Roundup: At least one Speaker is laying down the law

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I will admit that it’s rare that I follow anything happening in the Saskatchewan legislature, but yesterday there were some video clips circulating of the Speaker slapping down two government ministers who had been text messaging him, accusing him of not doing enough to keep the opposition in their place, essentially. The Speaker was not having it. He read out one of those text messages into the record and demanded an apology, which he got from the finance minister.

The House leader, however? Refused to apologise for his texts and his comments about them, and stormed out of the Chamber, at which point the Speaker named him and ensured he was kicked out for the rest of the day.

I’m not sure if I’m watching in envy, because our own Speaker in Ottawa is timid and doing the bare minimum of decorum, or if it’s just great to see a Speaker acting decisively and taking absolutely no bullshit from members regardless. Nevertheless, it’s good to see a Speaker take the job seriously, and not let the government of the day try and get away with atrocious behaviour.

Ukraine Dispatch:

A Russian aerial bomb struck an educational facility in Kharkiv on Monday, killing two and injuring four. Ukraine’s foreign minister has pointed to the success of Israel’s “Iron Dome” when it comes to defending against the Iranian attack, saying his country needs the same, but there are particular differences, one of which is that Russia is much closer which makes the defences less effective. Because of the attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid, they had to double electricity imports on Monday, without any capacity to export.

Good reads:

  • It’s Budget Day, so here’s what we know so far, with the big question remaining about the revenue side of the equation.
  • Yesterday was the day the carbon rebate went out for early tax filers, and the government continues to struggle with banks on how the deposits get labelled.
  • The federal government has levied sanctions against those in Sudan who precipitated the civil war, as well as members of the regime in Belarus.
  • Mélanie Joly is calling on Israel not to escalate the conflict with Iran, amidst renewed calls around declaring the IRGC a terrorist entity (which is a bad solution).
  • The Procurement Ombudsman released a report finding a “strong perception of favouritism” in awarding certain contracts to McKinsey and Company.
  • Dental hygienists are complaining of a double-standard, as reimbursement rates for dental care are lower for hygiene clinics as opposed to dentists’ offices.
  • Bill Blair was at the defence committee to sell the defence policy update, and insisted it’s actually fully costed and not just aspirational.
  • Jagmeet Singh continues to waffle about his position on the carbon levy (doing a very good Vicky Pollard “yeah but no but yeah but no but yeah but…”)
  • The Star tries to fact-check the NDP assertion that the Conservatives and the Liberals are being “controlled” by “corporate lobbyists.” (Bless them).
  • The federal and Ontario governments have signed a memorandum of understanding around the proposed Highway 413 project.
  • A judge has ordered the release of thousands of documents on the Alberta government trying to encourage coal mining in the Rocky Mountains.
  • Paul Wells considers the issue of meetings with the premiers, and does have a bit of a Pollyanna-ish view of what he hopes it could mean. (I am under no such illusion).

Odds and Ends:

https://twitter.com/maxfawcett/status/1779863340996764123

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