Justin Trudeau will be meeting with (most of) the premiers today, to talk about the border plans in advance of Trump’s inauguration. Some premiers will be virtual, however, such as PEI premier Dennis King, who is currently on a bus trip to the northeastern states with a number of officials from the province. And it has already been noted that there are separate media availabilities after the meeting is over—the federal government in one location, the premiers moving to a hotel to have theirs.
In advance of the meeting, we’re hearing more pledges for “border officers” from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec, and Doug Ford was once again chirping about the supposed absence of federal leadership until he had a meeting with Dominic LeBlanc yesterday at Queen’s Park, after which he suddenly changed his tune. At that point, he praised the federal plan as “phenomenal,” which pretty much goes to show that the federal government has been working on it, and that in not responding and lighting their hair on fire with every Trump utterance that they are keeping their powder dry.
I get why Trudeau and the government have been keeping their heads down, but they have also created a problem for themselves. They should probably have been sending stronger signals to the provinces that they are working on said plan and to shut up in public rather than undermine the country’s position, but it’s not like they’ll all listen—particularly those premiers who are keen to suck up to Trump. Nevertheless, if this PMO’s persistent problem is their inability to communicate, they appear to be making no effort to change that on their way out the door. Cripes.
#cdnpoli https://t.co/nBUdtAx9qa
— Dale Smith (@journo_dale) January 15, 2025
Ukraine Dispatch
Ukrainian air defences shot down 58 out of 80 drones in an overnight attack on Tuesday, while Russian forces claim to have taken control of two more settlements in the Donetsk region. Ukraine launched a major missile and drone attack into Russian territory, destroying a storage facility holding guided bombs and struck a chemical plant making ammunition. Ukrainian soldiers are also being forced to deal with suicide attacks by North Korean troops.
https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1879180179613872494
Metinvest suspends operations at Pokrovsk coal mine amid security concerns.
Metinvest, Ukraine's largest steel producer, has suspended operations at the Pokrovsk coking coal mine in Donetsk Oblast due to worsening security conditions and power outages.https://t.co/1UXUhTzLJz
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) January 14, 2025
Good reads:
- Pascale St-Onge is using Elon Musk as the cudgel for why CBC and its fact-checking are really necessary, particularly as Poilievre sucks up to him.
- Harjit Sajjan is using the example of Canadian firefighters helping in Los Angeles as examples of our sovereignty and close relationship.
- The government is imposing further restrictions on work permits for the families of international students.
- The future of the dental care and pharmacare programmes are in doubt because the government won’t have time to fully implement them (thanks to the NDP).
- A recent study says that ten percent of Canadians live in communities that will be affected by the green transition in some way.
- Both Christy Clark and François-Philippe Champagne officially bowed out of the leadership race, leaving questions about the party in Quebec.
- Karina Gould is set to enter the leadership race, Mark Carney is expected to announce on Thursday from Edmonton, and Chrystia Freeland within days.
- For those seriously considering Mark Carney as an option, the CBC has a look at the rules around becoming prime minister without a seat in Parliament.
- The Conservatives want the government to stop collecting the new capital gains taxes because the legislation didn’t pass (because they filibustered it to the end).
- David Moscrop suspects that if Poilievre does form government, that he’ll flame out within a couple of years because his policies are so paper-thin.
- Andrew Coyne calls out Kevin O’Leary’s “it’s totally not annexation” annexation grift.
- Colby Cosh agrees with the point that Carney getting into politics violates the importance of the neutrality of central bankers.
- Paul Wells remarks on the last week in politics, from Trudeau’s listlessness, to Mark Carney’s soft launch, and Jenni Byrne’s attack-dog tactics.
- My column looks at people who have never run for office trying to win the top job without necessarily understanding the skills involved in politics.
Odds and ends:
My Loonie Politics Quick Take explains the Liberal leadership $350,000 entry fee and why people have misconceptions based on American politics.
For National Magazine, I look into key bills that died on the Order Paper during prorogation and what it means if they don’t come back before an election.
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