Your middle-of-the-week moment of clarity ...
How many government staffers do you need to polish a veteran Liberal’s “friendly” question for a government minister? The answer, according to internal emails released by the House of Commons’ health committee, is at least 10.
The emails were part of a new batch of documents released to the committee in its study of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The House approved a special production order in October that requested the ongoing release of relevant documents. ...
On May 5, Muna Tojiboeva, a writer in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), emailed staff in two ministers’ offices with a draft of a “friendly” question Liberal MP Francis Scarpaleggia wanted to ask during the special committee on the COVID‑19 pandemic the next day.
Scarpaleggia is chair of the federal Liberal caucus. His question was for Health Minister Patty Hajdu.
Tojiboeva sent the proposed wording of the question to Hadju’s spokesperson Aisling MacKnight and Tristan Laycock, an advisor for Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand. Another MP staff member was also copied on the email.
Tojiboeva shared a draft of the question with MacKnight and Laycock. It included mention of “the obvious fears about the procurement of personal protective equipment.”
The Montreal-area MP also raised concerns about the private sector’s access to “this crucial equipment” and asked the health minister to “tell us whether the federal government will play a direct role in the supply chain for this crucial equipment.”
MacKnight responded to the email by saying the question seemed to be about Public Services and Procurement Canada’s supply council, an advisory group of public and private sector leaders announced two days earlier. The supply council is tasked to provide the government with “advice on the procurement of critical goods and services.”
“I have to defer to Tristan on this one,” MacKnight wrote in response to the email.
In a separate email thread, Laycock shared the draft of Scarpaleggia’s “friendly” question with five colleagues in the Public Services and Procurement minister’s office.
“MP Scarpalleggia [is] planning on asking this friendly tomorrow. I think the wording may go a bit too far, thoughts? Will send around a draft answer for review,” Laycock wrote in an email to his colleagues.
Anand’s parliamentary affairs director, Elliott Lockington, replied: “This is very strong.”
The next day, Laycock returned to the original thread with the PMO and health minister’s spokesperson. He included a version of “the response and revised Q that we worked on with MP Scarpaleggia.”
Tojiboeva shared a draft of the question with MacKnight and Laycock. It included mention of “the obvious fears about the procurement of personal protective equipment.”
The Montreal-area MP also raised concerns about the private sector’s access to “this crucial equipment” and asked the health minister to “tell us whether the federal government will play a direct role in the supply chain for this crucial equipment.”
MacKnight responded to the email by saying the question seemed to be about Public Services and Procurement Canada’s supply council, an advisory group of public and private sector leaders announced two days earlier. The supply council is tasked to provide the government with “advice on the procurement of critical goods and services.”
“I have to defer to Tristan on this one,” MacKnight wrote in response to the email.
In a separate email thread, Laycock shared the draft of Scarpaleggia’s “friendly” question with five colleagues in the Public Services and Procurement minister’s office.
“MP Scarpalleggia [is] planning on asking this friendly tomorrow. I think the wording may go a bit too far, thoughts? Will send around a draft answer for review,” Laycock wrote in an email to his colleagues.
Anand’s parliamentary affairs director, Elliott Lockington, replied: “This is very strong.”
The next day, Laycock returned to the original thread with the PMO and health minister’s spokesperson. He included a version of “the response and revised Q that we worked on with MP Scarpaleggia.”
One question - ten revisions.
Wow ...
(Merci)
Corruption - it gets things done ... for them!:
The Office of the Auditor General gave confidential advance copies of its audits to a Liberal lobbyist, say Access To Information records. The Office declined an interview to explain its contacts with registered lobbyist Susan Smith, a CBC pundit and former Liberal press secretary: “That way you can access them from your office.”
**
Cabinet aides last night refused comment on documents indicating ex-Industry Minister Navdeep Bains was “pressing” an Ontario firm’s proposal for a multi-million dollar federal contract. Staff and executives with the company exchanged twelve phone calls and emails in two days: “Only pressing on this as it came directly from the Minister.”
