It’s practically an iron law of Canadian politics that the longer a federal leadership contest runs, the more likely they are to start dipping into areas of provincial jurisdiction. With the NDP, well, that’s a given because they refuse to understand the very notion that federalism exists and you can’t just wave away jurisdictional boundaries with “political willpower” (aka Green Lantern Theory), but the Liberals are all pretty much at it right now with their various campaigns.
Chrystia Freeland proposed a plan to give incentives for Canadian-trained doctors and nurses to come home, with a big bonus and a promise to get credential recognition “within 30 days.” I’m not quite sure how this is supposed to work because the federal government doesn’t pay doctors and nurses (except in cases where they are working with Indigenous Services for First Nations and Inuit facilities), and credentials recognition is run by provincial professional colleges, where the federal government has no particular sway, so I’m not sure how she plans to make that happen. As well, most provinces have not done the necessary things to attract and retain doctors and nurses, such as properly increasing their compensation, or reforming how they bill the system, so it’s hard to see how the incentives are in place for them to be tempted by her one-time bonus.
We must capitalize on this difficult moment to strengthen our wonderful country, including our universal public healthcare system.
Join the fight. Commit to vote. https://t.co/OX0nImMAZ4 pic.twitter.com/OEvZmX5IIk
— Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) February 13, 2025
Mark Carney wants to incentivise prefabricated and modular homes…but won’t give any details on how, that would happen. And yes, housing is primarily a provincial responsibility, so again, I’m not sure just what mechanism he wants to use for said promotion.
Karina Gould proposed both reforms to EI, which her government has been sitting on for years (and yes, I know people who were working on said project years ago), and also promised to a “path” toward basic income, which is hugely problematic at the federal level because most social services are delivered by the provinces, and it’s incredibly complex to try and figure out the various supports at different levels. The BC government had an expert panel report on how to make it happen, and their ultimate recommendation was not to proceed with a basic income, but to enhance existing supports because often they are better targeted for people with complex needs. Gould seems to have ignored this research, and even more disappointing was that the CP story about Gould’s proposal talked about the NDP private members’ bill and the Senate public bill which called for a “framework” for basic income, but those bills couldn’t actually make it happen. They were empty because those kinds of bills can’t spend money, and would simply have been moral suasion. Unfortunately, progressives have consistently ignored the research on basic incomes, because it’s a solution in search of problems that they are desperate to try, and if Gould wants “evidence-based” policy, this is not it.
Ukraine Dispatch
Russians launched 140 drones against Ukraine overnight Wednesday, and strikes damaged port facilities in Izmail, while two of the drones landed in neighbouring Moldova. Ukrainian drones hit Russia’s Andreapol oil pumping station, starting a fire. President Zelenskyy appeared to have visited near the front lines at Pokrovsk, praising the good work of the soldiers there. Zelenskyy also said that he would not accept any bilateral “peace deal” that the US reaches with Russia in which Ukraine is not a participant.
Membership in NATO is the strongest security guarantee there is. It is also the cheapest security guarantee there is. – Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, doorstep ahead of @nato Defence Ministers meeting pic.twitter.com/ST87igg4l2
— UkraineWorld (@ukraine_world) February 13, 2025
'Putin is afraid of you' — Zelensky reportedly told Trump during phone call, Axios reports.
During a phone call between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump, Zelensky reportedly told Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin is pretending "he wants a…
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) February 14, 2025
Moldova summoned the Russian ambassador, laid on the table in front of him the debris of Russian drones that attacked Moldovan territory yesterday. pic.twitter.com/CELGCu28t8
— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) February 13, 2025