Today is the Conservatives’ big Supply Day, where they are bringing forward their motion that cherry-picks two phrases from the MOU with Alberta, and hopes to jam the Liberals with it. Pierre Poilievre may claim that the language is “lifted directly from the MOU,” so the Liberals should put up or shut up, but of course, he’s being too cute by half. It’s not language directly lifted from the MOU. The MOU states a “private sector constructed and financed pipelines, with Indigenous Peoples co-ownership and economic benefit, with at least one million barrels a day of low emission Alberta bitumen with a route that increases export access to Asian markets as a priority” whereas the motion simply says “pipelines enabling the export of at least one million barrels a day of low-emission Alberta bitumen from a strategic deepwater port on the British Columbia coast to reach Asian markets,” and adds “respecting the duty to consult Indigenous people.” One of these things is not like the other.
— Kady O'Malley (@kadyo.bsky.social) 2025-12-08T22:44:00.568Z
"low emissions Albertan bitumen"Charlatans always always think other people are stupid.
— Emmett Macfarlane 🇨🇦 (@emmettmacfarlane.com) 2025-12-09T00:21:28.775Z
Liberal MP Corey Hogan, the party’s sole Calgary MP, called out these shenanigans, both in a media scrum and on his Twitter, where he points out entirely why the Conservatives haver phrased it this way—to either make the Liberals look like they’re ignoring Indigenous consultation and consent, or to make it look like they’re not serious about building it, and in either case, it sends a signal to someone that will cause doubt and will inevitably delay any decisions. And the government indicated last night that they’re going to vote against it, citing that the Conservatives are not using the full language from the MOU. This in turn will set up weeks of Conservatives screaming that they knew the Liberals were lying the whole time and never had any intention of building a pipeline.
The thing we need to remember in all of this is not the shenanigans, or the Conservatives thinking they’re too clever, or any of that—rather, it’s that they think they can ram through these projects without Indigenous consent. Sure, they’ll talk about “meaningful consultation,” but consultation is not consent, and in their press releases, consent is never mentioned, nor is even consultations. That’s not realistic, nor even legal in the current framework. Of course, they also think a new pipeline will “unblock the trillions of dollars of privatesector energy investment to produce more oil and gas, build profitable pipelines and ship a million barrels of oil to Asia a day at world prices.” My dudes—this is a post-2014 world. It’s not going to be trillions of dollars, and world oil prices are tanking because of a supply glut. All of this is fantasyland.
Ukraine Dispatch
Russians have attacked Sumy for the second night in a row, cutting off power in the region. Here is a look at those remaining in Kostiantynivka, as Russians approach.
Good reads:
- Mark Carney held an event with Ottawa’s mayor yesterday, and promised $400 million for 3000 affordable homes in Ottawa.
- Carney also said that plans to have civil servants to spend more time in the office will come into “sharper view” in the coming weeks.
- Carney says he wants to bid for Ottawa to host a Francophonie summit in 2028.
- It sounds like PMO got annoyed that Sean Fraser didn’t adequately consult them when he made a deal with the Bloc on the hate crime legislation.
- Mandy Gull-Masty wants to do more consultations before accepting the Senate’s amendments to S-2 on the second-generation cut-off for First Nations status.
- Lina Diab announced a plan to fast-track permanent residency for 5000 foreign doctors already practicing in Canada (which does nothing for those not practicing).
- Evan Solomon is meeting with G7 counterparts, and signed two agreements with the EU around digital asbestos on responsible development and digital credentials.
- Canada Post says they will maintain free postage for the blind even though the legislative requirements to do so are being repealed.
- Afghan refugees in the US are looking to Canada for safety from deportation, but Canada may not be welcoming given the recent clampdowns.
- UCP ministers aren’t answering questions from an NDP MLA because they’re thin-skinned about a question he wouldn’t apologise for.
- BC coastal First Nations met with Alberta’s Indigenous Relations minister to say that they will not allow the tanker ban to be lifted.
- Justin Ling argues that the government should withdraw its hate crime legislation because it’s overbroad (and frankly it doesn’t solve the issue of policing).
- Matt Gurney recounts the few Americans at the Halifax International Security Forum getting told off by putative allies, for all of the right reasons.
- Paul Wells looks askance at Trump’s national security strategy document, and points to the ways in which it’s a warning for Liberals about providing solutions.
Odds and ends:
Hey BSers! Need a copy of my book, for yourself or for a holiday gift? @dundurnpress.bsky.social is having their holiday sale! Use code HOLIDAY25 to save 25% on this, or any Dundurn book. Check out my book #UnbrokenMachine, or the book I contributed a chapter to, #RoyalProgress.
— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2025-11-19T02:01:04.435Z
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