Roundup: Inappropriate behaviour but no traitors

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Of the testimony at the Foreign Interference committee yesterday was the prime minister’s current National Security and Intelligence Advisor, who spoke about the allegations surrounding MPs in the NSICOP report. She stated that, having seen that intelligence and its updates since the report, she’s seen no indication of “traitors” in our Parliament. What she saw in the intelligence was inappropriate conduct and a lack of judgment in certain individuals, but no espionage, sabotage, or putting of Canadian security at risk.

This brings us back to the next steps in terms of any bad behaviour by MPs or lack of judgment, and what should be done about it, and once again, the answer is and always has been that the party leaders need to get involved. That means security clearances, and full briefings on the materials, so that they know what has been alleged, and that they can take corrective action in some fashion. (And before you say anything, yes Poilievre has a clearance as a former minister, but he has refused to be briefed under the specious reason that if he gets briefed, he’ll be “gagged,” which is nonsense and he knows it).

But as Philippe Lagassé points out, the chair of NSICOP also should have done more to be transparent than simply say what was in the report is enough, and leave it at that. Most people didn’t and won’t read the report, and media outlets taking those two or three sentences without context elsewhere in the document didn’t help either. Elizabeth May demonstrated that he could have gone further and said more without breaching any kind of confidentiality, but he chose not to for his own reasons, and so we’ve had months of suspicion for little reason.

#cdnpoli, all day every day.

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2024-10-09T13:27:43.894Z

Ukraine Dispatch

A Russian missile hit the port in Odesa, killing six, injuring eight, and damaging a Panamanian-flagged container ship. A further drone attack in the same region hit an apartment building, injuring another five. A Ukrainian drone strike has hit another Russian arms depot, which includes arms provided by North Korea.

Good reads:

  • From Laos, Justin Trudeau is trying to forge deeper trade ties at ASEAN as the trade bloc tries to create more distance from China.
  • Chrystia Freeland declared that the government is moving ahead with sustainable investing and corporate climate disclosures, but still hasn’t released the details.
  • Mélanie Joly and Bill Blair denounced Poilievre’s call for Israel to make a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities as a violation of the Geneva Conventions.
  • Randy Boissonnault has been named the ministerial lead for the government’s efforts in rebuilding Jasper.
  • Ahmed Hussen announced another $15 million in aid for Lebanon, plus a $6 million fund for matching donations.
  • At the Foreign Interference inquiry, Bill Blair’s former chief of staff rejected the suggestion she sat on the CSIS warrant because it might hurt the party.
  • The National Observer took a look into just who the “Food Professor” is, and were gentler on him than he deserved considering his egregious behaviour to them.
  • Here is the tale of two brothers who returned to Ontario with new identities after being convicted in the US of helping Iran evade sanctions.
  • Liberal MP Yvan Baker says that Poilievre’s punishment for saying Joly was pandering to Hamas supporter should have been equal to his own treatment.
  • Conservative MP Clifford Small claims there are crack dens and teenaged prostitution in rural Newfoundland; the RCMP say there are zero reports.
  • Yves-François Blanchet is trying to sweeten his demand for a royal recommendation on the pension bill, saying he’ll help with the privilege filibuster if he gets it.
  • Here is an update on the RCMP’s investigation into Doug Ford’s Greenbelt scandal.
  • The Alberta MLA who compared trans kids in schools to faeces in cookie batter has been allowed back into the UCP caucus. (I’m sure she’s really sorry).
  • John Rustad had to backtrack from his claim that he watched someone die of an overdose as he was on his way to the leaders’ debate.

Odds and ends:

https://twitter.com/withfilesfrom/status/1844072688442347626

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