The federal government is openly musing about changes to the Impact Assessment Act and the Fisheries Act in order to speed up project approvals, which sounds like it could be a dubious proposition. Federal Sources™ still insist that they will need Indigenous consultations and “robust” environmental assessments for projects, but if they keep “streamlining” these processes, they’re not robust. And then you just get more litigation. They don’t seem to learn this lesson.

The Conservatives, meanwhile, continue to demand that all environmental laws be repealed as “anti-development,” and continue to propagate falsehoods about projects that didn’t move ahead for reasons that have nothing to do with the assessment regime. They seem to have no concept of the fact that there are other factors at play, whether it’s the crash in oil prices in 2014, or the fact that there were no customers willing to sign long-term contracts that would make these projects viable enough to pursue.

https://twitter.com/andrew_leach/status/2052386968798118276

And then there are the oil companies themselves, who continue to try and flex their influence in order to scrap environmental laws. While whinging that any carbon pricing makes them uncompetitive (blatantly untrue given the credits in the system), Canadian Natural announced yesterday that they are moving ahead with two steam-driven oilsands projects, but still holding off on expanding one of their mines. Looks like they can still operate within the regulatory environment, even while grousing about it. These companies are not fragile babies who are one look askance away from insolvency, and government needs to stop treating them as though they were (while the Conservatives really need to stop credulously believing everything that these companies say).

Ukraine Dispatch

Ahead of its ceasefire, Russia fired dozens of more drones into Ukraine, hitting a kindergarten in Sumy, claiming Ukraine violated their own ceasefire first. President Zelenskyy has warned that if Russia continues to violate the ceasefire, then Ukraine will carry on with its long-range strikes.

Good reads:

• Mark Carney met with Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, who is visiting Ottawa (where she was born during WWII) for the tulip festival.
• The government is pulling the plug on the Harper-era Nanisivik Naval Facility on Baffin Island after it was never able to get off the ground.
• The federal government expects to book $140 million in savings from making refugee claimants co-pay for healthcare. (Feels a little gross, guys).
• David McGuinty says there will be an update on the Snowbirds fleet on May 19th.
• The Canadian Forces have been deploying counter-drone systems around major ports and air bases, taking lessons from Ukraine.
• The Department of Finance has a backlog of more than 800 requests for relief from counter-tariffs.
• The Privacy Commissioner says that there have been more than 42,000 data breaches at the CRA, some of which were used to commit fraud.
• Three Canadians are “self-isolating” after being returned to Canada from that hantavirus-plagued cruise ship. (Apparently, we learned nothing from COVID).
• The Chief Electoral Officer was at the procedure and House affairs committee, and said that Bill C-25 is mostly okay, but needs more teeth on disinformation.
• Senator Kristopher Wells says the MAiD committee is stacked and on track to deliver a flawed, one-sided report.
• Louise Arbour will be installed as the Governor General on June 8th.
• Elections Alberta has issued 568 cease-and-desist orders related to everyone who is known to have dealt with the stolen voters list,
• Pierre Poilievre told the Formerly Manning Conference that he’s not going to change, after claiming the Liberals control the media and demand he does. (Nope)
• Vass Bednar wonders why the government doesn’t treat defective digital products—like digital asbestos—the same as defective physical products.
• Matt Gurney suggests that the government should have chosen a GG from Alberta to send a signal. (I am dubious that it would make a difference)
• Philippe Lagassé considers how the government is legislating the changes to the Defence Investment Agency, and what those changes can mean.
• Paul Wells talks to Eric Merkley about affective polarization, and how that plays out in the Canadian political landscape.

Odds and ends:

Who held a "referendum" on equalization that got the province nowhere because it would involve constitutional negotiations, and did nothing other than stoke grievances that these separatists then latched onto? Who could have done something so completely irresponsible? It's a complete mystery!

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2026-05-08T02:41:47.388Z

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