As expected, the Conservatives’ Supply Day motion to try and force a vote on some of the language from the Alberta MOU went down in flames as the Liberals were wise to their bullshit, and didn’t play ball. They made it clear that the language was deliberately provocative in what it excluded, so Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives scrambled to try and amend their own motion, so that it included a bunch of other things, except one thing—any mention of the carbon price (without which, the Pathways carbon capture project can’t operate because it’s not fiscally viable). And so that’s what the Liberals hung their arguments on—that this wasn’t the full MOU, and it didn’t include the carbon price, or methane regulations, or anything else, so they weren’t going to vote for it. And nobody did.

The Conservatives could have probably done more damage to the Liberals if they tried to force a vote on the entire MOU, to really suss out the divisions in the caucus about it, but they couldn’t actually do that, because the MOU has the carbon price as part of it, and if the Conservatives voted to support the full MOU including the carbon price, they would be hypocrites because every day in Question Period, they falsely blame said carbon price for food price inflation (when in reality, the industrial carbon price’s impact on food is statistically zero). Their attempt at being clever blew up in their faces, because they’re not clever. They’re not the slightest bit intelligent. Of course, that isn’t going to stop them from shouting for the next eight weeks that “The Liberals voted against their own MOU! They don’t want to build a pipeline!” Of course, it’s not true because the Conservatives ensured that they weren’t voting on the actual contents of the MOU, but it’s not going to matter. They’re going to record videos of them claiming the Liberals voted against their own plans, and spread them across social media, but well, it’s not like we can expect the Conservatives—and Poilievre and Andrew Scheer in particular—to actually be honest for once.

Speaking of honesty, Tim Hodgson took to the microphone in the Foyer during the day to denounce the Conservatives’ stunt, but in the process declared that “caucus is united” behind the full MOU, when he knows full well that they are not. If the point of the day was to make the Conservatives look like the clowns, well, Hodgson didn’t exactly do his part. Then again, Hodgson is one of the worst performers on the front bench and he has absolutely zero political skills, so I’m not sure why anyone would be surprised here.

— Effin' Birds (@effinbirds.com) 2025-12-09T22:22:02.273Z

Ukraine Dispatch

Russia’s top general says they are advancing their “entire front line” and moving into the town of Myrnohrad, which Ukraine denies, and says that Russia is paying a heavy cost for modest advances. Likewise, Ukraine still holds out in parts of Pokrovsk, and it has not fallen. President Zelensky has been rallying European allies as he says that any “peace” deal will not include ceding land to Russia. Ukraine is rolling out more restrictions on power usage as they repair their infrastructure from Russian attacks.

Good reads:

• Sean Fraser has introduced another sweeping justice bill that includes femicide, coercive control, deepfakes, sexual exploitation of minors, and court timelines.
• The G7 industry, digital and technology ministers’ meeting wrapped up, and Canada has signed digital asbestos agreements with the EU, Germany and the UK.
• Canadian ambassador to the US Kirsten Hillman has announced she will be stepping down in the New Year, after eight years on the job.
• The Canadian government continues to say they are “monitoring” the situation in the Caribbean as the Americans continue to illegally blow up boats.
• The Defence Investment Agency has signed a partnership with Telesat and MDA Space to develop military satellite communications for the Arctic.
• Microsoft wants to spend $7.5 billion on data centres in Canada and claims they’ll protect digital sovereignty (but they can’t actually guarantee it).
• The Indigenous artefacts repatriated from the Vatican will be held at the Canadian Museum of History while they trace their proper ownership.
• At the justice committee, the Liberals have backed the Bloc’s proposal to amend the hate crime bill in order to remove the religious exemption for hate speech.
• Karina Gould has decided not to run for Ontario Liberal leadership.
• The Conservatives are changing their nomination rules, and will eliminate most of their protections for incumbents (which is a good thing).
• Nova Scotia continues to fall short of its child care targets per their agreement with the federal government.
• It looks like Alberta has passed another bill invoking the Notwithstanding Clause, this time to protect their anti-trans legislation from court challenges.
• Steven Guilbeault calls out the MOU with Alberta as a fire sale, and that it abandons the work that went into creating accountability for emissions reductions.
• Mike Moffatt delves into inflation-adjusted incomes for young men vs. 65+ going back to 1976, and it’s an alarming trend of stagnant wages.
• Susan Delacourt makes note of the story that Sean Fraser was offside with PMO over his deal with the Bloc on C-9, and Carney’s version of “Cabinet government.”
• My column points out just how little legislation passed this session so far (two non-Estimates bills. Two!) and what this says about the dysfunction in Parliament.

Odds and ends:

The National Arts Centre promoted Annabelle Cloutier to its new president and CEO, and it’s a tremendous choice.

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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