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May 10 2025

The Roundup: Cabinet Tuesday. Liberal feelers. Alberta failure.

SAT MAY 10 2024
David Akin's Roundup
Cabinet Tuesday. Liberal feelers. Alberta failure.
Canada
Carney’s cabinet to be sworn in on Tuesday in Rideau Hall ceremony
Gov. Gen Mary Simon will oversee the ceremony, which will see new cabinet ministers take the oath of office, a key step for Carney's Liberal government. [Global]

Interim NDP Leader Don Davies says the Liberals are making phone calls to his party's MPs to see if they'll join the government, but said he's not worried that will happen. [Global]

Conservative Leader is eligible for severance worth about $150,000 after losing Ottawa-area riding in federal election. [Globe and Mail]
Greg Ebel says he is "excited" by Prime Minister Mark Carney's remarks on energy infrastructure. [Yahoo News]
David Rodier: A Liberal campaign veteran reflects on the 2025 Carney campaign, from digital pivots to the next generation of political talent. [Policy Options]
Ben Woodfinden: The priority moving forward should be to make sure the Conservative message speaks to and is not off-putting to women. Even though it wasn’t enough in this election, Poilievre achieved important breakthroughs that must be built on. The coalition he put together is new and represents the future. As we figure out how we get over the finish line at the next opportunity, we should be expanding the Poilievre coalition in a way that makes it big enough to win—and cohesive enough to sustain that victory. The author is Poilievre's former director of communications, the bio at the top of this piece notes. This is the first I've learned that Woodfinden is leaving Poilievre's office. Woodfinden's departure is accompanied by the departure of Sebastian Skamski, the former director of media relations for Poilievre and the individual most often in contact directly with journalists. Will be curious to see if the successors in those roles choose a different media strategy.  [The Conversation]
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The Provinces

In the report, Information and Privacy Commissioner Diane McLeod outlined how 27 public bodies relied on policies that “do not align with the purposes of the act”, with McLeod noting, “accountability is the cornerstone of the exercise of good governance.” [Edmonton Journal]
Aurora
Note to Readers
Always encouraging when I put out the word for a little extra financial help to support the production of this seven-days-a-week newsletter and, after i did just that on Thursday, several of you stepped up. Like to send a shout-out to Robert T and friends, to Stephanie P, and to Claude H for their contributions. Thank you!

That group join lots of readers who have already pitched in to help and for that, I'm very grateful. If you can join the group, there's two ways to help out: Sign up at my Patreon page for a small monthly contribution of send a one-time contribution via e-transfer to jda@davidakin.com. 

Thanks for reading -- please tell a friend -- and have a great weekend! 
Elsewhere
US Customs and Border Protection Plans to Photograph Everyone Exiting the US by Car
The escalated documentation of travelers could be used to track how many people are self-deporting, or leave the US voluntarily, which the Trump administration is fervently encouraging to people in the country illegally. [WIRED]
Media
Congratulations, Louis! Thought I must say I will miss his good humour, patience and smarts as the rest of us in the Parliamentary Press Gallery embark on covering the Carney administration. And if the consolation is seeing more of Daniel, well, that's not so tough. -DA

This paper explores the experiences of Muslim women in Canadian journalism. ... this research ultimately finds that the women challenge dominant discourses of objectivity in journalism and Islamophobic discourses surrounding Muslim women. They accomplish this by drawing on Islamic principles in their professional practice, ultimately contesting a key tenet of Islamophobic, Orientalizing discourse that establishes Islam as antithetical to Western values and Muslims as unable to integrate into increasingly secular Western society. [Journalism]
Science and Tech
NASA, in surprise shift, may launch rockets to Mars next year
The move could benefit Elon Musk’s SpaceX company, which has announced plans to land a rocket on the planet. [Politico]
Issued this day ...
… in 2024. Sc3449a se-tenant block of 4. Graphic Novelists. Design: Subplot
Here’s the blurbs from Canada Post, working clockwise from top left
Born in Montréal, Quebec, in 1960, Chester Brown studied art at Montréal’s Dawson College before moving to Toronto at age 19 with the ambition of becoming a comic book artist. He began self-publishing comic strips in 1983 and soon attracted a cult following. A pioneering and influential cartoonist, Brown’s off-beat and often deeply personal storytelling tackled subjects from mental health to religion and anti-authoritarianism. In 2003, Brown published what is now his best-known work, Louis Riel: A Comic-Strip Biography, after receiving the first Canada Council for the Arts grant awarded to a graphic novelist.

Born in Montréal in 1961, Michel Rabagliati was in his late 30s and working as a professional graphic designer when he switched gears to pursue his childhood love of comics and create his alter ego, Paul. After first gaining recognition in Quebec, it didn’t take long for the rest of the world to fall in love with the character Paul and Rabagliati’s delicate pencil strokes.  Over the course of his sensitive, semi-autobiographical works, a whole chapter of modern Quebec history unfolds in 10 graphic novels, including Paul à Québec (2009; The Song of Roland, 2012).

Whether for their famed collaborations or their outstanding individual creations, cousins Jillian and Mariko Tamaki have received critical acclaim for their graphic novels. Mariko, born in Toronto, Ontario in 1975, had already amassed an impressive writing career with several books under her name before working with her illustrator cousin, Jillian, who was born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1980 and raised in Calgary, Alberta.  In 2014, the cousins published This One Summer, a powerful coming-of-age story told from the perspective of pre-teen Rose. This One Summer became their second prize-winning graphic novel and the first graphic novel to receive the Caldecott Honour (U.S.), awarded to the most distinguished children’s picture books.

An influential leader in the underground comic book movement, Seth (the pen name of Gregory Gallant, born in 1962 in Clinton, Ontario) spent much of his youth drawing comics and poring over Charles Schulz’s Peanuts and Marvel comic books. After studying at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto (now OCAD University), he took over art duties for Marvel’s Mister X series in 1985 before launching his mock autobiographical Palookaville comics series. His uniquely introspective works rendered in a monochromatic style have captivated readers for decades.

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