Roundup: Another day of Guilbeault-baiting

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It’s becoming a little too predictable, and yet here we are again. Steven Guilbeault said something not even that controversial—that we have enough roads to suit our needs so the government isn’t going to spend more infrastructure dollars on major projects to grow them, while they focus on other things like transit and active transport. He’s not even terribly wrong for the most part—there is reams of evidence to show that expanding roads and highways doesn’t cure congestion but merely causes more, so the focus should be on other priorities.

Predictably, everyone freaked out—Conservatives went into full meltdown, and the premiers all lined up to howl about this, when again, they know he’s not wrong, and oh, by the way, there isn’t any money left in the infrastructure fund anyway, so why does it matter? Guilbeault was trotted out to say that he should have been more specific in his comments, and he was mostly referring to the Third Link proposal in Quebec City, which they have no intention of funding, but of course, by that point, the narrative is set as chuds across the Internet have been memeing this for all it’s worth.

Dunking on Guilbeault has become something of a national preoccupation, and news media likes nothing more than to both-sides this sort of thing, taking the bait to continue to give uncharitable readings and framing this as he and the government being “out of touch.” If there’s one thing that makes everyone angry, it’s the whole “war on the car” bullshit that keeps incredibly bad city councillors and mayors in power across this country. And we wonder why we are incapable of serious discourse in this country?

https://twitter.com/s_guilbeault/status/1757961974137168362

Ukraine Dispatch:

Ukrainian forces say that they used naval drones to sink a Russian landing ship in the Black Sea. Here is an explainer of the security assurances that Ukraine is signing with a number of countries including Canada.

Good reads:

  • Following his meeting with the King of Jordan, Justin Trudeau joined with Australia and New Zealand to call for Israel to reconsider its planned offensive in Rafah.
  • The government has finally renamed the carbon levy payments as the Canada Carbon Rebate, and they will increase except for in Atlantic Canada.
  • At a NATO conference, Bill Blair announced another $60 million to Ukraine for F-16 parts, ammunition, and support.
  • Jean-Yves Duclos says the government suspended all contracts with GC Strategies—at the centre of the ArriveCan controversy—back in November.
  • Arif Virani insists that the delay in extending MAiD to psychiatric disorders isn’t based on stereotypes (but really it is if you talk to clinical psychologists).
  • There is talk that the government is proposing coverage of certain life-saving medications and contraception (with no details on what mechanism it would use).
  • The federal government has missed their deadline for allowing online passport renewals because of unspecified “security issues.”
  • CSIS recently produced a report on the so-called “Freedom Movement,” and believes that while they have extreme views, few members are likely to act on them.
  • The slushbreakers—erm, Offshore Arctic Patrol Ships we commissioned sure look like lemons, and boy, that Irving Shipyards craftsmanship is something else…
  • A report has been delivered on the impacts of shutting down Wellington Street permanently, and focuses a lot on drivers’ “stress.” (Close it, bring on a tramway).
  • The Assembly of First Nations and Jim Balsillie appeared at committee to denounce the government’s online privacy and AI regulation legislation.
  • Pierre Poilievre says a Conservative government would “work toward” NATO’s 2 percent GDP target. (That’s an aspirational target he has no intention of meeting).
  • Kevin Carmichael delves into BMO’s stake in Airmiles, and the value of loyalty programmes in their data and how this can drive competition.
  • Emmett Macfarlane rips into the Federal Court decision on judicial appointments and why the reasoning is unsound and in places dangerous for precedent.

Odds and Ends:

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