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Mar 16 2023

Rapporteur Reaction. Premiers Performance. AI Madness.

Mar 16, 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
Former governor general David Johnston to oversee foreign interference probes
The Prime Minister's Office says Johnston was appointed as the independent special rapporteur after consultations with all parties in the House of Commons. [Global]
John Ibbitson: Even Pierre Poilievre can’t criticize David Johnston probing Chinese election interference, because the former governor general was appointed by Harper.  As of 0730 ET, the leader of the Official Opposition has not yet issued any statement in response to this appointment though dozens of Conservative MPs have taken to social media platforms to dunk on the appointment. One, Conservative finance critic, Jas Hallan, even called Johnston a "random Liberal". [Globe and Mail]
Meanwhile, in this Twitter thread, 👇, Ibbitson's fellow Globe columnist Andrew Coyne has a very different view of Johnston's appointment ...

Senior Chinese diplomat sought to groom and cultivate politicians for city council and higher office. [Globe and Mail]
Canada has faced pressure in recent months to lead a military mission in the Caribbean nation, which has been plagued by gang violence. [Global]
Jordan Leichnitz: I suspect that clever staffers have already taken advantage of the technology’s powerful writing abilities to make the dull task of drafting endless briefing notes, speeches and Question Period material a bit easier. ChatGPT can do some fun party tricks, to be sure, but it would be a mistake to think AI’s impact on our broader political and democratic ecosystem will start and end with copywriting. [Air Quotes Media]
The party confirmed Gerrit Van Dorland has been disqualified from running to become the party's candidate in Oxford, a reliably Conservative riding in southern Ontario. [Global]
Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin, a senior military officer who was acquitted of a sexual assault charge late last year, has filed a $6 million lawsuit against the Canadian government. [Global]
From the Provinces
Premiers’ Performance: Three premiers face re-election in 2023; others spring forward, a few fall back
One-third approve of Ford in Ontario (33%); Furey, Moe hold the approval of three-in-five. [Angus Reid Institute]
The Quebec government believes its new police reform is tackling racial profiling, a prominent issue in the past few years, but some activists say the bill doesn't go far enough.  [Global]
A criminologist says Alberta's plan to make all police services in the province use body cameras could come with prohibitive costs and take a long time to put in place. [Global]
Video of Outer Cove icebergs that are attracting hoardes of sightseers
Sightseers have been flocking to Outer Cove, near St. John's, in recent days after several icebergs drifted into the cove and became grounded. [Saltwire]
Elsewhere
On the trail, freewheeling Donald Trump counters scripted Ron DeSantis
In Dallas, when DeSantis spoke at the Lincoln Day dinner this month, his team asked for the news media to be excluded, said Jennifer Stoddard Hajdu, the president of the local GOP chapter. Reporters were also excluded from a fundraising dinner for the Orange County GOP — an event that has often been open to the news media — at the request of DeSantis’s team, according to the county party’s chair. One potential nominee wants to campaign out of sight of the media; the other leading nominee can't get enough media attention, if you know what I mean. Great reporting here. [WaPo]

The war in Ukraine highlights the Republican party’s own transformation on foreign policy in the past few decades. [WaPo]
COVID and Vaccines
COVID-19 Could Be Robbing People of Their Ability to Recognize Faces
When Annie reunited with her family for the first time a few months after being ill with COVID-19, it was clear the disease was not yet done with her. [ScienceAlert]
Ineffective or outdated requirements could undermine trust, some vaccine researchers warn. [Science]
Media
Gary Mason: During the sentencing, Ms. Vance got to address her harasser, Richard Oliver of Chilliwack, B.C., and tell him about the damage that he had caused. She described having to go to her son’s high school with a photo of Mr. Oliver, telling the principal: If you see this person, call the police. [Globe and Mail]
Tech
Microsoft Teams is adding 3D avatars for people who want to turn their webcams off
"Microsoft Mesh" features like avatars were originally slated to launch in 2022. [Ars Technica]

[NYT reporters] asked Microsoft’s Bing to make its own N.C.A.A. tournament picks. And asked again. And asked some more. [NYT}
Issued this day ...
... in 2004: Sc # 2024: Governor General Ramon Hnatyshyn. Design: Susan Mavor. Photograph: Paul Chiasson. 
A lawyer and politician, Ramon Hnatyshyn (1934-2002) was appointed Governor General in 1990 on the recommendation of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Hnatyshyn was the first -- and only -- Ukrainian Canadian to hold post.

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