Tag Archives: Border

Roundup: Cozying up to separatists for the wrong reasons

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The state of the UCP leadership contest in Albert continues to plumb new depths as many of the candidates are attending an event put on by a separatist group and Rebel “News”, without any particular compunction about doing so. Indeed, they are cosying up to these separatists openly, because they suffer from this completely insane misapprehension that threats of separatism gave Quebec all kinds of things from the federal government when that’s not true at all. In fact, the first referendum in Quebec quickly hollowed out its business sector—Montreal used to be the financial capital of the country, but the threat of separation had all of those head offices depart for Toronto, and the province’s economy suffered for decades as a result. Alberta will be little different if they start using the threat of separation to try and extract concession from Ottawa. As for the fact that this kind of event is selling access, that’s fairly par for the course in Alberta. The old one-party state system was rife with this kind of corruption, where business leaders got their way by donating to the party, or meeting the minister at the Petroleum Club for drinks, and the like. Access was absolutely for sale, and these UCP candidates are carrying on that corrupt tradition.

Meanwhile, when it comes to reminders that Stephen Harper sang the praises of the World Economic Forum when he was prime minister, I’m suspect any cognitive dissonance among the likes of Brian Jean in Alberta or Pierre Poilievre federally will be shrugged off, though it was pointed out to me that there is little indication that the conspiracy wing of the Conservative Party cares what Stephen Harper thinks, and I suspect that is true.

https://twitter.com/davidakin/status/1558184731187056640

Ukraine Dispatch, Day 171:

The focus remains on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and shelling in the area, which both sides blame each other for. While Russia controls the plant, Ukrainian engineers continue to operate it, and Ukrainian forces are moving to counterattack in the region, while in the Donetsk region, there was more shelling of the eastern town of Kramotorsk.

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Roundup: A deal to ship grain?

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We’re now in day one-hundred-and-fifty of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and an agreement has been signed that will allegedly allow Ukrainian grain to flow again from their Black Sea ports. Allegedly. No one really trusts Russia to actually live up to their end of the bargain, but we’ll see. Apparently one of the conditions to this agreement is that Ukraine doesn’t raise the issue of the grain that Russia stole from them, so we’ll see what happens from here. Meanwhile, CBC has a video package of the past week in the war.

https://twitter.com/Podolyak_M/status/1550434643094249472

https://twitter.com/AlexGabuev/status/1550537176592822272

https://twitter.com/ThreshedThought/status/1550450333545123841

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Roundup: Collapsing hospital care is a crisis for premiers

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It’s on or about day one-hundred-and-forty-six of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Russian forces have shelled the city of Toretsk in the Donestk region, smashing more buildings as they continue to try and take control of the area. Ukraine is also calling out Russia’s conduct when it comes to prisoners of war, citing illegal treatment.

Meanwhile, there are no assurances around weapons that Canada is sending to Ukraine that they’re being tracked so that they can ensure they won’t wind up on the black market. NATO partners are having discussion about this, but Canada is merely monitoring rather than participating. Ukrainian officials assure Canada that they are closely monitoring any movement of weapons, as are our allies, and are insisting that information to the contrary is likely Russian disinformation.

Closer to home, emergency rooms are closing in some parts of the country as hospitals are facing a severe staff shortage, particularly among nurses. And gosh, it’s quite a coincidence that Ontario gave nurses an effective pay cut that they haven’t reversed, or that Alberta tried to cut nurses’ pay because they said they were making too much relative to nurses in other provinces. No, seriously, that’s their case. This is while the premiers have mishandled COVID, refuse to do the simplest things like mask mandates at this point, and then wondering why the hospitals, which never recovered from the previous waves of the pandemic, are once again collapsing. A very cynical person might think premiers have created this situation, either to pressure the federal government to hand them more money without strings, or to set up the conditions to force more private delivery of care (which won’t actually do anything about staffing or resources other than distribute them toward those who can pay), but it looks clear that they aren’t prepared to give the necessary damn that the situation requires, and that’s a problem.

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Roundup: Allegations of interference still not adding up

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It’s day one-hundred-and-twenty-seven of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and a major prisoner swap took place, securing the release of 144 Ukrainian soldiers, including 95 of the defenders of Mariupol. The majority of those prisoners swapped were badly wounded. It sounds like an equal number of Russian fighters, as well as so-called Donetsk separatists, were released as part of the swap.

