{"id":6482,"date":"2018-03-14T05:38:15","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T09:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/?p=6482"},"modified":"2018-03-14T01:04:43","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T05:04:43","slug":"roundup-reading-the-constitution-and-a-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/2018\/03\/14\/roundup-reading-the-constitution-and-a-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Roundup: Reading the constitution and a map"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The constitutional lunacy taking place in Alberta shows no signs of abating, especially now that Jason Kenney has taken his seat in the legislature. Already they have debated a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalnewswatch.com\/2018\/03\/13\/alberta-politicians-vote-unanimously-to-back-province-in-oil-pipeline-fight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">motion to back<\/a> the province\u2019s fight for pipeline access in BC, but the demands they\u2019re making that Justin Trudeau invoke Section 92(10)(c) of the Constitution are wrong and bogus. Why? That section applies to projects that are of the national interest but are only within a single province\u2019s boundaries \u2013 which this pipeline is not. So here\u2019s Andrew Leach to pour some necessary scorn onto the whole thing, while Carissima Mathen, a constitutional law professor, backs him up.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Was glad to hear @GregClark4AB speak in favour of using 92(10)(c): "The AB Gov't needs to step up & aggressively send that message to Ottawa, that Ottawa needs to invoke section 92(10)(c) of the Constitution, that this is<br \/>a project in the general interest of our country." <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ableg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ableg<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Me46c8RGKf\">https:\/\/t.co\/Me46c8RGKf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>— Jason Kenney \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf1 (@jkenney) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jkenney\/status\/973346851310063617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 12, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">You will also note that 92(10) specifically excludes its application for pipelines connecting two provinces. In case you have a 9 year old handy, I've attached a map and Section 92(10). <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KfoKxbwB74\">pic.twitter.com\/KfoKxbwB74<\/a><\/p>\n<p>— Andrew Leach (@andrew_leach) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/andrew_leach\/status\/973349725444468736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 13, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The only thing you'd confirm by invoking 92 (10) (c) for TMX is that you can't read one of the constitution act or a map. Or both. I suppose it could be both.<\/p>\n<p>— Andrew Leach (@andrew_leach) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/andrew_leach\/status\/973351373025824768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 13, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/cmathen\/status\/973381038075359232<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Kenney is playing an utterly disingenuous game of semantics with his objection to the province\u2019s carbon tax, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/edmonton\/jason-kenney-carbon-tax-alberta-pipelines-1.4574146\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">insisting<\/a> that it didn\u2019t give them the \u201csocial licence\u201d to get their pipelines approved. But to suggest that was the only value of such a tax is to be deliberately misleading. The real purpose of a carbon price is to provide a market signal for industry to reduce their emissions, by providing them a financial incentive for them to do so. It\u2019s proven the most efficient way to reduce emissions in the most cost-effective manner possible, and while correlation may not be causation, it has bene pointed out that those jurisdictions in the country that have implemented carbon pricing have roaring economies, while those resisting one (such as Saskatchewan) don\u2019t. Whether there is a correlation or not, provinces like BC have shown that the carbon tax allows them to lower other taxes which are generally less efficient taxes regardless. As for social licence, it\u2019s part of the overall balancing act to show that there is a sufficient plan to achieve reductions as part of transitioning to a low-carbon future, but I\u2019m not sure that anyone suggested that it would magically end all protests (and if they did, they were fools for doing so). But for Kenney to claim that this was the promise is utter nonsense.<\/p>\n<p>Like the bogus calls to invoke Section 92(10)(c), it\u2019s all about putting forward a plausible-sounding argument in the hopes that the public doesn\u2019t bother to actually read it to see that it\u2019s actually bullshit. But that is apparently how political debate works these days \u2013 disingenuous points that don\u2019t actually resemble reality, or lies constructed to look plausible and hoping that nobody calls you on it, and if they do, well, they\u2019re just apologists or carrying water for your opponents. This isn\u2019t constructive or helpful, and it just feeds the politics of anger and resentment, which in turn poisons the discourse. They all know better, but keep doing it because it\u2019s so addictive, but never mind that the house is burning down around them.<\/p>\n<p><!--more-->Good reads:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Justin Trudeau is talking about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2018-03-13\/trudeau-floats-tariffs-to-prevent-flood-of-steel-through-canada\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">possible measures<\/a> to prevent dumped steel from being transshipped through Canada to the US.<\/li>\n<li>Trudeau did the rounds on American media on Monday night, and <a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/4079068\/justin-trudeau-donald-trump-cnn-anderson-cooper\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">insisted<\/a> that Trump has always been straight with him.<\/li>\n<li>Belgium\u2019s deputy prime minister says a meeting with Trudeau <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalnewswatch.com\/2018\/03\/13\/belgian-deputy-pm-says-a-trudeau-meeting-with-royals-would-have-been-nice-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">would have been nice<\/a>, even though they knew he wasn\u2019t going to be available and came anyway.