Roundup: Recruitment rage-farming

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It’s getting exhausting to think of the number of things that Justin Trudeau is supposedly personally responsible, whether it’s global inflation or the rise in interest rates. Today, it’s apparently the military recruitment crisis that the country faces.

First of all, in his tweet, Conservative MP James Bezan mischaracterized what the exchange between the committee chair and the Canadian Forces officer was, and the Chair said nothing about Trudeau or the government at all. But that’s what Conservatives to when they clip these committee exchanges and try to gin them up to make them look like it’s something scandalous happening, because that’s how they get their clips for their socials. To reiterate—nobody said anything at all about the government in the clip. The Chair was frustrated that the military can’t process potential recruits faster, not the government, because the government doesn’t play a role in this at all.

And even more to the point, Bezan knows this. He was a long-standing parliamentary secretary to successive ministers of defence in the Harper government, and he knows gods damned well that nobody in government approves or disapproves of recruits. But like everything these days, facts or truth doesn’t matter—it’s nothing but constant rage-farming to keep people angry, over the dumbest, most illogical things, because rage-farming doesn’t need to make sense. It’s all about feelings and vibes, and they’re willing to undermine democracy for clicks.

Ukraine Dispatch:

Three people were killed and six wounded in a Russian missile attack on the southern Mykolaiv region, while the Russians claim to have captured two more settlements—one in Kharkiv region, the other in Donetsk. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Spain, and secured a promise for more air defence systems to help deal with the onslaught of Russian glide bombs.

https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1795083380192604436

Good reads:

  • Anita Anand says that the government is developing an AI strategy for federal government operations, but within limits in terms of privacy and oversight.
  • NSIRA tabled their report on foreign interference in the last two elections, and found gaps in accountability because there is not tracking who gets briefed.
  • The Logic looks at the two competing nuclear technologies vying to form the forthcoming nuclear energy buildup coming to Canada.
  • CAPP claims that an oil and gas emissions cap will cost the country $75 billion in investment over the next nine years (while they let the planet burn).
  • Marc Miller told committee that he’s upping the cap for Palestinian visas, and that he seemed to be on the verge of a deal with Israel before they closed the Rafah border.
  • Bill Blair told a committee that the first sixteen F-35 fighters will be paid for out of this year’s budget, even though there are production delays until 2026.
  • The Conservatives are making yet another attempt to oust Speaker Fergus thanks to a somewhat dubious privilege ruling by the Deputy Speaker.
  • Rumours are circulating that Doug Ford wants an early election out of fear of what a federal Poilievre government will do to his plans if he waits until 2026.
  • More proof that Doug Ford’s chief of staff was illegally using his private email to conduct political discussions. (Imagine that!)
  • The Crown Prosecutor’s office in Alberta won’t lay charges against three Lethbridge police who were proven to have abused their power to harass an MLA.
  • David Eby is announcing an online “hub” for building permits to speed processing time for applications.
  • Political science professor Elizabeth Smythe chronicles how the UCP is engaging in democratic backsliding in Alberta.

Odds and ends:

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