Saturday Post

A slow week-end ...




Ontario Premier Doug Ford has called a special sitting of legislature, something he wouldn't have to do if the size and scope of government was limited, there were term limits, penalties for wasted money and elected judges (but I digress ...):

The Ontario government will hold a rare sitting of the legislature today in an effort to expedite passage of a bill that will cut the size of Toronto's city council.

The Progressive Conservatives will begin debates on controversial Bill 31, dubbed the Efficient Local Government Act, at 1 p.m. at Queen's Park.

The bill re-introduces legislation that was struck down by an Ontario Superior Court judge, who said it violated the charter rights of candidates and voters in Toronto's upcoming election. The new legislation will invoke the notwithstanding clause to overrule the court decision.

Also:

Former prime minister Jean Chretien, former Saskatchewan premier Roy Romanow and former Ontario attorney general Roy McMurtry issued a statement Friday saying the clause wasn't meant to be used in this way.

"The clause was designed to be invoked by legislatures in exceptional situations, and only as a last resort after careful consideration," they said. "It was not designed to be used by governments as a convenience or as a means to circumvent proper process."

Yes, about that: 

Jean Chretien on the notwithstanding clause, 2012: "The purpose of an override clause is to provide the flexibility that is required to ensure that legislatures rather than judges have the final say on important matters of public policy."

Question: Would Chretien support the notwithstanding clause today? Chretien, 2012: "It would be the same situation ... Because some would argue that in a society the elected people have to be supreme -- not judges -- and I subscribe to that."

Finally, it would be strange if Jean Chretien didn't support the notwithstanding clause, given that he was part of the government of then Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau that created it.

And:

We have a mandate from the people of Ontario to use every tool at our disposal to protect Ontario families and businesses from the federal carbon tax,” said Minister Phillips. “A carbon tax has nothing to do with the environment and everything to do with increasing government revenue. It will drive up the cost of gas, home heating fuel and everyday items for people across this province.”

This government wants to fail.

Cases in point:

In the face of mounting pressure to wrap up NAFTA negotiations by the end of the month, a senior source suggests Canada is comfortable with missing that deadline.

Rather, Justin is comfortable with trashing the Canadian economy because  he is as clever and as persuasive as dryer lint. The CBC can run interference for its monied mouthpiece all it wants but a string of failures will convince no one that his propping up of an expensive regulatory board for dairy products, a failed energy sector policy, his willingness to destroy the automotive sector and lacklustre trade with other countries is fervor on his part.

Nice try, CBC.

**

Another bright idea:

Trudeau – who once campaigned on bringing Canadians together – is now left with a strategy dependent on splitting the country and putting the economy at further risk. That’s because his endless broken promises (balanced budget, taxes, electoral reform, carbon tax for pipeline tradeoff) have left him without any real ‘accomplishments’ to run on.


The Liberals have watched their support in Western Canada collapse, and will seek to hold onto seats in Ontario and Quebec to remain in power. 

(Sidebar: yes, about that. And I called it.)

They think that by campaigning against Trump and by throwing Western Canada under the bus they can retain enough support to at least win a minority government in the next campaign.

(Merci)

**

The hill on which to die:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended his government's push to put a "price on pollution" in front of a skeptical Saskatchewan audience Thursday, while lamenting Premier Scott Moe's insistence on taking the feds to court over the national climate plan.

At a town hall meeting at the Saskatoon Polytechnic, a vocational training school, Trudeau defended his government's approach to climate change, pipeline projects, refugees and veterans before a rather thin crowd of mostly young people.

(source)

 
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As disgusting as allowing in Yazidi rape victims, eh, Justin?:

Dominic LeBlanc – current intergovernmental affairs minister and former fisheries minister – was recently found to be in violation of the Conflict of Interest Act.

The Conservatives had been asking questions about LeBlanc for months, due to concern about him awarding a fishing license to a company that was set to be owned by his wife’s cousin.

So, how did Justin Trudeau react months ago when the Conservatives demanded answers for the Canadian People?

He called them “disgusting.”

Also:

Canada’s ethics watchdog says he would like to have greater powers to impose penalties against cabinet ministers and public office holders who violate conflict rules, including the ability to levy fines of up to $10,000.

Speaking of disgusting:

A man charged in the death of 13-year-old Marrisa Shen appeared briefly in a Vancouver courtroom Friday as dozens of supporters of the girl's family watched from the gallery or protested outside.

Ibrahim Ali, 28, wore a light red jail uniform and spoke quietly with an Arabic interpreter but did not address the court, only glancing momentarily at the crowd gathered in the room.

The case was adjourned until Oct. 12 so that Ali's lawyer, Daniel Markovitz, could review the Crown's evidence. He declined comment outside court.

Ali was arrested last week and charged with first-degree murder in the death of Shen, whose body was found in Burnaby's Central Park in July 2017.

Police say Ali is a Syrian national who moved to Burnaby as a refugee 17 months ago and is a permanent resident of Canada with no prior criminal history.

(Sidebar: not at all a citizen.)

None of the allegations against Ali have been proven in court.

Demonstrators who gathered outside questioned the country's immigration system under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, some clutching white flowers and holding signs that read "Justin Trudeau, where is your heart now?" and "No More Killings."

Justin has no heart:

When the Hijab Hoax first started getting reported, Justin Trudeau literally rushed to the cameras to make a statement.

He used the moment to smear Canadians as ‘islamophobes,’ and said it showed a problem in our country. Trudeau turned it into a global story.

Of course, we now know that the whole thing had been made up. But Trudeau never apologized for his lack of judgement or for his attacks on Canadians.

His quick response is a stark contrast from how he responded to the horrible story of a Syrian refugee Ibrahim Ali being charged with the murder of 13-year-old Burnaby girl Marrisa Shen.


He hasn’t responded at all.

Alberta Education Minister David Eggen has a lot of explaining to do:

Alberta’s education minister said he’s convening a working group of teachers, parents and advocates by next week to write a new set of guidelines for schools to use when isolating students with behavioural issues.

“The minister has been clear that he believes seclusion rooms should only be used as a last resort and with the safety of children as the priority,” Education Minister David Eggen’s press secretary, Lindsay Harvey, said in an email Thursday.

His statement comes after a Sherwood Park family said their child with autism was locked, naked, in a school isolation room. The student’s parents are suing the teacher, the principal, the school board and the Alberta government.

(Sidebar: this David Eggen.)