Day twenty-one, and it was a fairly quiet one on the campaign, with the announcements fairly low-key. Mark Carney was in Ottawa, and announced his plans for a “Canada Strong Pass” that would so things like discount national park and museum access, give free children’s fares on VIA Rail (if accompanied by an adult), and reduce prices for camping at said national parks, as a way to help Canadians enjoy more of their vacations in this country. He also had a call with the secretary general of NATO, as the Conservatives accuse him of “hiding,” and using his office as a “free ride.” Carney will be in Montreal today to appear on Tout le monde en parle, which is a pretty big gamble given his French.

Pierre Poilievre was in Ottawa, and promised sweeping reforms to veterans’ pensions and disability benefits, but offered no contrition for the treatment of veterans when he was last in government, and in fact, praised certain Harper-era veterans programmes while he was at it. He also insisted that he would made any changes to Medical Assistance in Dying laws (which one presumes means it won’t expand to cover other conditions as it was supposed to). Poilievre will remain in Ottawa this morning.

Jagmeet Singh was in Timmins, Ontario, for an event in the evening, but made no announcements. Singh remains in Timmins for the morning, and heads to Toronto later in the day.

In other campaign news, here is a deeper dive into the Conservatives’ tough-on-crime proposals, and why the courts are likely to strike them down. That said, the Conservatives are also planning to appoint more “conservative” judges, which would just wind up politicizing the judiciary. Here’s a look at the problem of “energy corridors” that both Poilievre and Carney have broached, and why they’re a lot harder than they sound. Here is a rundown of the races in the suburbs of Toronto, where the Conservatives would need to make inroads if they hope to win. If the polls hold, there could be a lot more Liberal seats in urban Alberta, which will likely mean a lot more talk of crybaby separatism.

https://twitter.com/MikePMoffatt/status/1911090729855647904

Ukraine Dispatch

Russia launched a barrage of 88 drones, of which 56 were shot down, and there were four injuries and damage to buildings in Kyiv. A guided bomb hit a house in Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, injuring four. Russia is complaining that Ukraine hit five energy infrastructure sites in the past day, violating the “energy ceasefire.”

Good reads:

• A group of bankers and business leaders have taken out ads to support Poilievre, hoping for (wait for it), tax cuts and reduced regulations. (Shocking, I know).
• The ongoing investigation into the mass strip-search at Ontario’s Maplehurst jail is culminating in a lot of reduced sentences.
• Here’s a look at young Gen Z men and “cultural conservatism,” which is being polite for racist, misogynistic and homophobic as they head down a fascistic path.
• Justin Ling praises the Greens for bringing a few fresh ideas to the table where the main parties are not.

Odds and ends:

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