Closer to home, we got another denial from Bill Blair about any interference in the Nova Scotia mass-shooting investigation, and he speaks reasonably authoritatively enough about knowing where the line is given his previous life as a police chief. And there is not a lot of things adding up around these allegations of interference, particularly that the forthcoming order-in-council around banning assault-style rifles, which they would have needed to work on for weeks or months, so it was pretty much baked-in by that point if it was announced days later, and they would have been in consultation with the RCMP over it. The notion that releasing the information could have jeopardized the investigation has been debunked, especially given that the shooter’s spouse could tell them all that information. To add to that, the PMO had already been given the information on the guns thanks to the National Security Advisor, so again, there wouldn’t have been any need for interference if that’s what you’re calling it. Now, we all know that the very first question reporters would have asked when the announcement on the OiC came down was whether the guns used in this shooting would be covered, so again, this seems like fairly basic disclosure that they knew was coming. And if anyone is clutching their pearls over the Liberals politicizing a mass shooting—which is actually appropriate—then they haven’t watched Question Period, where tragedies are politicised every single day. Also, not to be forgotten, the Justice Department isn’t holding onto documents on behalf of the government—they’re acting as the lawyers for the RCMP in this situation, so this likely has to do with the advice they are receiving from their clients. Again, the allegations that this is some kind of cover-up are not adding up.

But these issues aside, let’s be clear—the RCMP in Nova Scotia had just shit the bed. Massively. They didn’t disclose information that could have saved lives, they lied to the media, and they have been increasingly caught out about it, and a lot of this sounds like deflection, particularly because they are butthurt that Commissioner Lucki chewed them out about it. Like I said, stuff isn’t adding up about the supposed “interference,” but I would again remind you that we should not be credulously believing everything the RCMP are saying, particularly as they are in the middle of justifying and deflecting around what happened, and the fact that they were trying to keep from disclosing information unnecessarily.

https://twitter.com/Garossino/status/1541940693492330496

https://twitter.com/Garossino/status/1541960867863863296

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Roundup: On oaths to the Queen

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We’re in day one-hundred-and-twenty-six of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and much of the attention has been on the reverberations of the attack on the shopping centre in Kremenchuk, where the death toll is up to 18, with more than 20 missing, and many more wounded. French president Emmanuel Macron denounced the attack, and said that because of it, Russia “cannot and should not win” the war (but then again, Macron’s attempts to get Ukraine to give territorial concessions to end the conflict is not exactly reflecting well on him either). As well, CBC interviews a Ukrainian marine who survived the battle of Mariupol with severe injuries before spending two weeks as a Russian prisoner of war before he was able to be sent back to Ukraine for treatment.

https://twitter.com/MFA_Ukraine/status/1541839370747011072

Meanwhile, Turkey has dropped their objections to Finland and Sweden joining NATO, which means that their membership can move ahead. This while NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is talking about an eight-fold increase in Western troops being placed at an increased state of readiness, and more troops headed to the Baltic states, to make Russia very aware that they really, really shouldn’t cross their borders.

https://twitter.com/ChristinsQueens/status/1541845991225278474

Closer to home, I spent way too much time yesterday being angry at a garbage piece of Canadian Press wire copy that was bad PR masquerading as a news story. I mean, we’re not even a week into Parliament’s summer recess, and this is what CP is using as void fill for the news hole? The piece claims that 56 percent of Canadians oppose the oath of allegiance to the Queen, then cites a “poll,” but it wasn’t actually a poll, it was online panels that are not actually random samples, but that fact isn’t mentioned until six paragraphs down. The only person quoted in the piece is the guy who runs the think tank who commissioned the panels, and he says that most Canadians are unaware that newcomers have to swear an oath to be “faithful to the Royal Family,” which is a wilful distortion of the truth. The oath is to the Queen and her “heirs and successors,” because heredity is kind of the point of monarchy. It’s not the whole Royal Family. Nobody is swearing fealty to Prince Andrew, or even Princess Anne for that matter. And for a think tank that claims to be devoted to increasing Canadians’ knowledge of their country, that kind of distortion is malpractice at best, but I suspect it’s more about trying to build a case that the monarchy is not a unifying force, particularly for immigrants. As for the CP journalist, this was simply retyping a press release with no added context. There were no basic civics in there about how we’re a constitutional monarchy, that the Queen of Canada is different from the Queen of the UK, or that the oath to the Queen is not to her natural person, but to the Crown as the central organizing principle of our constitution (which is why we would need to rewrite the entire thing if we ever were insane enough to ditch the monarchy—not that we would ever get the unanimous agreement of the provinces to do so). It’s really disappointing that CP has descended to this kind of stenography when they used to be one of the most enviable bureaux on the Hill.

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Roundup: Inviting anti-vaxx organisers onto the Hill

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It’s day one-hundred-and-twenty of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and no news out of Severodonetsk is presumed to be good news. That said, Russian forces have captured three other villages in the region, near the city of Lysychansk, which is across the river from Severokonetsk, so there is still movement in the region. There is optimism in the country, however, that their bid to join the EU will pass to the next stage during a summit this week. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, addressed University of Toronto students, and called on them to pressure governments to provide more aid to Ukraine.

