Roundup: Meeting some “senior officials”

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It was a big day of meetings in Washington—Dominic LeBlanc was there to meet with senior officials to try and talk them out of a trade war, while all of the premiers went down as a pack for the first time, and had their own meetings as well. And then word came down that they got a meeting with the White House, and cancelled the rest of their engagements for the day to hurry over. So just who did they meet with? The deputy chief of staff, and the head of personnel. And after their respectful meeting, said deputy chief of staff sent out a trolling tweet.

This while Danielle Smith insists that “diplomacy is working!” Sure it is. It’s working so well that you got a meeting with the head of White House personnel, and afterwords, they laughed at you on social media and continued making annexation threats and saying to take Trump seriously about it. How exactly does that show that it’s “working”? Yes, you got a thirty-day reprieve for him to keep moving goal posts in order to keep extracting more concessions, while everyone just shrugs and says “He’s a deal-maker.” Have some self-respect.

Ukraine Dispatch

A pre-dawn ballistic missile salvo killed one person in Kyiv. A report suggests that Russia has been able to withstandheavy battlefield losses because of a larger population and newer equipment, but their advantages in terms population and Cole War stockpiles are going to continue degrading over time.

Trump turned his attention to the invasion of Ukraine, and after his defence secretary said that Ukraine can’t expect their proper borders to be restored or NATO membership, Trump himself started talking about Ukraine handing over critical minerals for this bad deal of surrendered land (and people) along with no security guarantees. None of this is good.

Good reads:

  • From Brussels, Justin Trudeau stated that it’s up to Ukraine to decide how the war ends there, and praised trade and defence partnership with the EU.
  • Bill Blair says that Trump’s annexation comments are “disrespectful and concerning,” but doesn’t take them to be a serious threat.
  • The Bank of Canada’s minutes from their last rate decision shows their governing council is worried that a protracted trade war could permanently shrink our GDP.
  • Former National Intelligence Advisor Vincent Rigby worries that Trump will weaponise intelligence-sharing as a future pressure tactic.
  • Trade lawyers discuss the current situation with the Trump presidency.
  • Car thefts are decreasing nationally, but the number remains high in Alberta as all those big, new pick-up trucks are valuable targets.
  • The NDP circulated a memo to their MPs saying that they expect that Mark Carney will call an early election if he wins the Liberal leadership.
  • The former head of Alberta Health Services is suing the government for wrongful dismissal, and is alleging a coverup around overpaying for private surgeries.
  • Jared Wesley lists what makes political scandals stick, particularly in Alberta.
  • Colby Cosh points out just how stupid the aluminium tariffs are given the make-up of the industry in North America.

Odds and ends:

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One thought on “Roundup: Meeting some “senior officials””

  1. You’re a bit hard on the premiers. Trump officials are sure to be as big liars as him.

    I am alarmed at the three territorial premiers discussing cooperation with the US in the Arctic. Like, seriously alarmed.

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