Roundup: Trying to set up a dog and pony show for Carney

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Because everything is stupid, the Conservatives have announced that they will move a motion at finance committee to call on Mark Carney to appear in order to…talk about his plans as future Liberal leader? Oh, man. It’s so stupid that it hurts. “Since he’s attempting to get as much media attention as possible, he should welcome the Conservative invitation to appear at Committee,” the press release read, which is an indication of how unserious and stupid this is. When asked by media about the invitation that hasn’t come, Carney said that since this was made in the media before the motion was even moved shows that this is just theatre, which of course it is. This is about gathering clips of him criticising the current government wherever possible, or of the Conservative MPs badgering and hectoring him, because they think that’s going to be gold for them online. And there is nothing for Carney to be gained here either—there is no winning against this kind of “debate me, bro!” mentality because it’s not a debate, but an exercise in being caught out, and the only way to get out ahead is to not play.

I’m really not sold on the notion that Carney is positioning himself for a leadership run, particularly at this point in time, and frankly he would be a very, very bad choice. Setting aside the fact that as a former central bank governor, he should stay the hell away from electoral politics for the sake of his successors, there are certain organizational things you need to have to have any kind of chance in politics and I’ve seen no evidence he has this or has been building this. Other Cabinet ministers have been (and have allegedly been warned to tone it down). That, and I’ve talked to people who worked with him before and they’re not of the opinion he’d have the temperament for the job, while the Liberals should see this as Ignatieff 2.0 and run far away from it.

This aside, this is just such a waste of finite time and resources for the committee. Committees are supposed to be doing the serious work of Parliament (as opposed to the theatrical parts in Question Period), and this is a signal that there is no interest in committee work being serious, but only being more theatre and content generation for social media, and that is an appalling state of affairs for our democracy.

Ukraine Dispatch:

Russian missiles have struck Ukrainian power facilities in three regions, while air attacks on the Sumy region killed two. Russians have also been targeting rail lines in order to disrupt incoming US aid shipments. Meanwhile, two hospitals in Kyiv have been evacuated after comments made by Belarusian KGB officials who claim that those hospitals house soldiers, which could make them targets in coming air strikes.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau was in the Eastern Townships to announce $100 million in assistance for semiconductor production capacity.
  • Trudeau’s podcast tour continued, this time with the Big Story podcast, and talks mostly about electric vehicles and climate change.
  • Bill Blair announced new money for Ukraine to build drones, and for the Czechia-backed plan to source new artillery shells.
  • Some newly-built armoured vehicles will also be heading to Ukraine this summer.
  • Steven Guilbeault says that production caps on plastics could be too complicated for this conference on a final version of a potential global treaty.
  • Documents show the federal government has been working behind the scenes to cajole the holdouts to join the grocery code of conduct.
  • Oh, look—another report that points out that the RCMP is not fit for purpose when it comes to federal policing (which is why they need to be broken up).
  • The CSIS officer who alleges she was raped by her superior has found out that she was being investigated, and the report claims it was a consensual relationship.
  • The OPP are investigating video of an officer who was supposed to protect Trudeau at a visit, giving operational details to a far-right protester.
  • In spite of the federal government declaring housing a human right, most of the provinces (whose jurisdiction this is) have done nothing to implement this.
  • The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that military judges are impartial and can oversee trials in compliance with the Charter.
  • The BC government is imploring Health Canada to modify their drug decriminalisation order in order to make public drug use illegal once again.
  • Jared Wesley looks at survey data on Alberta’s political self-perception, why it’s geared to a certain type, and how it hobbles the ability to make progress.
  • Patricia Treble parses the recent announcement about the improvement in the King’s health as he continues to undergo cancer treatment.
  • Philippe Lagassé takes umbrage with the recent claims that the fighter jet procurement process was “rigged” in favour of the F-35s.

Odds and Ends:

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