Roundup: Stop talking about what they’re talking about

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The one thing everyone was talking about this weekend was Conservative MP Arnold Viersen going on Nate Erskine-Smith’s podcast and just blatantly laying out his anti-abortion (and anti-gay) agenda, and then a) claiming he was ambushed, and b) putting out the vaguest statement ever to walk back his comments and defend The Leader’s position (which is less clear than he likes to pretend).

But as this is happening, we see the country’s Elder Pundits sighing and saying “There the Liberals go again, always talking about abortion,” and “wow, they’re really desperate to pull this card again, especially so early,” when the Conservatives are the ones who keep bringing it up, time after time, but the Elder Pundits keep telling everyone to just ignore it, because that will apparently make it go away. It’s not going away, and they are increasingly emboldened about these kinds of issues because the authoritarians and wannabe-authoritarians are using these very issues to oppress, and to create wedges that they can leverage, but calling that out is a little uncouth. While yes, I do think that backbench suck-up questions on abortion every day in Question Period for a week is overkill, but again, the Conservatives are the ones who keep bringing it up and who keep insisting that they’re going to re-open these issues, and if the leader says they won’t, I don’t feel inclined to believe him because he has lied about every single issue under the sun (which again, the Elder Pundits of this land continue to studiously ignore). Maybe we need to stop ignoring what is right in front of us, Elder Pundits be damned.

As a bonus, here’s a story about Viersen and what a homophobic/transphobic person he really is (on top of his continued bullshit about trying to block porn). He’s not alone in the party on this front. We should be paying attention but the Elder Pundits keep telling us not to. It’s really tiresome.

https://twitter.com/HannahHodson28/status/1796928863265521767

Ukraine Dispatch:

A Russian missile hit residences in Balakliia near Kharkiv, injuring 13. Russians have also continued pounding energy facilities across Ukraine, prompting a fresh plea for more air defences. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy headed to the Asia security summit in Singapore to drum up support for the upcoming peace conference, and to call out China for pressuring countries not to attend.

Good reads:

  • Chrystia Freeland says that the Gaza peace process outlined by President Biden is “an important step” and reiterates the call for a ceasefire and hostage release.
  • Bill Blair met with China’s defence minister in Singapore on Friday, and says he raised concerns about foreign interference and the treatment of Taiwan.
  • The CBSA’s possible strike wouldn’t be for most front-line workers, but there still could be work-to-rule actions taken.
  • Ten years after the Moncton shootings, the RCMP still haven’t dealt with how to train supervisors in the field.
  • Economists have tried to calculate how the Conservatives promise hundreds of dollars in savings if the “gas tax holiday” were applied, and it’s fantasy math.
  • A couple of foreign political science professors observe how Canadians have been spooked by carbon pricing, driving others toward less efficient solutions.
  • Oh, look—a story that is actually focusing on the provincial culpability for delays in the justice system. That’s practically unheard of!
  • The Star tries to figure out the likelihood of Mark Carney leadership bid, and surprising nobody, there is no organising happening.
  • Kevin Carmichael reflects on the resurgence of the G7, and the need not to be complacent in the current moment because it won’t last.
  • Susan Delacourt talks to Stephen Maher about his biography on Trudeau, and points to five things we learn in the book.
  • My weekend column points out that voting isn’t the only avenue for youth engagement, and that there are other avenues that aren’t being taught.

Odds and ends:

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