Over the past couple of days, Speaker Scarpaleggia hosted his counterparts from most of the other G7 countries (Japan’s had to bow out because of a prior obligation), with the addition of the president of the European Parliament and the chairman of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, in a fairly long-standing tradition that rotates hosting. There wasn’t much coverage on the meeting, and apparently the location was kept secret until journalists were bussed to the location out at Meech Lake, but there was but a single story on the CP wire about it.

These kinds of meetings are important, not only for the sake of parliamentary diplomacy, but also because it allows democratic presiding officers to compare notes on best practices in the age of disinformation and increased security threats, and particularly after several legislatures adopted hybrid formats during the height of the pandemic, and only a few have allowed them to lapse. (Let me be clear—Canada should end the hybrid format and online voting for MPs as well because they’re an affront to some of the basic features of our parliamentary democracy, but the Liberals under Trudeau were very resistant to doing so). This is absolutely beneficial to all concerned, particularly because of the diversity of legislatures represented, and there are similar kinds of meetings among Commonwealth parliaments that align more traditionally on the Westminster model.

The thing that always gets me about this particular meeting every year, however, is the inclusion of the American Speaker. Not because America shouldn’t be included (which is now up for debate given that they are no longer a democracy), but rather because their Speaker is not really a presiding officer in the way our Speaker is, or the chairmen of other legislatures. Instead, the American Speaker is more of a de facto prime minister, who controls the majority party in the legislature, and isn’t really chairing debates in the same way. I find it odd and somewhat incompatible with the purpose of these kinds of meetings, but that’s just more of a curiosity. Of course, as soon as Speaker Mike Johnson returned to Washington, he delivered this steaming pile of horseshit, so spending time with actual democratic presiding officers didn’t rub off on him.

— Effin' Birds (@effinbirds.com) 2025-09-05T22:56:01.960Z

Programming Note: I’m taking a long weekend from the blog for my birthday, so I’ll see you back here on Wednesday.

Ukraine Dispatch

Ukrainian forces have attacked Russia’s Ryazan oil refinery, part of a series of attacks that are cutting refining capacity and accelerating the stagnation of Russia’s economy. The US says they are ending a military assistance programme that is of particular benefit to Baltic nations, because of course they are.

Good reads:

• Mark Carney was in Mississauga to unveil a series of sectoral supports, along with biofuel incentives for the canola industry, and a “pause” on the EV mandate.
• Carney says that Canada and allies need to maintain “maximum pressure” on Russia as Putin says that any foreign troops in Ukraine are a target.
• Mélanie Joly talks to The Logic about trying to transition EV battery makers to defence uses, and existing EV automakers using more Canadian steel.
• The federal government is providing $3 million in humanitarian assistance to earthquake victims in Afghanistan, to be distributed through trusted partners.
• CSE says that a Chinese hacker group almost certainly targeted Canadian telecom, government, transportation, and military infrastructure networks.
• The Americans ending the de minimis exemption is another devastating blow to Canada Post’s operations and revenue.
• The AFN general assembly voted to call on the federal government do more to stop drug trafficking to their communities.
• The same automakers who demanded the EV mandate be cancelled also demand that the government not lift the tariffs on Chinese EVs.
• Here is some expert pushback against the narratives from Poilievre and David Eby about the temporary foreign workers programme.
• Here’s a look at the canola industry that caters to the US non-GMO health food market instead of Chinese exports.
• A group of Liberal MPs have formed their own “climate caucus” to help pressure the government to not abandon climate change goals.
• Here is a profile of new Conservative MP Jacob Mantle, who was an international trade lawyer before entering into politics.
• Anne Applebaum details how Trump has effectively surrendered to states who censor and propagandize, allowing them to win with information warfare.
• Jennifer Robson has questions about Carney’s announced EI “enhancements.”

Odds and ends:

Mark Carney's Parliamentary Secretary Explains Why That Project 2025 Guy Totally Ghosted Him youtu.be/MV0-SXL6zi4?…

— Clare Blackwood (@clareblackwood.bsky.social) 2025-09-05T15:05:12.008Z

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