Roundup: Reasons to oppose a bad judgment

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After the federal government filed their appeal of that Federal Court decision that…strongly suggested to them to appoint more judges (because it certainly wasn’t an order), the lawyer behind that suit has filed a cross-appeal because he wants tougher language and more teeth to it, but it’s not something that the courts can really force a government to do because it’s a Crown prerogative. They have no enforcement mechanism, so I’m not sure what the lawyer here is hoping to accomplish other than to keep getting his name in the papers.

Speaking of papers, I do find it to be a problem that in both the National Post and Toronto Star stories about this cross appeal that neither of them referenced the fact that the primary reason the federal government is appealing the decision is not because it’s useless, but because it’s a complete dog’s breakfast that makes up a constitutional convention from whole cloth and then runs with it. There is plenty of commentary from constitutional scholars out there, Emmett Macfarlane’s being one of the most accessible, but this is a real issue, and no government that is the slightest bit responsible wants bad precedents sitting on the books. It’s one of the reasons why they fought the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision on compensation for Indigenous families—they were willing to pay the compensation, but the Tribunal exceeded its authority and they didn’t want that to stand lest it create a precedent (and why that was one of the points of negotiation in the settlement).

Bad precedents, if left unchallenged, create bad case law, and that creates all kinds of problems in the future. Nobody is arguing that this government doesn’t need to make faster appointments, because they absolutely do, and even they recognise that. But this was a bad decision that shouldn’t be allowed to stand.

Ukraine Dispatch:

Russia subjected Kyiv to intense bombardment for the third time in five days, and once again, damage and injuries were mostly from debris from intercepted missiles and drones. Russia also attacked an underground gas storage facility, at a time where there are already rolling blackouts because of attacks on power supplies, as engineers work to restore power, in particular at Kharkiv and Odesa. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to make drone attacks on Russian refineries.

Good reads:

  • Mélanie Joly announced that vulnerable Canadians in Haiti will be airlifted to the neighbouring Dominican Republic.
  • Joly also says that she welcomes the UN Security Council resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza (the US abstained), and hopes the resolution sends a “clear message.”
  • Mark Holland is trying to sell dentists on the merits of signing up to the dental care programme, as the majority are balking because of the fee structure and terms.
  • Documents show the federal government has thus far spent almost $42 million on the gun buyback programme that hasn’t gotten underway yet.
  • The foreign interference commission will start hearing from diaspora groups this week, as two weeks of public testimony kick off.
  • The Commons heritage committee is summoning Bell Canada’s CEO and compelling testimony on job cuts after he was “too busy” to appear before them.
  • A number of backbench Liberal MPs are calling for the Disability Benefit to be funded in this year’s budget.
  • Here’s a look at Poilievre’s rallies, the political calculus behind them, and the people in the crowd blinded by his use of figures that they take for facts (when they’re not).
  • A former Progressive Conservative MLA in New Brunswick is seeking the Liberal nomination in order to take on the Christian nationalist running in the riding.
  • Oh, look—Doug Ford complains about the carbon levy while Ontario’s industrial price goes to provincial coffers, which they claim is for “green investments.”

Odds and Ends:

My Loonie Politics Quick Take on the way the PBO’s report on the carbon rebates are continually being mischaracterised to make it look like it doesn’t help more people.

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