Closer to home, a group of Conservative MPs, including leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis, hosted a trio of anti-vaxxer extremists and occupation organisers ahead of their planned Canada Day protests, and they did it within one of the Parliamentary office buildings just off of the Hill. Included in the group were a former Reservist being charged for a video promoting the occupation while in uniform, a former Trump advisor, and a former spokesperson for the occupation. And in case it’s not clear, they’re no longer talking about vaccine mandates, which have pretty much ended everywhere, but about regime change, and Conservatives are condoning it, if not outright encouraging it by saying “you have allies.” That’s not good. It’s especially not good when they’re talking about civil war in their discourse. Oh, and Candice Bergen’s office was aware this was going on, and did nothing to shut it down. It’s just unbelievable how clueless they are around this issue, when there is real potential for these violent online narratives to manifest into a real-world attack.

https://twitter.com/davidakin/status/1539718763465031680

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/1539663123485179904

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/1539693666830278660

https://twitter.com/StephanieCarvin/status/1539695139613945856

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QP: Gathering a few more outrage clips before summer

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While the prime minister was at the tail end of his COIVD isolation, he did not make a virtual appearance today, while his deputy was in Toronto in order to meet with her American counterpart, and only one other leader was present. Candice Bergen led off, script on her mini-lectern, and she declared that the government had no plan to deal with inflation other than “mismanagement” and “out of control spending.” Randy Boissonnault reminded her that the Conservatives ran on a plan for higher deficit spending than the Liberals did, and listed indexed benefits for people. Bergen demanded a reduction in federal taxes in order to ease gasoline prices, insisting that the Liberals say no to good ideas. Jonathan Wilkinson said they were doing the right thing, which was dealing with supply constraints caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Bergen then pivoted to higher crime rates, and made the false equivalence of the handgun freeze with the bill to remove mandatory minimums that target Black and Indigenous people. Marco Mendicino accused Bergen of not reading the bill, because it raises penalties on gun smugglers, while the Conservatives want to make AR-15s legal again. Bergen listed the recent sins, real or imagined, of a number of ministers, declaring the government of being a “disaster.” Mark Holland pointed out that the government has seen the government grow the economy, lift people out of poverty, and was focused on delivering for Canadians while Bergen was trolling from subject to subject for attack lines. Luc Berthold took over in French, and he recited his own list of alleged “chaotic incompetence” and wondered who would stand up to the prime minister, to which Boissonnault listed supports for Canadians that Conservatives voted against, while they are trying to find some “snappy lines for Twitter.” (I think you mean clips for future shitposts, though I grant you that may not be parliamentary language).

Alain Therrien warned that police needed to intervene with lines at passport offices, and that the situation was out of control. Ya’ara Saks responded that they have added more resources, including to MP lines to get help to those who need it in time. Therrien was incensed, raising a memo that said that help for MPs’ offices was being ended only to have been withdrawn hours later, citing this as signs of incompetence. Saks repeated her assurances, giving some figures on the additional resources.

Alexandre Boulerice rose for the NDP, and railed that the government wasn’t doing enough to help people deal with inflation, citing that the GST credit only increases by $7 dollars? Randy Boissonnault insisted that this was false, and listed other measures that the government was taking, including indexed benefits. Daniel Blaikie took over in English, and repeated the demand for enriched supports, while Boissonnault insisted this was nothing more than cynicism before he repeated his same points.

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QP: Still on repeat, again and again

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While Justin Trudeau was isolating, he had once again pledged to appear by Zoom, and lo, he did, and all of the other leaders were present as well. Candice Bergen led off, her script in front of her, and she raised Bill Blair’s testimony at committee yesterday, insisting that this was a contradiction to what Marco Mendicino had previously said. (Not really, because apparently there is no room for nuance in politics). She insisted that Mendicino was “misleading” Canadians and demanded his removal from the portfolio. Justin Trudeau reminded her that police do not give themselves emergency powers, that the government does, and that these measures were debated and voted upon in the House of Commons after police and municipalities said they needed more tools to end the occupation and blockades. Bergen listed the supposed misinformation that led to the invocation, torquing what was actually stated at the time and in the confusion of the events. Trudeau noted that the Bergen and the Conservatives were scrambling to make people forget their support for the occupation. Bergen insisted that Mendicino must be covering for the prime minister’s problems, which makes no sense, but nevertheless Trudeau noted the job losses and factories being closed as a result of the occupation and the other blockades at borders. Bergen went off on a tangent about Trudeau supposedly firing strong women who stand up to him but keeping weak ministers (and had Chrystia Freeland been in attendance, I would have been curious to see her gestures in response), and Trudeau reiterated that the Conservatives were trying to cover that they were in the wrong. Bergen tried to extend that tangent, bringing up other weak ministers like Harjit Sajjan, and Trudeau repeated his asserting that this was about the Conservatives deflection from being on the wrong side.

