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Jan 30 2024

Content studio. PQ surge. Shy Liberal.: The Roundup

Jan 30, 2024
David Akin's Roundup
Clippings of #cdnpoli, #media, and #tech content aimed at those with an interest in Canadian politics and policy. And sometimes Canadian postage stamps.
Canada
Interference inquiry searches for way to put secrets on the public record
The long-awaited public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's democratic processes is now underway in Ottawa, where allegations against China, Russia, Iran and India are all under scrutiny. David Akin reports on a new case of possible Chinese interference; and how media outlets are fighting for transparency at the inquiry. [Global National]
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre bends and sometimes breaks the rules in question period, playing to an audience outside the chamber. "It's a content studio." Yup. [National Post]
The carbon tax was one of the Conservative Party's main lines of attack against the Liberals during the first question period of 2024. And why would the BQ support? There is no federal carbon tax in Quebec ... [Global]

The National Council of Canadian Muslims abruptly cancelled a meeting Monday with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing his government of failing to protect Palestinians or take "tangible action" against hate crimes. [CP]
Health Minister Mark Holland said the government agrees with a joint parliamentary committee report that said Canada is not ready to expand medical assistance in dying in March. [Global]
Known as 'Woody,' Ron Wood, a former Hill reporter in the 1960s who became a top adviser to then-Reform Party leader Preston Manning, died on Jan. 17 in Calgary. His friend Jim Armour called Wood a ‘genuine character.’ Ron was still on the Hill when I arrived in 2005. Jim's tribute here is pretty much as I remembered him. Very nice. [Hill Times]
From the provinces
Nouveau sondage | Les appuis à la CAQ fondent, le PQ entre en zone majoritaire
 À la veille de la rentrée parlementaire, un nouveau sondage réalisé par la firme Pallas Data donne à François Legault et à ses troupes leur pire résultat dans les intentions de vote depuis l’hiver 2016, alors qu’ils étaient dans l’opposition. Le Parti québécois (PQ) de Paul St-Pierre Plamondon devance désormais le gouvernement caquiste par 11 points, dans le contexte où la Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) a perdu la moitié de ses électeurs en près d’un an. [La Presse]

Bien qu’il soit encore officiellement « en réflexion » sur ses intentions, Denis Coderre se présentera dans la région de Québec s’il prend les rênes du Parti libéral. [La Presse]

In just two years, roughly a quarter of Ontarians could be without a family doctor, according to the Ontario Medical Association and Ontario College of Family Physicians. [Global]

James Edward Sowery who was found guilty on charges of assault with a weapon and dangerous driving dating back to 2022, was sentenced to 10 months in prison on Monday. [Global]
Starting Thursday, there will be rotating full day strikes by a number of school divisions across the province. [Global]
With a provincial byelection set for Tuesday in a long-held Progressive Conservative riding in Newfoundland, there's something conspicuously hard to find on the Liberal candidate's campaign; the name of his party. [CP]
Elsewhere
‘You cannot raise children here’: Israel-Hezbollah fighting catches communities in crossfire
With Gaza's humanitarian crisis not easing, fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants is heating up along the Israel-Lebanon border. Daniele Hamamdjian visits two Israeli kibbutzs to see how the violence is leaving border communities on edge. [Global National]

Israel said undercover commandos killed three Palestinian militants in a raid on a hospital in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, a further sign that Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza is spreading to other fronts. [Reuters]

Khan and his deputy Shah Mahmood Qureshi sentenced in so-called cypher case, days before February 8 general elections. [Al Jazeera]
Media
How Taiwan beat back disinformation and preserved the integrity of its election
Worries that China would use disinformation to undermine the integrity of Taiwan's vote dogged the recent election, a key moment in the young democracy's development that highlighted tensions with its much larger neighbor. In repelling disinformation, Chinese and domestic, Taiwan offers an example to other democracies holding elections this year. [CP]
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Sci/Tech
How to Read Leaked Datasets Like a Journalist
'Hacks, Leaks, and Revelations' is a how-to guide for everyone who's curious about secrets. [Vice]
Japan will no longer force businesses to put data on floppy disks when they submit certain official documents. [Endgadget]
Titan imploded, so why not champagne bottles at lower depths? [IFL Science]
The Calendar
  • 1000 ET: West Block - PM Trudeau meets with his cabinet.
  • 1100 ET: 425 Wellington - Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO) | Meeting  92 - Bill S-205
  • 1100 ET: 315 Wellington - Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) | Meeting  99 - Briefing Session with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
  • 1100 ET: 025-B West Block - Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) | Meeting  102 - Drafting report | Meeting Requested Pursuant to Standing Order 106(4) to Discuss the Parliamentary Protocol Related to Mr. Zelensky’s Address to Parliament
  • 1100 ET: 415 Wellington - Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (TRAN) | Meeting  97 - Bill C-33
  • 1100 ET: 425 Wellington - Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO) | Meeting  92 - Bill S-205
  • 1500 ET: Ottawa - NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh meets with AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse
  • 1530 ET: 330 Wellington - Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development (SDIR) | Meeting  43 - Drafting reports
  • 1530 ET: 425 Wellington - Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development (ENVI) | Meeting  93 - Freshwater,
  • 1530 ET: 315 Wellington - Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans (FOPO) | Meeting  94 - Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing
  • 1530 ET: 410 Wellington - Standing Committee on International Trade (CIIT) | Meeting  89 - Canadian Businesses in Supply Chains and Global Markets
  • 1535 ET: West Block - PM Trudeau meets with Slovakia President Zuzana Čaputová.
  • 1555 ET: West Block - PM Trudeau , Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland and Defence Min Bill Blair meets with Slovakia President Zuzana Čaputová.
  • 1600 ET: 035 West Block - Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage (CHPC) | Meeting  106 - Job Cuts Announced at CBC/Radio-Canada
  • 1600 ET: 415 Wellington - Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP) | Meeting  94 - Drafting reports.
  • 1900 ET: Rideau Hall - PM Trudeau attends a state dinner for Slovakia President Zuzana Čaputová.
Issued this day ...
...  in 2014: Scott #2703: Black History Month - Hogan’s Alley. Design: Karen Smith Design.
Canada Post note: Hogan's Alley in Vancouver's Strathcona neighbourhood was an African-Canadian community that became a vibrant destination for food and jazz until it was removed in the 1960s to make way for new construction.

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