The inevitable spike in gas prices from the conflict in Iran triggered a bunch of stupidity yesterday, mostly from the Conservatives. While François-Philippe Champagne talked about meeting with his G7 counterparts about releasing part of their petroleum stockpiles to stabilise prices (note: Canada doesn’t have a petroleum stockpile, because, well, we can just pump more from the ground), the Conservatives’ solution was the same solution to every other problem—gut environmental regulations, starting with clean fuel regulations and the industrial carbon price, none of which will have a meaningful effect on prices and will do more damage in the long term, but when you have only one policy hammer, everything looks like a nail.
And then there was the take-note debate on the conflict. Even before it started, there was a bunch of chiding from opposition parties because Carney did not plan to attend of speak, because he apparently dismissed it because it’s merely a take-note debate, never mind that he has yet to address parliamentarians about his shifting positions on the conflict, and he wasn’t in Question Period yesterday, nor will he be there today, so again, his ability to be held to account for his shifting has not yet happened. Instead, Anita Anand got to stand up and deliver his current position on the conflict (“no blank cheque!”).
But the Conservatives have not only decided that they are fully in support of regime change (just ignore that nothing the US is doing will actually produce regime change, that the only real change to the regime they want is for a pliable puppet to lead it on their behalf, and that there are no current coherent opposition groups or civil society organisations that can take charge in place of the regime), but they also want to make this about Trudeau’s immigration policies. That’s right—they have declared that Trudeau’s “open borders” meant that plenty of Iranian regime members came flooding into Canada. Oh, and they’re also being blamed for shooting up synagogues in Toronto. But there never was an “open border” under Trudeau, the members of the regime were barred from the country, and there is a process to deport those who came into Canada to find that their visas had been denied. It just takes time because we are also a country that respects due process and the rule of law. But the Conservatives want to bay for deportation, because Maple MAGA, apparently. It’s all so stupid, and it would be great if The Canadian Press didn’t just ignore this whole facet of their argument because it’s inconvenient.
Ukraine Dispatch
Russia launched another attack on an apartment block in Kharkiv, this time injuring six people including a small child.
Good reads:
- Mark Carney has announced a trip to the UK and Norway this weekend.
- The government has nominated Anne Ryan, currently the deputy director at FINTRAC, to be the next Parliamentary Budget Officer.
- The government is considering excluding digital asbestos chatbots from its online harms legislation, preferring to keep those for separate, future legislation.
- Upon further consideration the government has rescinded their order for TikTok Canada to unwind its activities, and they will now be subject to new privacy orders.
- Treasury Board is not tracking how its civil service job cuts are affecting minority groups (because of course they aren’t).
- Marc Miller pointed out that the agreement with the Musqueam First Nation has nothing to do with private property (in spite of fear-mongering by certain groups).
- As part of the Defence Industrial Strategy, the National Research Council is spending $900 million to establish a drone research facility, and to buy a Global 6500 aircraft.
- A potential social media ban for children under 16 has privacy advocates concerned because of what age verification entails.
- Here is a look at the provincial nomination race that Nate Erskine-Smith is contesting before he makes the leap to provincial politics.
- Voting has begun in the NDP leadership race, and the ranked ballot could create interesting outcomes if nobody wins on the first ballot.
- Kevin Page gives his thumbs-up to the proposed new PBO, Annette Ryan.
- Matt Gurney posits that police desire to avoid conflict has led to certain protesters feeling emboldened enough to shoot up synagogues, while nobody wants to act.
- Justin Ling explores how Trump’s quasi-regime change is not about democracy, but about creating puppet regimes that he can benefit from, mostly by raiding their oil.
- Stephanie Carvin points to Canada’s need to show up with material resources and be prepared to make actual decisions with international allies.
Odds and ends:
No #QP for the PM tomorrow, which is unusual as he has made it his habit to only show up on Tuesdays. #cdnpoli
— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-03-09T21:20:05.067Z
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