Yves-François Blanchet led for the Bloc, and he too insisted that Mendicino had misled Parliament because police did not request the Emergencies Act, and Trudeau reminded him that police don’t request powers and that it is up to governments to make those decisions, which they did after police said they needed new tools. Blanchet reiterated that someone wasn’t telling the truth, and Trudeau repeated his response.

Jagmeet Singh rose for the Bloc, reciting dubious statistics about how inflation is hurting Canadians, and insisted that the government was refusing to give direct support to families who need it. Trudeau suggested he talk to families who had their childcare costs cut in half thanks to federal intervention, and that the indexed benefits would be rolling out in weeks. Singh repeated his question in French, demanding support for their proposal to increase the GST credit and Canada Child Benefit, and Trudeau said that he CCB was already going up in weeks because of indexing. 

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QP: Stuck on Repeat

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While in isolation for his COVID diagnosis, the prime minister pledged to appear virtually, and all of the other leaders were present for a change. Candice Bergen led off, script in front of her, and she went on a paean about telling the truth—which is rich coming from her—and demanded that the prime minister have Marco Mendicino step away from his job. Justin Trudeau, by video, read a list of people who stated at the time of the occupation who stated that their powers had been exhausted, which is why they invoked the Emergencies Act. Bergen outright demanded Mendicino’s resignation, and Trudeau reminded her police should not be able to grant themselves emergency powers, which is why government invoked the Act to give them powers that he listed. Bergen again demanded Mendicino resign, and Trudeau said that this was about the Conservatives trying to hope people forgot their support for the occupation. Bergen then pivoted to the bureaucrat who attended the Russian Embassy party, and Trudeau responded by saying he just got off the phone with Voldoymyr Zelenskyy, but did state that the attendance was unacceptable. Bergen said that the minister must be either dishonest or incompetent, and Trudeau repeated that he just spoke with Zelenskyy and that this did not come up because it wasn’t important in the grand scheme of what is Canada is doing for Ukraine.

Yves-François Blanchet led for the Bloc, and he cited the Globe and Mail in saying that the government knew their GHG reductions targets were not credible. Trudeau disputed this, citing those who support the plan which he termed “realistic and ambitious.” Blanchet disputed their support and raised the “fantasy” of carbon sequestration, and Trudeau repeated the list of those who supported the feasibility of their plan.

Jagmeet Singh rose for the NDP, and he cited a survey response that one quarter of Canadians would not be able to afford their homes if interest rates go up—a figure I have serious doubts about—and demanded direct action to help people to keep their homes. Trudeau recited his talking points about the measures the government is taking to increase housing affordability. Singh repeated the demand in French, and Trudeau recited the French version of the same talking points.

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Roundup: Running out of patience on procedural warfare

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It’s day one-hundred-and-eleven of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Russian forces have destroyed the final bridge connecting Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, which cuts off the escape route for other civilians in the region. In echoes of the siege of Mariupol, there are allegedly people sheltering below a chemical plant, and Russians are telling those trapped in Severodonetsk to surrender or die. This is giving urgency to the calls for western governments to hurry up with their deliveries of heavy weapons in order to force Russians back. Elsewhere, more mass graves have been found near Bucha, and exhumations have begun. Here is a look at the network helping to transport vulnerable elderly Ukrainians out of the conflict zones toward safer destinations further west.

https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1536273801599672321

Closer to home, there are eight scheduled sitting days left in the House of Commons before the summer break, and the government is trying to move on several key pieces of legislation in the face of Conservative obstruction. While the bill to preserve Quebec’s seat count is likely to pass with little issue, Conservatives continue to fight the bill to remove mandatory minimum sentences, and the changes to the broadcasting rules to include online platforms. The Commons spent the day moving a programming motion on the online bill that includes mandating that it finishes up at committee by the end of the week, while the Conservatives decry this as draconian and undemocratic, and so on. They’ve completely ground the progress of the bill to a halt at committee, and are insisting they need to hear from more witnesses, never mind that they have wasted the time of the witnesses who have tried to appear by filibustering on procedural issues. Also never mind that they would not tolerate the same level of obstruction when they were in government, where they simply time allocated everything from the start rather than negotiate timelines. Of course, that’s the thing about procedural warfare, is that eventually something has to give, and seeing as the Liberals have the support of the NDP, their patience has run out. Nobody is acting responsibly here, and it’s just one giant gong show at this point. Perhaps eight more days is too long.

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