You might have thought it was the apocalypse, as a bunch of anti-NATO and pro-Palestinian rioters damaged property and set some cars on fire in Montreal (as the city was set to host a meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Association, which is NOT a NATO leaders’ meeting), while Justin Trudeau was at the Taylor Swift concert with is daughter. Suddenly every, particularly a bunch of American blue-check accounts on Twitter, followed by Pierre Poilievre and a bunch of people who should otherwise be rational actors in Canada, were screaming that “Montreal was burning to the ground” (it was not), and treated this like the proverbial Nero fiddling as Rome burns. (Violins were not invented yet, for the record).

Just what do these American blue-checks think that Trudeau could possibly do about what happened in Montreal? It’s explicitly a job for the local police. pic.twitter.com/nkm5GPhkyx

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 23, 2024

Looks like I need to re-post this column: https://t.co/Mx039RBPUw pic.twitter.com/ejlyxqFwDy

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 23, 2024

Without getting into the absolute bullshit that Poilievre was spouting in his lengthy rant, I have to keep asking people what exactly Trudeau should have done? This is explicitly a job for the local police, and it sounds like they shut it down in fairly short order because, well, riots happen in Montreal on a not-infrequent basis. Riots happened during the Harper era, that were frequently about hockey games, but hey, this is all because Trudeau. There was literally nothing Trudeau could have done in the moment. And yes, a bunch of chuds on social media tried to equate this with the invocation of the Emergencies Act during the occupation of downtown Ottawa, as though anything about the two situations were remotely similar, and even then it wouldn’t have made a difference, because the local police shut down those rioters and made arrests. One of the rioters was outed as the owner of a Second Cup franchise, and the company tore up her franchise agreement the next day. (Consequences!) All things that Trudeau could do nothing about because it’s not his role or responsibility. People need to get a gods damned grip.

https://t.co/qbIpQjBKWE pic.twitter.com/8X4uiB6vm2

— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) November 23, 2024

Ukraine Dispatch

President Zelenskyy made another call for more air defences after another mass drone attack overnight Saturday; Zelenskyy also noted that since last July, 321 port infrastructure facilities have been damaged. Military sources have said that Russia has lost over 40 percent of the territory it took in the Kursk region of Russia. Here’s a look back at the past week in the conflict, and how the pace has accelerated with long-range missile strikes on both sides. Ukrainian forces are studying the remains of those new Russian missiles.

This week, air raid alerts have sounded almost daily across Ukraine. Just last night, our air defense forces managed to shot down nearly 50 strike drones. Over the past week, Russia has launched more than 800 guided aerial bombs, around 460 strike drones, and over 20 missiles of… pic.twitter.com/wUeKmbGcIF

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) November 24, 2024

⚡️Russia preparing to break through to southern Donetsk Oblast, military says.

"The enemy is trying to break through to the south of Donetsk region, where Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts meet," Southern Command Spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn said.https://t.co/YdeKcBTGt6

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) November 24, 2024

Good reads:

• As expected, Gary Anandasangaree delivered an official apology for the 1950s Inuit dog slaughter in Nunavik, and promised $45 million in compensation.
• At the Halifax Security Forum, General Carignan hit back against the proposed US defence secretary’s comments about women in combat roles.
• It’s your usual reminder that the “Two billion trees programme” remains behind schedule, in part because of external factors.
• Here is a look at the complexities around climate financing and ensuring that developing countries get the supports they need.
• The Star tries to get answers from Conservatives and their proxies on their climate plans, and you can bet it’s full of outright delusions.
• With the BC legislature’s Speaker having decided to run again for the job, David Eby has decided to cancel the planned fall sitting of the legislature. (Seriously?)
• Professor Jared Wesley gives a really good breakdown of how populism erodes liberal democracy and turns to authoritarianism, as we’re seeing happen here.
• Kevin Carmichael suggests ways that Ontario could have spent the money for those coming “tax rebate cheques,” much as the federal government should have.
• Susan Delacourt and Matt Gurney debate the notion of Trump’s re-election having an effect on domestic political polling and election outcomes.

Odds and ends:

Horseshoe theory take: The NDP and the CPC are united in their anti-intellectual attitude to economics.

The NDP and the CPC advocate dumb-ass policies not *despite* the fact that economists oppose them, but *because* economists oppose them. https://t.co/rVp0Er2yUi

— Stephen Gordon (@stephenfgordon) November 23, 2024

Rich families buy diapers, too.

The solution to the problems of low-income families is not to make diapers cheaper for everyone, it's to give low-income families more money. https://t.co/0nkyTDXzTu

— Stephen Gordon (@stephenfgordon) November 23, 2024

Need a copy of my book “The Unbroken Machine,” or “Royal Progress,” which I contributed to? Want to give a copy as a gift? Dundurn Press is having a 25% off site wide sale!

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2024-11-18T23:53:05.945Z

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