**
Details of billions’ worth of secret contracts with vaccine manufacturers cannot be disclosed, the Public Health Agency said yesterday. Managers said signed agreements had confidential clauses that must not be revealed to the public: “There must be something in these contracts you don’t want Canadians or the Opposition to see.”
**
Scum:
Canada the only G7 country to take vaccines from fund for developing countries
Canada is the only G7 country to draw on a supply of COVID-19 vaccines meant primarily for developing countries, according to new data released Wednesday.
The COVAX program, co-ordinated by the World Health Organization and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, pools funds from wealthier countries to buy vaccines for themselves and for 92 low- and middle-income nations that can’t afford to buy on their own.
Information released Wednesday by Gavi shows Canada is among just a few rich countries exercising their options to buy vaccines from the international group. The vast majority of countries receiving the first vaccine shipments from COVAX are low- and middle-income countries.
Remember - Albertan flu shots should never be considered.
The best solution for this bullsh-- is just to walk out of one's house (sans mask) and do whatever one wants:
Canadians under lockdown are angry and frustrated with cross-border holidayers, a senior Liberal MP wrote in an email to constituents. MP Anthony Housefather (Mount Royal, Que.) said cross-border travelers should expect restrictions to remain in place for months: “While I understand snowbirds are not just like any other traveler, I do not believe most Canadians see it that way.”
**
Some businesses across Canada are planning to reopen on Feb. 11 in defiance of local COVID-19 restrictions.
“We are gonna call it the great reopening of Canada,” Vladislav Sobolev, the founder of the We Are All Essential movement, said in a Facebook video posted on Monday.
**
This didn't age well:
Canadians will not be forced into COVID-19 internment or containment camps, a spokesperson for Health Minister Patty Hajdu said Tuesday — taking aim at a disinformation campaign that has been circulating on social media for weeks.
Ahem:
He’s not on vacation at this hotel. He is being held against his will until he gets clearance by Health Canada to leave. They detained him Sunday night after arriving home from Charlotte, N.C. after not accepting the negative COVID test he paid for in the U.S.
Authorities tested him again and he’s been forced to cool his heels until the results are in.
The 48 hours he was originally told passed by at 10 p.m. Tuesday and he’s not been able to find out when word will come. If for some reason his test comes back positive, he believes he may have to stay there for 14 days.
Do what your bosses tell you:
The Chinese embassy in Ottawa released a statement on Tuesday demanding that Canadian news outlets conform their reporting to reflect China's position on Hong Kong and Taiwan.
"We urge Canadian media to uphold the correct position on issues concerning China's sovereignty, territorial integrity and other major core interests, abide by the one-China principle, and not to provide a platform for the activities of 'Taiwan independence' forces so as not to send wrong signal," the statement reads.
In the House of Commons on Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stopped short of labelling China’s treatment of the Uyghur minority a genocide but did “acknowledge” the US government’s decision to do so.
Also:
Despite the nearly 800-day arbitrary detention of two Canadians and a “genocide” of Uyghur Muslims in China, the Trudeau government is allowing the Canadian Olympic Committee to make the decision alone on participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
The Beijing Olympics are scheduled to hold their opening ceremonies one year from Thursday, on Feb. 4, 2022, but there have been widespread calls for countries to boycott the games from human rights groups and activists in Hong Kong.
Because decision-making is hard.
The coronavirus isn't killing old people fast enough and this is what bothers the government:
A bill to expand access to medical assistance in dying has emerged intact from a Senate committee but it’s not likely to remain unscathed for long.
The Senate’s legal and constitutional affairs committee accepted the bill Wednesday in a matter of minutes, without amendment.
Remember - the Trudeau government rewarded Omar Khadr with $10.5 million:
The Trudeau government has added the Proud Boys and three other extreme right-wing groups to its list of terrorist organizations as it seeks to tackle the sort of neo-fascism and white nationalism that boiled over in the U.S. last month.
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