Roundup: Ford blames Trudeau for his failures (again)

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You’re seeing a lot of blame being placed at the federal government for the rising crime rates, and a tonne of disinformation about the so-called “catch and release” bail system, which is not catch-and-release, and in some cases is pure distraction. Case in point was around the murder of a teenager at a Toronto subway station. Doug Ford is making noises blaming the federal government for this incident, demanding immediate changes to the bail system—changes that would no doubt be unconstitutional, since the changes they have agreed to with provincial counterparts are very narrowly targeted.

But the real problem is in the provinces. It’s provinces under-resourcing courts, and mostly underfunding social programmes that would keep these kinds of people out of the criminal justice system. In this particular case, the accused has a long history of interactions with the justice system because he has been failed at every turn, and was in dire need of rehabilitation and mental health supports. And you know whose responsibility that is? The province. Ford has been under-funding the system for years, most especially healthcare, which he deliberately underfunds and then cries poor in demanding more federal money, with no strings attached (which he then puts on the province’s bottom line to reduce his deficit, like he did with pandemic spending). Locking these people up in jail doesn’t solve the problem, and only makes it worse in the long-run, and yes, Ford’s predecessors are also guilty of underfunding the system (though I don’t seem to recall them underspending their healthcare budget—merely cutting it to the bone in the name of “efficiencies.”)

The problems we’re seeing are broader, more systemic societal problems, and removing the presumption of innocence and the right to bail doesn’t change that. In fact, it just creates more problems, and political leaders need to start recognising this fact rather than just blaming the federal government for codifying a number of Supreme Court of Canada decisions.

Ukraine Dispatch:

Ukrainian forces destroyed 14 out of 17 Iranian-made drones launched over Ukraine, mostly around Odessa. Over in Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces are mocking the Russian claims they captured the city, saying that the Russians raised their flag over “some kind of toilet.” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be visiting Warsaw this week to meet with leaders, as well as Ukrainians taking shelter in that country.

Good reads:

  • Following the deaths of eight migrants near Akwesasne, Justin Trudeau says we need to have orderly migration to stop these tragedies.
  • Trudeau also says that the government plans to implement “many” of the recommendations of the Mass Casualty Commission report.
  • Sean Fraser acknowledges the government may need to adjust the supports for Ukrainians who are looking to stay in Canada.
  • Patty Hajdu says there was an error in the budget saying the plan was to “reduce” rates of tuberculosis in the North, rather than eliminate (which is the goal).
  • The federal government has agreed to spend an additional $3 billion to extend the compensation for child welfare apprehensions to more claimants.
  • After rejecting the amendments to C-11 that would allow it, the government is planning their own bill to mandate age verification for online porn. (Bad idea!)
  • The Canadian Forces have been slow to reimburse members on the training mission in Poland for food expenses, creating financial hardship for their families.
  • It turns out that one of the reasons they had to completely close 24 Sussex was because of the number of dead rodents in the walls and basement.
  • The First Nations Chiefs of Police Association are backing a human rights complaint saying that “deliberate” underfunding of Indigenous policing is discrimination.
  • Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen has been named to the upcoming mission to orbit the moon as a mission specialist. (More on Hansen here).
  • Her Excellency Mary May Simon is trying to arrange a meeting between Indigenous leaders and King Charles III before the coronation to “reset” the relationship.
  • Bloc and NDP MPs are calling on the government to reverse the planned cut to the Ethics Commissioner’s salary.
  • Dennis King’s Progressive Conservatives won an even bigger majority in PEI, while the Green Party was reduced to two seats, the Liberals hanging onto three.
  • Danielle Smith is threatening legal action over the stories about her interfering with prosecutors, even though there is tape of her saying she was.
  • David Eby is putting several billion dollars toward measures aimed at easing the province’s housing crisis (but little of that seems to be toward building more).
  • Kevin Carmichael talks to the largest producer of potash in Saskatchewan about the opportunities in the wake of sanctions against Russia and Belarus.
  • Susan Delacourt pays attention to the focus in the budget on gathering data, and notes the sorry state the civil service’s data has been in post-Harper years.

Odds and ends:

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