If there is something I am getting mighty tired of, it’s the constant demands by certain healthcare groups that the federal government needs to stop in and “do something” about creeping provincial privatisation, and most especially Alberta’s proposed legislation on essentially creating a two-tiered system. Yesterday the demand came from community leaders in PEI who are afraid that Alberta will poach their doctors. To all of them, I ask just what exactly they think the federal government should do, and to be specific.

I am getting so tired of these."Ottawa must intervene!"How? Be specific. The Canada Health Act doesn't just the federal government swoop in and take over, or give them the power to stop a province doing something you don't like. At most, it lets them claw back funding on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-03-17T14:20:41.917Z

The thing is, this is provincial jurisdiction. The federal government can’t just swoop in and overrule them. The Canada Health Act doesn’t work like that. It is a funding agreement that if provinces abide by the five conditions laid out, then they get federal dollars, and if they don’t, those dollars get clawed back. And every year, Health Canada provides a report on provincial compliance and that includes lists of clawbacks, which are dollar-for-dollar what people get charged inappropriately. But that’s the extent of their powers. And in spite of what certain people (and certain journalists most especially) may think, a funding agreement does not make it “shared jurisdiction.” It’s fully provincial jurisdiction, and the federal government has conditions on their funding. That’s it.

So, while the Canadian Health Coalition may keep having press conferences and rallies in Ottawa, it won’t do any good. Their call to action for the federal government on Alberta is basically 1) Conduct a compliance review for Alberta which, again, already happens every year; 2) Urge the Alberta government to “pause implementation” of their legislation; and 3) use the penalties available to them, which again, they already do. Wow. Do what you’re already doing and urge Alberta not do go ahead. Wow. So effective! Meanwhile, the place they’re not rallying day in and day out is in front of the Alberta legislature, and everywhere Danielle Smith goes, even though that’s where the pressure needs to be applied. The federal government is not the provinces’ daddy, and it can’t send bad premiers to bed with no dinner if they misbehave. That’s not how the constitution works, and people need to grow up and hold their own premiers to account.

Ukraine Dispatch

A Russian attack damaged port and energy infrastructure in Odesa. Russia claims to have taken villages in Sumy and Donetsk, which Ukraine has not confirmed. President Zelenskyy was in London to meet with Keir Starmer about continued support for Ukraine; he also met with the King while there.

Good reads:

• From a meeting in Türkiye, Anita Anand again called for de-escalation in Iran, and for the Strait of Hormuz not to be weaponised. (Good luck with that).
• David McGuinty says the government is “just being careful” when they’re not talking about the attack on the bas in Kuwait where Canadian soldiers are stationed.
• Marc Miller is saying the right things about digital asbestos companies needing to pay for the news that they scraped to train their models. (Too bad Solomon won’t).
• Sources™ say that the federal government is working with Ford on temporarily removing the HST on most new homes (which Mike Moffatt has called for).
• The federal government’s conditions on TikTok Canada resemble those the EU put on their local branches…but Canada doesn’t have the enforcement mechanisms.
• The federal government is planning to appeal the Federal Court of Appeal ruling on the invocation of the Emergencies Act to the Supreme Court of Canada.
• The Privacy Commissioner said that the World Anti-Doping Agency has agreed to limit use of athletes’ personal information after complaints were filed.
• The chair of Unifor’s national auto council says that Poilievre didn’t consult them on his auto “strategy,” and that it would cost additional jobs.
• NDP leadership hopeful Avi Lewis stands behind his past activism, including the “Leap Manifesto” which critics accuse him of helping the NDP lose in Alberta.
• Danielle Smith admits to taking a private flight paid for by the Saudi government last fall, to “collaborate” on energy development.
• Mike Moffatt points to the problems facing second-time homebuyers, who in turn can’t free up starter homes for first-time buyers.
• Susan Delacourt notes that for one of the first times, other leaders in the world are saying no to Trump, which he is not used to, but needs to be.

Odds and ends:

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