In the wake of the First Ministers’ meeting in Saskatoon, there was no list of priority projects that they planned to fast-track, and a bunch of media and pundits seemed surprised by that even though it would likely have been an impossibility given the timeline. What we got instead was more of a process that they plan to use in order to designate these projects on an ongoing basis, which makes a lot more sense from a reality-based perspective. (Photo gallery here).
That didn’t stop the questions on pipelines, even though there are no actual projects being proposed by any proponent (and I have more on that in my column out later today). I do think it’s a problem that legacy media are focusing on pipelines as though they are the be-all-end-all of projects, particularly given the economics involved. They are not magical money trees. Building them will not “unlock” trillions of dollars in the oil sands, and frankly, at a time when the country is literally burning, you would think that we would have a bit more of a critical conversation around that, but no. Oh, and the fact that they are talking about “de-carbonized” oil and gas projects is…mostly fantasy. Pathways Alliance are grifters. It’s not going to capture and store carbon on an industrial scale, and not enough for you to ramp up production. This just seems completely ridiculous on its face, but Danielle Smith thinks she’s getting a win out of this, so I’m mostly just throwing up my hands.
As well, none of these “nation-building” projects involved things like, oh, funding university research networks so that we can not only take advantage of the intellectual resources in this country, but also take advantage of the ”brain drain” in the US as they dismantle their universities in an ideologically-driven crusade, and considering that the premiers were around the table, and this is their responsibility, it would have been great if they could have paid the slightest bit of attention to that, but nope. This country sometimes…
https://bsky.app/profile/emmettmacfarlane.com/post/3lqnyktksck2m
Ukraine Dispatch
Russia’s overnight attacks have killed one person in Kharkiv and injured several more in Chernihiv. As well, shelling in Kramatorsk killed at least five people. President Zelenskyy answered more questions on the Spiderweb operation, and confirmed that his was more than a year in planning. At the talks in Istanbul, there was only an agreement to swap dead and wounded prisoners, but little more.
Good reads:
- Mark Carney says he wants to get China to lift its tariffs on Canadian products (but wouldn’t that mean capitulating on their predatory EV industry?)
- Mélanie Joly says the government wants to prioritise Canadian steel and aluminium in Canadian infrastructure and defence projects. (Like they wouldn’t otherwise?)
- Rebecca Alty says the need to close the infrastructure gap with Indigenous communities is critical, but doesn’t qualify for the “nation-building” list.
- AFN national chief Cindy Woodhouse Neepinak says they need more time to examine the full “fast-track” legislation once it’s tabled, not just a few days.
- Former AFN national chief Phil Fontaine thinks that First Nations should come up with their own list of priorities around infrastructure for the government.
- Here’s a profile of Adam van Koeverden in his role as Secretary of State for Sport.
- Stephen Harper says Canada should get over its problems with India, and completely ignored the contract killings as he panned “Khalistani activists.”
- Martin Patriquin looks at Quebec’s decision to go hard in regulating social media, particularly when it comes to children and youth.
Odds and ends:
My Loonie Politics Quick Take explains the difference between the budget and the Estimates cycle, and why the Conservatives are deliberate rage-baiting with it.
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I find the rhetoric on nation building projects of national importance or national unity is on the line just so overblown. It’s a dumb pipeline not the reincarnation of Macdonald-era transcontinental railroad so playing it up so much again and again just invites more public scrutiny. Plus the idea that we need to legislate in the “public interest” to give the man or woman on the street even fewer ways to get the attention of big business seems wild.
Media coverage does reinforce my opinion that MSM, CBC included, is primarily feeding a conservative audience. I wasn’t surprised that smith didn’t propose at least 3 new pipelines, she’d have had to have investment and contractors in line to be starting them. When it’s her primary deflection from her health care disaster. It’s not like the ucp has ever done their homework.
Mark Carney’s pivot from advocating for climate change measures to letting Danielle Smith think Canada will be a petro state is on the verge of getting really disturbing. Where are the environmentalists who spent 10 years tormenting Justin Trudeau for “not going far enough”?
At the very least, pipelines make for boring news, full of unpleasant posturing. Was that Doug Ford scoffing about grasshoppers stopping progress? We’re entering our cartoonist era, it looks like.
Good point about universities.