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Apr 2 2023

Ottawa’s phone bill. Sawhney switch. Twitter code.

Apr 2, 2023
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
Ottawa spends millions on 944K phone lines. Nearly a third are ‘dormant’
The information comes as Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has vowed to find more than $15 billion in savings from the federal budget over the next four years. [Global]
Canadian citizens and permanent residents can join the navy on a year-long contract – either full-time or part-time – and then leave if they wish to after that. [Global]
The Liberal government says reforming the employment insurance program amid a slowing economy could drive up premiums for workers and employers. [Global]
From the provinces
'Imprecise language': Smith's first public remarks on pastor conversation video
Alberta's premier continued on Saturday to insist she did nothing wrong in taking a phone call with a street pastor before he was due to stand trial. [Edmonton Journal]
Sawhney had announced she wouldn't seek re-election in Calgary-North East, but is now returning to contest another riding in the city. The cynic might note that northeast Calgary - Sawhney's current riding --  is much more likely to swing to the NDP while the city trends more conservative in its northwest corner where Sawhney will now run.  [Calgary Herald]
Two months ahead of provincial election, a new Leger poll shows momentum slowly trending towards the NDP. [Calgary Herald]

The MPP for Algoma-Manitoulin has been removed while a third-party investigation takes place. [TorStar]

In the wake of record low turnout for an Ontario election, the province's chief electoral officer is calling for a ban on publishing the results of political polls for the final stretch of the campaign. [CBC]

Quebec opposition party leaders are criticizing the government for the planned creation of a new agency called Santé Québec to manage the struggling health system. [Global]
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Elsewhere
Donald Trump, the first current or former U.S. president ever charged with a crime, is expected to appear in court in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday. [WaPo]
Two European elections today 👇 where NATO, Russia, and the war in Ukraine are on the ballot. 
Voters in Montenegro are casting ballots in a runoff presidential election that is a contest between a long-serving pro-Western incumbent and a newcomer promising changes in the small NATO member nation located on Europe’s Balkan peninsula. Montenegro also has an early parliamentary election in June. That vote was scheduled because of a government deadlock that alarmed the West as war rages in Ukraine. [AP]

Bulgaria held its fifth general election in two years Sunday, which political leaders hoped would end government instability and provide a path to overcoming economic woes fueled by the war in Ukraine. [AP]
Media
Twitter posts the code it claims determines which tweets people see, and why | Ars Technica
Posted algorithm code includes "is_democrat," "is_republican," and "is_elon." This piece is a bit more geeky with links to researchers digging on the code. [Ars Technica]
Twitter has taken its algorithm for recommending tweets “open source,” as CEO Elon Musk has been been promising to do for months. This piece has more of Musk's explanation for why this is good for Twitter.  [The Verge]

This report presents research by CAIDAC, DisinfoWatch and Digital Public Square detailing Russian efforts to influence Canadians’ perceptions of the war in Ukraine over the last two years. [Disinfowatch]
Tech
David Weinberger: This morning I asked chatGPT to suggest revisions to a draft of an opinion piece I’m writing. About half of the ten it came up with were at least worth considering. [JoHo the Blog]
Issued this day ...
Issued this day in 1959: Sc #383: NATO. Design: Ephrum Philip Weiss. 
Marks the 10th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
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