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May 19 2024

NDP vs CPC. Bold Blair. Taiwan brawl: The Roundup

May 19, 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
New Democrats try out a sharper line of attack as Conservatives target NDP ridings
New Democrats say they are rolling out a line of attack against the Conservatives, as its leader, Pierre Poilievre, targets the NDP's ridings. [CBC]
Martin Regg Cohn: Right-wing politicians who once bashed union leaders as “bosses” are rebranding themselves as friends of the working man. [TorStar]
Philippe Lagassé: Bill Blair has been a surprising defence minister. If, as rumour has it, Anita Anand was shuffled out of the defence portfolio because she was being too forceful, then one would assume that the Prime Minister's Office was expecting Blair to be more docile. It hasn’t worked out that way. [Debating Canadian Defence]

The clarification comes after rising confusion caused by a 2023 Tax Court of Canada decision. [TorStar]
From the Provinces
Toronto city councillor Jaye Robinson dies
Robinson was first elected in 2010, and won re-election three times. Before entering politics, she was a manager in the city’s economic development division for more than two decades. I put my name on a ballot once: While a student at the University of Guelph in the 1980s, I ran for president of the Central Student Association. The other candidate: Jaye Robinson. She whupped me. I thought campaigns were all about speeches and posters and t-shirts. The air war, as I now know it. But Jaye knew then what I'm certain led to her later success: Politics is about all about building networks, alliances, finding people to help you win an election and then following through on a plan. The ground game. She was a great at it. She was a real bridge builder in our days at the U of G and, reading this tribute here, that was what she was best at in municipal politics. Very sad to learn of this news. [Toronto Star]
Elsewhere
Taiwan lawmakers brawl in parliament over chamber reforms dispute
Taiwan lawmakers turned violent with one another in Taipei’s parliament on Friday during a dispute over chamber reforms. [Global]

Views are split by political party, but support for legal abortion has risen modestly in both groups since before the 2022 Dobbs decision. [Pew Research Center]

The internet outage in East Africa highlights the fragility of the continent's online connections. [BBC]
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Media

Andrew MacDougall: As a believer in public broadcasting and a strong public service, I want you to succeed. So, figure out how to act if Poilievre comes PM. [Ottawa Citizen]
Science and Tech

A quarter of all webpages that existed at one point between 2013 and 2023 are no longer accessible. [Pew Research Center]
The Calendar
  • 1030 ET: Kingston, ON - LPC MP Mark Gerretsen marks the reopening of Bellevue House National Historic Site.
  • 1200 ET: Mayne Island, BC - GPC MP Elizabeth May participates in May Day.
Issued this day ...
… in 1987: Scott #953: Coil Stamps: Parliament. Design: Rolf Harder.

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