LIBERALS MUZZLING THE PARLIAMENTARY BUDGET OFFICERS

The head of an agency that has spent years shining a light for Canadians on the sometimes-opaque world of government spending is slamming the Trudeau government for its plan to give his office a makeover.
Parliamentary budget officer Jean-Denis Frechette laid out detailed arguments Wednesday on how proposed legislation would limit the freedom and capabilities of an office with a track record of getting under the skin of governments.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LETTERS W-T-F

The co-chairperson of a group providing oilsands advice to the Alberta government has placed her support firmly behind the anti-pipeline B.C. NDP ahead of that province’s election next week.

ELECTORAL REFORM FOR LONDON, ONTARIO

Despite opposition from bureaucrats, city council’s majority — led by first-term politicians — voted Monday to make London the first Canadian city to ditch the traditional first-past-the-post voting system, for the 2018 civic election.

The unprecedented electoral reform, made within hours of a provincial deadline, will introduce a more complex ballot allowing voters to rank multiple candidates in order of preference.

NEGOTIATING WITH THE BITTER, VINDICTIVE EU

Sterling slumped overnight, and tensions between the UK and Europe escalated after EU negotiators hiked their initial demand for Britain's Brexit bill over recent weeks, widening the divide between Brussels and London, which in turn questions whether it owes anything at all before Brexit talks start next month. Hours before chief negotiator Michel Barnier was due to give more details on the EU's standpoint, the Financial Times said the EU might seek an upfront payment in 2019 of up to €100 billion, drawing an immediate rejection from Britain's Brexit Secretary David Davis that he would pay that sum.

PARTISAN TOOL ABUSING THE RULES

Liberal MP Larry Bagnell, chair of the House Affairs Committee, adjourned the filibuster meeting without unanimous consent, forcing Conservative MP Scott Reid to chase him and other Liberal committee members out of the room, while yelling 'that is bullshit, Mr. chair!'

SAJJAN IS ALL HAT AND NO CATTLE

Harjit Sajjan, the minister of National Defence, needs to resign from his post over what he is now calling his “mistake” taking credit for planning a major campaign against the Taliban when he was serving in Afghanistan in the mid-2000s.
By claiming to have been the mission’s mastermind, Sajjan dishonoured the real architects and, more importantly, he dishonoured the 12 Canadian soldiers killed during Medusa by attempting to steal some of the glory from their sacrifice.

TRUDEAU STICKING IT TO THE MIDDLE CLASS

Affordable energy has historically been a Canadian advantage. Canada’s energy resources are an integral part of our economy’s overall competitiveness. Affordable energy is a benefit because it fuels the daily life of Canadians and so much other economic activity, especially in Canada’s industrial sectors.

But today, most Canadian governments are actively working to make energy more expensive by imposing rising levies on fossil fuels with direct carbon dioxide emissions taxes and indirect cap-and-trade schemes, but also new de facto taxes, like the proposed clean fuel standard.