Pierre Poilievre’s lack of a security clearance is becoming a punchline in Question Period once more, which is not really great. In the current context, it’s around the claims that there are some 700 Iranian agents in the country, a figure compiled by a civil society group in 2023, before the IRGC was listed as a terrorist entity, and included people in the country temporarily at the time, but far be it for Poilievre to include any context when he’s trying to stir up a moral panic. We should remember, however, that this is not something that opposition leaders routinely applied for, nor is it something that all MPs need.

There were a bunch of people in my social media replies claiming nonsense like daycare workers needing a clearance when MPs don’t. No. Daycare workers need to undergo background checks. They don’t need access to classified materials, nor do the vast majority of MPs (though there is a place for a group of MPs to be cleared for certain oversight activities). This conflation of what a clearance actually means is not helpful to anyone, and while I know that people like to claim that Poilievre can’t get one and is therefore some kind of security risk, that is also false and is actually disinformation.

Throughout this, prime minister Mark Carney did not help matters by dodging the questions from reporters on Indian foreign interference and transnational repression by saying that his security clearance precluded him from saying anything. Aside from the fact that this is false, it just provided fuel for Poilievre’s bullshit claims that he would be “muzzled.” The only thing that he would be muzzled about is making wildly irresponsible remarks in order to drum up outrage. Knowledge means being more circumspect in his claims, which he doesn’t want. He wants to say bold, dumb things in the House and in the media, because it gets clicks and attention. Clare Blackwood explained it perfectly here.

Because Poilievre's security clearance is once again back as an applause line in #QP, here is @clareblackwood.bsky.social to accurately explain why Poilievre won't get his.

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-03-11T21:35:30.234Z

Ukraine Dispatch

A Russian drone strike hit a civilian business in Kharkiv, killing two. Ukrainian military trainers will start preparing Germany to defend against Russian attacks by 2029, reversing the trend of western militaries training Ukraine’s.

Good reads:

• Following his trip to Norway and the UK, Carney will stay in London and then head to Rome for March break, while the House is not sitting.
• The federal government announced an additional $10 million to help bolster security at Jewish institutions after synagogues were shot-up.
• Tim Hodgson says Canada is doing what it can to help with lowering global oil prices, but can’t say what other measures that will include.
• Correctional Services is making cuts to prison libraries and employment coordination services, which help reduce recidivism. (Very short-sighted!)
• Funds for nature conservation are set to expire this year with no renewal on the horizon, but the government wants to explore “market-based solutions.”
• CSIS says that Iran’s and its proxies threat level remains at “medium” since the current conflict began, and that their threat activities are likely to continue.
• CMHC says that the country made “meaningful” gains in building housing supply last year, particularly rental construction, but imbalances remain.
• The Logic takes a deep dive into autonomous weapons of war, and why Canada is staying hesitant while the US is diving head-first into that digital asbestos.
• Treaty 6 First Nations chiefs held a private audience with the King at Buckingham Palace, and the topic of Alberta separatists was part of the discussion.
• Lori Idlout says she felt she was “betraying” her constituents by staying with the NDP, as many of them had called on her to cross over. (The vote was very close).
• At least a few New Democrats are looking at Idlout’s departure to question whether there is a serious legitimacy crisis within the party.
• The NDP private member’s bill to close supposed “loopholes” in arms exports (i.e. being part of a supply chain) was defeated at second reading.
• Saskatchewan is moving a bill that hopes to thwart the federal gun buyback. (I cannot wait for the courts to strike this down).
• Kevin Carmichael looks to the history of the creation of international institutions to posit that Carney is trying to exert control rather than just be a backseat driver.
• Jennifer Robson muses about the rising staff levels in ministers’ offices, and what it says about their relationships with the civil service.
• Thomas Juneau suspects that a weakened Iran is going to double-down on its trans-national repression, including here in Canada.
• Susan Delacourt sees the rash of floor-crossings as a means of getting to the stability that Canadian voters tell pollsters that they’re craving.

Odds and ends:

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