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Feb 27 2024

Home ideas. Gatekeeper pushback. Russian interference: The Roundup

Feb 27, 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
Some Canadians exploring ‘non-traditional’ ways to own a home. What are they?
Unaffordability in Canada's housing market is pushing nearly a third of would-be buyers to consider co-ownership and other 'non-traditional' paths to buy a home, Re/Max says. [Global]

The president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities rejected Poilievre's oft-levelled accusation that cities are the ones standing in the way of building more homes. [Global]

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending Canada's defence spending levels as he wrapped up a three-day visit to Ukraine and Poland.[Global]

Reporting to the federal defence minister, rather than directly to Parliament, creates an obvious conflict of interest, Gregory Lick told the House of Commons defence committee. [Global]
The Liberal government has introduced their highly anticipated Online Harms Act, which proposes sweeping reforms focused on protecting children online, creating internet complaint mechanisms, and potentially steep new penalties for hate crimes. [Global]
Mississauga councillor Sue McFadden has been named by Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives as the party's candidate in Mississauga—Streetsville. DA notes: McFadden will be trying to defeat Rechie Valdez, the first-ever Filipina to hold a federal cabinet position. In my model, after factoring in a 5% advantage Valdez should receive for being a cabinet minister and an incumbent, this riding goes CPC by about 6 points if an election were held today. The CPC candidate, McFadden, hesitated to run federally earlier -- cuz she likely would have lost -- but she's looking at the same (and possibly better) polling data we all are and it seems a much more favourable opportunity for the CPC to win back the seat the CPC candidate Brad Butt won in 2011 when Stephen Harper won his only majority. [Mississauga Today]
Marie Rogers, the chair of the ABC party, is stepping down to seek the federal Conservative nomination for the Vancouver Granville riding. My model still has enough Liberals in Van-Gran that incumbent Taleeb Noormohamed would squeak through by less than three points if an election were held today. But that's toss-up territory. [CityNews]

Government House leader Steve MacKinnon introduced the motion Monday, with the New Democrats voicing their immediate support for it. [Global]
From the Provinces
Alberta will opt out of national pharmacare deal: LaGrange
Health minister says the province won't sign on to a federal pharmacare deal expected to cover birth control and diabetes medication. [Edmonton Journal]
Singh's comments came one day after Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange wrote in an email to Global News that the province would seek to opt-out of a national pharmacare plan. [Global]
'Currently in Manitoba, if you don't have coverage, you have to pay a deductible to get access to me to the pharmacare plan. For some people, that's a barrier.' [Global]
In an open letter Monday, Longueuil Mayor Catherine Fournier says it's time for a period of introspection, following the resignation of Gatineau Mayor France Bélisle. [Global]
The non-profit organization [says the] numbers are a steep decline from the previous two years. Paquet blames inflation, rising interest rates and a recession in several G7 countries. [Global]
Elsewhere
Macron says Western troops on ground in Ukraine not ‘ruled out’
Macron spoke after a meeting on Ukraine in Paris brought together over 20 European heads of state and government and other Western officials in Paris. [Global]
The Kremlin warned on Tuesday that conflict between Russia and the U.S.-led NATO military alliance would be inevitable if European members of NATO sent troops to fight in Ukraine. [Reuters]

Putin is spreading disinformation about Joe Biden to lessen U.S. military aid to Ukraine and U.S. support for NATO, former U.S. officials and cyber experts say. [NBC]
The vote, which passed with 188 votes for and six against, was the culmination of months of wrangling by Hungary's allies to convince its nationalist government to lift its block. [Global]

Donald Trump's preferred online fundraising platform is under scrutiny, while his campaign struggles to keep up enthusiasm among small-dollar donors. Small-dollar donations are a good proxy for actual votes -- in any jurisdiction. [CNBC]
Media

They're demonstrating that there is a demand for watching someone deliver the news when the traditional local TV news landscape is diminishing. But media experts say though some audiences have shifted to less conventional options, local TV news reporting isn't easily replaced once it disappears. [CBC]
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Sci/Tech

