Roundup: Enduring mythologies around cancelled energy projects

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The continued predations by Trump are giving people amnesia about energy projects in this country, and mythologies about what actually happened with projects are taking hold. Energy East is a good example, and people continue to believe fact-free versions of history, or that these projects are somehow still just waiting for approval and that enough political willpower is all that’s needed to get them signed off. But they don’t exist any longer, and the reasons they didn’t move ahead are more complex than the comforting lies they like to tell themselves. As usual, Andrew Leach brought the receipts.

Pierre Poilievre then decided to weigh in, because he’s a trustworthy authority on the history of energy investments in this country, particularly in the Harper era. Oh, wait—this is Poilievre, and everything he says is a lie.

There are so many projects that got approved under the Harper years that never went ahead even during Harper’s majority parliament, but they are happy to blame Trudeau, because it’s a pathology. The 2014 oil crash did permanent damage to the industry, and the recognition of a carbon-constrained future has not helped either. And as much as they like to bemoan “government regulation” on these projects, their attempt at massive de-regulation in the Harper era merely led to a succession of lawsuits and uncertainty, which is what proper regulations seek to avoid. It’s too bad that they refuse to understand that particular lesson.

Ukraine Dispatch

Russia launched a drone and missile strike against Zaporizhzhia overnight Wednesday, killing one and wounding at least 31, leaving tens of thousands without heat or power. Ukraine is drafting new recruitment reforms to attract 18- to -25-year-olds currently exempt from mobilisation orders. NATO’s Secretary General says that he wants the US to keep sending arms to Ukraine, and that he’s sure that Europe will pay for them if necessary.

Good reads:

  • Mélanie Joly is off again to Washington to meet with Marco Rubio, while Trump decided on a whim that NATO targets should be 5% of GDP for defence spending.
  • Trump told the World Economic Forum that the US doesn’t need Canadian oil and gas, autos, or lumber, all of which is hilariously wrong.
  • The government wants to use more AI to help clear the backlog of Phoenix pay system transactions, which I’m sure won’t cause any problems. (Yeesh).
  • Here’s a look at the state of the Royal Canadian Navy, which is short-handed and dealing with aging ships that are increasingly breaking down.
  • FINTRAC suspects that online gambling sites are being used to launder the proceeds of fentanyl production and trafficking. (Way to go letting them proliferate!)
  • A residential schools memorial will be placed on Parliament Hill near West Block.
  • The Supreme Court of Canada has granted leave to hear the case against Quebec’s so-called “secularism” law. CP gathered some reaction quotes.
  • It was deadline day for Liberal leadership entrants, and there are officially seven in the race, including latecomer Ruby Dhalla, another former MP (who has no hope).
  • The president of the youth wing of the Liberal Party is pushing the party to find ways to reconnect with youth concerns, as Poilievre has swept the demographic.
  • Green-turned-Liberal MP Jenica Atwin says she’s not running again.
  • Pierre Poilievre says he wouldn’t make any big changes to the equalisation programme, which is going to cause a lot of cognitive dissonance among followers.
  • Having used his “Captain Canada” routine to make everyone forget about his corruption, Doug Ford plans to call an unnecessary snap election on Wednesday.
  • Scott Moe has decided he wants individual school boards to hire genital inspectors for change rooms, not the provincial government, which is typical of him.

Odds and ends:

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