palestinian people.
  • Groundwater monitoring in Alberta is showing how successive droughts are impacting the water table and making it harder to recover even in wetter years.
  • Kevin Carmichael pushes back against the “population trap” narrative that has emerged over the past week, and the politicisation of immigration targets.
  • Philippe Lagassé explores the contradictory positions of the Liberals and Conservatives regarding the military as a reason why we can’t get to bipartisanship.
  • Colby Cosh notes how circular the debate around expanding MAiD has become.
  • Susan Delacourt’s interview with the prime minister moves into the topic of the mood of the country, and how much anger is directed toward him.

Odds and Ends:

My Xtra column got a shoutout from Peter Mansbridge in his newsletter, so that was a highlight of the weekend.

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