The inflation numbers were out yesterday, which meant that it was time once again for Pierre Poilievre to mislead everybody with a headline number that doesn’t say what he thinks it does, and frankly, The Canadian Press was not helping. Food inflation was not actually 7.3 percent. Not really. Grocery prices are 4.8 percent, but because of last year’s stupid “GST holiday,” the price index for food from restaurants spiked in comparison, so there was a 12.1 percent year-over-year hike in that index, which completely skewed the overall food index. (Incidentally, there’s a reason why the Bank of Canada generally strips out food and energy prices from their “core” measures, because they are volatile and the Canadian government has little influence over them).

Poilievre, however, took that 7.3 percent figure, and called a press conference and published an open letter about the “Liberal Hunger Crisis,” and he is begging the prime minister to do something about it. That something, of course, is to gut environmental policies by destroying industrial carbon pricing, clean fuel regulations, and plastic regulations, each of which has virtually fuck all to do with the price of food (seriously, their impact works out to about statistically zero), but has everything to do with his crusade against any and all environmental regulations, because he believes they’re killing investment. (Just wait until he hears what contaminated groundwater and poisoned waterways does for investment. And votes). But this act where Poilievre insists he’s “trying to help” is just tedious. He’s not helping. He’s lying about the causes (which he should be able to read), and we went through this same song and dance with the consumer carbon levy, and when Carney killed it, prices didn’t change. Just stop.

This is such tedious bullshit.The 7.3% figure is driven by food at restaurants, because a year ago, there was the "GST holiday" and a year-over-year price comparison from that is skewed. Food at stores actually moderated last month.Also, Carney doesn't control Brazil's climate for coffee beans. 1/

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-02-17T19:59:39.814Z

And the worst part of this is that when Question Period is back on next week, Poilievre will keep up this whole act, and he’ll beg and plead for the government to do something, and will the government point out any of the facts in the StatsCan report? Will they even bother to correct that the index on food from stores was actually down last month? Nope. They will instead pat themselves on the back for their enhanced/badly rebranded GST credit, and then talk about the school food programme, and the Canada Child Benefit, and maybe dental care, or OAS for seniors, but they won’t put any gods damned facts on the table and counter any of the lies Poilievre tells to justify his nonsense. Because that’s how they insist on rolling.

— Effin' Birds (@effinbirds.com) 2026-02-17T15:08:04.114Z

In case you missed it:

• My Xtra column on the federal NDP leadership race and the particular crossroads that the party finds itself at.
• My latest for National Magazine on Friday’s Supreme Court of Canada decision, upholding Newfoundland & Labrador’s COVID restrictions.
• My weekend column on the government’s political cowardice in refusing to actually do something about the RCMP (like breaking it up) when the Force is broken.
• My column on the apparent deal struck between the government and Conservatives on getting the budget bill passed, and why this shows the problems in Parliament.

New episodes released early for C$7+ subscribers. This week, I'm talking about Bill C-4 and what federal political parties want to do with your personal data. #cdnpoli

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-02-17T02:26:33.961Z

Ukraine Dispatch

Twelve Ukrainian regions came under attack as more “peace talks” are underway, while Ukraine struck an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region. President Zelenskyy says that Trump is trying to pressure him to give up territory to Russia.

Good reads:

• Mark Carney was in Montreal to unveil his Defence Industrial Strategy a week later than planned, with a “Build—Partner—Buy” motto to guide it. (Five things to know).
• Carney then stopped by the riding of Terrebonne to show his face with Tatiana Auguste after the Supreme Court of Canada declared her election annulled.
• Dominic LeBlanc is leading a trade delegation to Mexico, in order to bolster ties ahead of the New NAFTA review.
• Steve MacKinnon defended the omnibus budget bill with the usual nonsense about it being a “comprehensive package,” when they stuff everything into it.
• Here is a look at the consultations the government is undertaking as a second stab at their (unconstitutional) lawful access legislation.
• Mark Wiseman is now officially our ambassador to Washington, while former Clerk of the Privy Council Janice Charette has been named lead negotiator with the US.
• Citizenship and Immigration says that they still expect most Ukrainians here on temporary visas to return home once the war is over.
• The head of Canada’s military space division warns of Russian plans for nuclear-armed satellites, and talks about sovereign space lift capabilities.
• NSIRA found a lack of coherence in the country’s “no-fly list.”
• The defence industrial community may be optimistic about the new strategy, but points out that procurement processes need a major overhaul for it to work.
• Inuit in Canada see how much more developed infrastructure is in Greenland and want the Canadian government to speed up their own development.
• Poilievre says he disagrees with Jamil Jivani’s “hissy fit” comments and that he “speaks for himself” and not the party. (Boy, he didn’t think that one through).
• Here is a look into the online influencers that the Conservatives have been tapping into as part of their political strategy.
• Kevin Carmichael muses about the market for Canadian debt, and why it’s how Carney is able to both cut taxes and borrow more.
• Stewart Prest finds the government is unwilling to name the US as a fascist government, or to really engage with that reality now that it’s here.
• Anne Applebaum notes the European reaction to Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Forum, and also makes note of the incoherence of the American positions.
• Stephanie Carvin reflects on how Carney’s Davos speech was being felt at the Munich Security Forum, particularly by Starmer, who Carney targeted at Davos.
• Philippe Lagassé assesses the Defence Industrial Strategy, and finds the good points, the hedging language, and the pitfalls waiting for the government.
• Shannon Proudfoot describes the game of “cooperation chicken” going on in Parliament right now, because nobody wants an election.
• Althia Raj is (rightly) concerned about the privacy rules that parties are creating for themselves in C-4, and that it’s the Senate who are pushing back against it.

Odds and ends:

Not to mention the suggestion from those "reasonable" conservatives that rights violations are fine, but sweeping rights violations are bad when their objectives are not made explicit.

— Emmett Macfarlane 🇨🇦 (@emmettmacfarlane.com) 2026-02-17T17:50:17.300Z

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