Roundup: Smith offside the first ministers

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Yesterday was the big day where the plans to counter Trump’s predations started to take shape in public. There was a briefing on the border plans, which includes two leased Blackhawk helicopters, sixty drones, and other new technologies, and statistics to show an 89 percent reduction in migrants crossing from Canada to the US. And then came the first ministers’ meeting and an agreement to have a common front to counter Trump, that everyone signed on except for one premier—Danielle Smith, who was on Zoom from her vacation in Panama. Smith refused to sign onto any agreement that didn’t take the possibility of export taxes of cutting energy flows to the US off the table.

I get Smith’s objections that export taxes or cutting off oil and gas to the US would have an outsized impact on Alberta, and she has a domestic political constituency and a bunch of face-eating leopards in her political house who are looking for an excuse to eat her face the way they did Jason Kenney’s. I do get that. But by publicly disavowing the nuclear option, and threatening a national unity crisis over it, Smith is undermining the negotiating position of the country as a whole, and giving opportunities for Trump to exploit that weakness—and it looks especially bad after she already started to obey in advance and couldn’t wait to start licking his boots, and headed over to Mar-a-Lago at the behest of Kevin “It’s totally not annexation—really!” O’Leary. It makes it hard to see whose side she is on here.

https://twitter.com/gmacofglebe/status/1879645335494262832

Amidst this, I did find myself absolutely incredulous at the response that Doug Ford was getting because he wore a cap that said “Canada is not for sale,” and he was saying things like “Canada comes first.” And suddenly people were praising him left and right, and one columnist went so far as to say that at that moment, he wished Ford was prime minister. Doug Ford. “Fun” uncle Doug. Whose corruption is out in public. Who was pulling this folksy schtick on a day where there was a news story about how one community saw people line up down the block in the wee hours because a new doctor had come to town and would take the first 500 patients, which is a system that Doug Ford allowed to collapse because he was more interested in putting federal dollars toward his deficit than he was to doing anything about the system. And once again, I feel like I’m taking crazy pills. Come on, guys.

Ukraine Dispatch

A massive Russian aerial attack which featured more than 40 missiles and over 70 drones forced preventative power cuts in Ukraine. 25 POWs from each side were exchanged in a deal brokered by the UAE.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau says that he welcomes the ceasefire deal in Gaza, and hopes that it will turn down the temperature here in Canada.
  • Jonathan Wilkinson was in Washington DC to make the case for Canadian energy and resources, and not tariffs.
  • Canada and the US changed a 2012 border agreement so that now both countries share personal information about permanent residents crossing the border.
  • A report shows that some 74,000 Canadians died on waiting lists since 2018—and yet not a single premier is being held to account for these failures.
  • Canadian industry groups want government supports if the Trump tariffs happen.
  • Here’s a look at the Canadian water bombers fighting the fires in LA county.
  • The Leaders’ Debate Commission released the rules for the debates in the next federal election (and of course, Maxime Bernier is sulking).
  • Unsurprisingly, Justin Trudeau won’t run for a seat in the next election.
  • Mark Carney is going to launch is campaign in Edmonton today.
  • Randy Boissonnault says he’s running again—and backing Freeland for leader.
  • The Alberta government is cutting funding to certain disability support groups, particularly those who help people advocate for their needs. (Look surprised!)
  • PhD candidate Heather Bone discusses how Trump’s border demands for stopping drug cartels have proven a failure in Mexico that only increased violent crime.
  • Shannon Proudfoot notes the use of softball interviews by both of the main party leaders as well as Mark Carney in recent weeks.

Odds and ends:

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One thought on “Roundup: Smith offside the first ministers”

  1. I have to say, I’m kind of thrilled to see Doug Ford punching back. And also can hear about line-ups for doctors and know he’s got responsibility for that. I don’t live in Ontario, so it doesn’t put me in a quandary.

    Re Shannon Proudfoot’s column, Canadian media is in no position to criticize. They haven’t yet found a way around Pierre Polievre stonewalling them and actually seem cowed, while often seeming to ambush the Prime Minister and any politician who does take questions. They’ve been reporting on polls slavishly, without giving any context or analysis. Polievre has gotten a free ride for years. Basically, they’ve become boring and mean.

    Pouting because other types of media are getting interviews, that’s weak. That she spent precious column inches on that is the problem.

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