Originally, the company had hoped to operate its privately developed lunar lander on the surface for a week or longer. But now, that will no longer be possible due to the limited ability of Odysseus to gather solar energy and remain powered on. As the Sun dips closer to the horizon, and with the two-week-long lunar night coming, the spacecraft will, effectively, freeze to death. [Ars Technica]
The Calendar
  • 0900 ET: W110 1 Wellington - Senate Committee on National Finance - Bill C-59
  • 0900 ET: National Press Theatre - Deputy PM and Fin Min Chrystia Freeland , Housing Minister Sean Fraser and Innovation and Industry Min François-Philippe Champagne speak to reporters.
  • 1000 ET: 125-B West Block - Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) | Meeting  107 - Drafting report.
  • 1000 ET: West Block - PM Trudeau meets with his cabinet.
  • 1100 ET: 315 Welllington - Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) | Meeting  105 - Decision of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police  to Not Pursue a Criminal Investigation in Relation to the SNC-Lavalin Affair
  • 1100 ET: 330 Welllington - Agriculture and Agri-Food (AGRI) | Meeting  93 - Issues Relating to the Horticultural Sector / Stabilizing Food Prices. Innovation, Science and Industry Min François-Philippe Champagne, testifies.
  • 1100 ET: 035-B West Block - Finance (FINA) | Meeting  129 - Non-prime Lending and the Criminal Interest Rate
  • 1100 ET: 410 Welllington - Science and Research (SRSR) | Meeting  75 - Briefing with the Chief Science Advisor of Canada
  • 1100 ET: 025-B West Block - Transport, Infrastructure and Communities (TRAN) | Meeting  103 - Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities
  • 1100 ET: 425 Welllington - the Status of Women (FEWO) | Meeting  98 - Women’s Economic Empowerment
  • 1530 ET: 315 Welllington - Foreign Affairs and International Development (FAAE) | Meeting  96 - Canada's Diplomatic Capacity
  • 1530 ET: 415 Welllington - Health (HESA) | Meeting  104 - Opioid Epidemic and Toxic Drug Crisis in Canada
  • 1530 ET: 330 Welllington - Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) | Meeting 102 - Bill C-319, An Act to amend the Old Age Security Act
  • 1530 ET: 035-B West Block - Natural Resources (RNNR) | Meeting  87 - Bill C-49, An Act to amend the Canada—Newfoundland
  • 1530 ET: 125-B West Block - Official Languages (LANG) | Meeting  88 - Economic Development of Official Language Minority
  • 1530 ET: 425 Welllington - Public Safety and National Security (SECU) | Meeting 96 - Growing Problem of Car Thefts in Canada
  • 1530 ET: 425 Wellington - Environment and Sustainable Development (ENVI) | Meeting  99 - Freshwater
  • 1530 ET: 315 Wellington - Fisheries and Oceans (FOPO) | Meeting  100 - Scales Used by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to Set Redfish Quotas
  • 1530 ET: 410 Wellington - International Trade (CIIT) | Meeting  95 - Free Trade Negotiations Between Canada and Ecuador
  • 1530 ET: 225A West Block - Public Accounts (PACP) | Meeting  103 -  Drafting report
  • 1540 ET: Ottawa - Agriculture Min Lawrence MacAulay speaks to the annual meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture
  • 1600 ET: Ottawa - NDP MP Alistair MacGregor speaks to the annual meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture
  • 1600 ET: 025B West Block - Canadian Heritage (CHPC) | Meeting  112 - National Forum on the Media
  • 1620 ET: Ottawa - BQ MP Yves Perron speaks to the annual meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture
  • 1640 ET: Ottawa - CPC MP John Barlow speaks to the annual meeting of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture
  • 1830 ET: B45 Senate Building - Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry - Soil health
  • 1830 ET: 025-B West Block - Special Committee on the Canada–People’s Republic of China Relationship (CACN) | Meeting  34 - Canada–People’s Republic of China Relations

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