It was announced early in the morning that the Christo-fascist that prime minister Mark Carney invited to address the Cabinet retreat couldn’t make it after all, but don’t worry—they fully planned to continue to engage with him. No, seriously. The mind absolutely boggles, and I can scarcely believe that there wasn’t a revolt in the room from members of Cabinet who absolutely should know better. And then there was François-Philippe Champagne, who insisted that it was important to hear from “different perspectives.” What Christo-fascist perspective is so important to hear about? Removing the rights of women, or LGBTQ+ people? Re-segregating the United States? The destruction of the separation of church and state? Which of these issues, pray tell, did Cabinet most need to hear all about from the guy who wrote the 900-page playbook that Trump’s acolytes are following? Honest to Zeus, does a single person in that Cabinet have any political judgment whatsoever?

The Christo-fascist couldn't attend the Cabinet retreat after all, but don't worry, Carney's office says they will continue to engage with him.

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2025-09-04T13:12:41.573Z

And then there are Carney’s defenders online, who insisted over and over again that Carney needs to “know your enemy,” and that it was important to get a sense of their “motivations and goals.” As though the 900-page manifesto doesn’t spell any of that out? And to be perfectly frank, does nobody remember the homily about the Nazi bar? This should not be difficult, but apparently Carney is not only demonstrating a lack of political judgment, but a lack of judgment period, and his defenders will praise him up and down and insist that this is just very clever strategy. It’s not. Stop pretending that making nice with fascists is at all acceptable.

The Carney stans are having another normal one in my replies, justifying consorting with Christo-fascists, I see.

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2025-09-04T15:25:19.693Z

EVERYONE ALREADY KNOWS WHO THEY ARE.Stop pretending there is a valid reason to make nice with fascists.

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2025-09-04T15:15:13.455Z

https://bsky.app/profile/alwayslate.bsky.social/post/3lxzwrjhyyc2c

Meanwhile, Carney and several ministers will be making a series of “sector-based” announcements this morning, which could include things like measures to help sectors affected by tariffs, or the EV mandates. At the retreat yesterday, Champagne was using the corporate euphemisms of “adjustments” to the civil service in service of their austerity plans, but what struck me was his language about how they were trying to “rebuild Canada.” Erm, rebuild from what? You were part of the government for the past ten years, and it’s not like there was a smoking crater left in Trudeau’s wake. Champagne believed in that spending, whether through COVID or in implementing new social programmes that were helping with the cost of living. So again, I ask—what exactly are we rebuilding from?

Ukraine Dispatch

A Russian missile strike hit a de-mining operation near Chernihiv, killing two. Ukraine’s top military commander is looking for increased use of interceptor drones. Twenty-six countries have pledged to provide security guarantees if there is a cease-fire (which Putin is not interested in). Here is a look at some of the people who are evacuating ruined cities in the country’s east after holding out in the hopes that the war would end.

Good reads:

• Carney gave remarks at the opening night of TIFF.
• Carney is sending parliamentary secretary Kody Blois to join Scott Moe’s trade mission to China, while Champagne’s office says they’re reviewing tariff rates.
• US Attorney General Pam Bondi is spewing bullshit about the northern border again.
• While the government is preaching austerity, the salary range for the new head of the Major Projects Office is between $577,000 and $679,000 per year.
• The Public Health Agency of Canada is letting go of ten percent of its workforce, but that’s a “post-pandemic” adjustment, not the cuts demanded by Carney.
• The CRTC is adding notification requirements for telecom providers in the event of major outages.
• At the AFN general assembly, resolutions around the major projects legislation were voted down because they don’t want the AFN to negotiate for rights-holders.
• A recent report is calling on NATO to do more to fight disinformation coming from authoritarian states (erm, which is not the US, you guys).
• The group Justice for All Canada wants a vote in Parliament on calling Israel’s action in Gaza a genocide (but they have no clue about parliamentary procedure it seems).
• Jenny Kwan wants to propose a bill that purports to close the “loophole” that allows Americans to send arms purchased from Canada to go to Israel.
• Nova Scotia’s waiting list for public housing is now over 8000 people.
• New Brunswick’s election agency says that their antiquated election management software is compromising their ability to hold fair elections purely on logistics.
• Mike Moffatt and Alex Beheshti explain why the federal promise to half development charges can’t be done fairly given the disparity of charges.

Odds and ends:

Remember when he spent all of those months at the committee pulling stunts like trying to move the fixed election date to precede Singh's pension date, or trying to outright kill the election reforms rather than take the advice of the Chief Electoral Officer to thwart the Longest Ballot Committee?

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2025-09-04T13:27:28.228Z

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