<\/li>\n<li>Belgium is also <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/mons-gun-gift-1.4573375\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">loaning<\/a> the Canadian War Museum a Canadian artillery gun used in the liberation of Mons at the end of WWI.<\/li>\n<li>The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/new-us-secretary-of-state-canada-connection-1.4574291\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ouster<\/a> of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could be a blow for Canada-US relations, as our allies in the administration are dwindling.<\/li>\n<li>Carolyn Bennett says that there <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/indigenous-advocates-student-abuse-1.4574369\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">will be compensation<\/a> for residential school survivors who were abused by other students.<\/li>\n<li>The Bank of Canada governor says there\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/business\/stephen-poloz-canadian-dollar-loonie-1.4574167\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">still slack<\/a> in the economy and untapped potential in the labour market; also, higher deficits <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/poloz-bank-public-debt-1.4574889\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prevented<\/a> more household debt.<\/li>\n<li>The government <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/oceans-protection-plan-1.4574451\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">unveiled<\/a> more of their Oceans Protection Plan, which will include more measures to address marine life such as orcas.<\/li>\n<li>As of last year, the military was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/politics\/military-finds-multiple-gaps-in-support-for-victims-of-sexual-misconduct-1.4573315\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">still finding gaps<\/a> in their attempts to address sexual misconduct within their ranks, and to assist victims.<\/li>\n<li>Andrew Scheer wrote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/notes\/andrew-scheer\/lettre-ouverte-aux-qu\u00e9b\u00e9coises-et-qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois\/1958837154150027\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">open letter<\/a> to Quebec, hoping that they will look to his party if they\u2019re disappointed with the Liberals and the Bloc.<\/li>\n<li>The Conservatives have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalnewswatch.com\/2018\/03\/13\/tories-hire-toronto-lawyer-to-lead-probe-into-partys-handling-of-dykstra-case-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hired<\/a> a Toronto lawyer to look into their handling of the Rick Dykstra nomination during the last election.<\/li>\n<li>Brad Trost <a href=\"http:\/\/thestarphoenix.com\/news\/local-news\/i-screwed-up-brad-trost-chalks-up-nomination-loss-to-complacency\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">chalks up<\/a> his nomination loss to complacency and exhaustion.<\/li>\n<li>Saskatchewan\u2019s environment minister is <a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/4081481\/sask-environment-minister-confident-in-carbon-tax-legal-challenge-despite-unanswered-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">confident<\/a> in their legal challenge of the federal carbon price backstop. That could prove foolhardy.<\/li>\n<li>Here\u2019s a look at why Jason Kenney <a href=\"http:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/politics\/doug-ford-and-albertas-jason-kenney-why-they-wont-be-friends\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">may not be an ally<\/a> of Doug Ford.<\/li>\n<li>Paul Wells <a href=\"http:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/politics\/ottawa\/farewell-to-chrystia-freelands-man-in-washington\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">notes<\/a> the loss of Chrystia Freeland\u2019s greatest ally in Washington, Tillerson, while John Ivison notes his replacement is the Liberals\u2019 <a href=\"http:\/\/nationalpost.com\/news\/politics\/john-ivison-why-trumps-new-top-diplomat-could-be-bad-news-for-canada\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">antithesis<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Susan Delacourt <a href=\"https:\/\/ipolitics.ca\/2018\/03\/13\/ford-is-no-trump-hes-a-lot-more-like-harper\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lists the ways<\/a> in which Doug Ford is more like Stephen Harper than Donald Trump.<\/li>\n<li>My <a href=\"https:\/\/looniepolitics.com\/two-years-of-the-isg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">column<\/a> notes the two-year anniversary of the Independent Senators Group, and the gradual loss of institutional memory that their ascendance signals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Odds and ends:<\/p>\n<p>Tristin Hopper cheekily <a href=\"http:\/\/nationalpost.com\/news\/world\/heres-a-helpful-suggestion-belgium-how-about-getting-a-less-confusing-flag\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suggests<\/a> that Belgium find themselves a less confusing flag.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s an interesting look at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/opinion\/what-happened-the-last-time-someone-tried-to-make-ontario-great-again\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">origins<\/a> of populist politics in the 1890s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The constitutional lunacy taking place in Alberta shows no signs of abating, especially now that Jason Kenney has taken his seat in the legislature. Already they have debated a motion to back the province\u2019s fight for pipeline access in BC, … <a href=\"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/2018\/03\/14\/roundup-reading-the-constitution-and-a-map\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[41],"tags":[498,44,547,32,98,411,134,100,465,357,154,26,132],"class_list":["post-6482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-roundup","tag-andrew-scheer","tag-canadian-forces","tag-doug-ford","tag-environment","tag-first-nations","tag-harassment","tag-jason-kenney","tag-justin-trudeau","tag-kinder-morgan","tag-nominations","tag-populism","tag-the-senate","tag-trade"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2jJFQ-1Gy","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6482"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6483,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6482\/revisions\/6483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.routineproceedings.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}