Roundup: What the Bloc are demanding

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As part of their demands in order to support the government, the Bloc Québécois have been making enriching pensions one of their main demands, and the government has (rightfully) been pushing back, and I’m not sure that everyone understands the issue. Certainly, there are columnists who have missed the details of this, which are actually long-standing, and think that there is enough fuzziness that the government can negotiate around it. No. This has been a specific Bloc demand since the Liberals first put in the policy of enriching OAS for seniors over the age of 75, because those seniors have greater needs and many have depleted their savings. The Bloc even have a private member’s bill that they are currently debating, but naturally this bill is out of order because PMBs can’t spend money, and that’s exactly what this bill is directing them to do. So, they are very specifically demanding a royal recommendation for this bill in order for it to actually be in order, voteable, and that it can do what they want.

It’s not going to happen. It shouldn’t happen, because the whole rationale is off. But they’re going to make life uncomfortable for the government soon enough if they don’t get their way, which is why this issue has taken over the spotlight over the past week.

Here’s Tyler Meredith to explain the proposal and the financial costs, and why it’s not something the government wants to sign onto.

Ukraine Dispatch

Russians made three strikes on Kharkiv, injuring 15. Residents of Kyiv are being told to stay indoors because of smoke from nearby fires. Ukraine has banned officials using the Telegram app because they fear that Russians can access their conversations. President Zelenskyy says that top officials have discussed and come to an agreement around the need for more domestic arms production on faster timelines.

Good reads:

  • MPs are talking about being shoved and screamed at by the Asshole Brigade on Wellington St. (I can vouch for the fact that they scream “Traitor!” at you).
  • Mélanie Joly says that there are about 45,000 Canadians in Lebanon, and she has been urging them to leave, as the exploding pager situation heralds more to come.
  • Joly hosted a meeting with other women foreign ministers in Toronto, calling for the next UN secretary-general to be a woman, along with other global leadership roles.
  • Ahmed Hussen announced $151 million for polio eradication globally, which is back on the radar after it has emerged in Gaza during the war there.
  • Randy Boissonnault admitted he talked to his former business partner in 2022…about a call he got from Purolator because his name was still on the account.
  • Unsurprisingly, the post-secondary sector is warning of “unintended consequences” with the further restrictions on student visas (never mind the abuses in the system).
  • Government MPs on the foreign affairs committee presented a motion about debating the path to Palestinian statehood, and Conservatives filibustered.
  • The Liberal Party’s National Director testified at the Foreign Interference Inquiry that he didn’t read the NSICOP report around Han Dong’s nomination.
  • Stephanie Carvin puts context around what we know about Russians using far-right influencers, including two Canadians, and what those operations are really about.
  • Justin Ling talks to the filmmaker behind the controversial Russians at War film.

Odds and ends:

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