Trans Mountain Pipeline Approved

...but far from built.

 I've talked about this  before.  My opinion is that Trudeau did the right thing by approving the pipeline.  You can't really rule this country if the entire middle bit hates your guts because you took away their one salable product.  (Well, that's an exaggeration: Sask has wheat; Alta. has pig shit; and Manitoba has Winnipeg, the Miami of the frozen tundra, for tourism.  But I digress).  And the upcoming election is basically Libs vs. Tories with the two hippy parties as possible spoilers.  Who would you prefer on the climate file, the guys who instituted a National Carbon Tax or the guys who are taking Doug Ford's climate plan national?

But I don't think it should be built, and am pretty sure it won't be built.  And this is due to the lawsuits various FN and other actors will launch, and the mass protests outside of Vancouver that will happen if the lawsuits fail. Which means that today's announcement is a sideshow at best. But I'm betting we don't even get to the "George-Clooney-chains-himself-to-a-bulldozer" stage of things.  I suspect the reason "consultations" with FN groups have failed in the past is that if they were ever done property the result would be too expensive for the oil companies to proceed.  I suspect that will be the case in the future.   But the point is there is more than one way to skin a cat and we shouldn't expect the Trudeau government to have to skin all the cats all the time.

Off To A Good Start: Analysis Of Trump/Trudeau First Meeting

I don't know who suggested Trudeau host a "chicks in biz" lunch with The Donald and daughter Ivanka, who cares about that kind of shit, but it was a brilliant move and it worked.  Look at the pic below.  Ivanka's got that....

...I'd fuck him right now look.  She'll be for Canada going forward.  Count on it.  And she's not the only one.  Our guy was a hit down South.  All the women love him.  For example, Alyssa Milano:

Dear lord, Trudeau is so hot.

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) February 13, 2017

and:
 

Me watching Trudeau translate himself into French. pic.twitter.com/yazecf1Nvj

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) February 13, 2017

Not only that, Justin fought Trump to a draw in the obligatory power handshake contest:

And later offered his hand voluntarily like the prettiest girl at the ball who kisses you out of pity.

As a result, The Donald has said he doesn't intend to fuck over Canada in a trade war, just the Mexicans.  Sorry, little swarthy brothers, national interests are national interests!  See you on the other side.

Bottom line, our PM did the nation proud today.  Or at least kept us safe.

O Glorious Justin: This Is A Thing Cleverly Done

So you diss Fox News over their reporting re the mosque shootings in Quebec.  Cdn media reports on that.  Then U.S. outlets have to report on it too.  Then Fox News has to respond.  And THEN you know The Donald has read it.  And maybe he responds, or not.  But its a neat way of delivering your broader message to the one person you really want to reach.  Smooth, like the Brits do.  And its the same way his staff signal disagreement with his policies.  They leak to Fox.

The Death Of Keystone: A Brief Analysis

There will be celebrations, but it strikes me as anti-climactic.  Lucky timing for the new government, though; its way too soon for it to have to wear any of the failure.   Whereas this decision will be the big fat fucking failing cap-stone to the too-long-but-now-ending political career of Stephen Harper. And I think Justin's nominal pro-Keystone stance was quite clever.  It was a bit like supporting the continued existence of the sun and the moon.  It ain't up to you, so why not?  But why not go the other way a la Mulcair?  Well, there were potential votes out West to be harvested for being a least a little "pro-pipeline", and support for Keystone could be used as a vote-harvesting carrot, even if it was a carrot made of smoke and mirrors.  Mulcair refused to wave the fake carrot, and lost.  Not that this was the sole reason he lost.  There was also that increasingly tattered looking beard. 

Anyway, going forward, I'm betting against Northern Gateway; I am inclined against Trans Mountain; and I suspect Energy East will pipe oil (or whatever) one day.  

Why Is Kathleen Wynne Running So Hard For LPC?

Because the Ontario Pension Plan is dead otherwise.  Harper has already said he won't cooperate. That means Ontario can't piggy-back everything onto the CPC, then pay the feds a cut to use their infrastructure and manage the money.  Ontario would have to start from scratch, to build a whole parallel bureaucracy.  Expensive and inefficient.  Wynne's most significant campaign commitment depends on a Liberal government taking power in Ottawa.

The Munk Debate: A Quickie Review

Jt looked fine.  Got in a few zingers, gave quite a good answer when asked about the LPC position on our ISIS mission. In fact he seemed to echo my position, so you know he's thought about it deeply.  Harper did fine.  Or rather, he did what he always does.  To me it's starting to sound like mumbling in bureaucratize; others might see it as evidence of competence.  Mulcair did poor.  His beard looks awful; he sounds oily and arrogant, passive aggressive; hiding an essential unlikableness via vigilant self-medication.  But, though the debate was about as entertaining as it is possible for such things to be, nobody except hardcore polinerds watched.  So it won't matter but to the the extent some of the "zingers" become headlines.  And in that regard our boy did good.

1st Debate: So How'd They Do?

Justin Trudeau Our guy did good.  Articulate.  Didn't stumble (though I missed his closing remarks, which I hear weren't so great).  Scored points in the one-on-ones, got off a few good lines:  "And then they were 9.  And so shall that number be 9." and etc.

Stephen Harper  Played defense all night, for the most part well.  Some shots got through on the economy; he admitted we're on the verge of a recession.  And he stumbled re the issue of all of his Senate appointments who are prison bound.  He was weirdly articulate on environmental issues & pipelines, displaying detailed knowledge re Alberta's carbon pricing system.  So, perhaps, a weak point well covered.  Not that I liked his answers on these questions, just that they were relatively well delivered.

Elizabeth May Did well, although at times to me she sounded like she had stumbled in from a wonkfest.  She actually forgave Harper for some of his past-policies.  But if I was in the "throw them all out and vote Green" mood and I stumbled onto the debate and watched her, I would be favorably impressed.

Tom Mulcair had weird body language issues.  I don't think he blinked once the whole debate, and he tried so hard to avoid the "Angry Tom" persona that he wound up sounding sedated.  He took a few hits from Trudeau on Que. Separatism and the SCC (Trudeau's "And Lo!  Nine Judges appeared in the East" line), but later on spoke forcefully (although still in an oddly subdued tone) on the Senate.

The Debate Format Nobody expects CDN political debates to be exciting, but this one was probably as entertaining as it was possible to make it.  The format forced interaction between the candidates, which I think actually worked against Stephen Harper.  He appeared diminished.  A mere mortal among mortals.

Fear Mongering A Bust For CPC

Or at if its moved the dial at all in the latest Abacus poll its been in the wrong direction; the LPC is a wee bit ahead in this one.  I'm not entirely surprised.  People might agree with the government re the Niqab, but still see through the rhetoric and perhaps resent the attempt to get them riled.  Or they may see the Hiqab as a 3rd tier issue that won't move their vote one way or another.

As for the LPC position on our ISIS mission, one day I think people will come to look upon Justin Trudeau as the Wayne Gretzky of Canadian politics, who saw not where the polls were, but where they would be on election day.

Mike Godwin (of Godwin's Law) Give's Trudeau Speech Thumbs Up!

He didn't like Blaney's response quite so much.  Read that bit here.

Trudeau's Speech: The Reaction In The Jewish Community

CIJA offers some mild approbation, and repeats a Kenney talking point from here.  B'nai Brith is mildly perturbed.

O Glorious Justin!: Trudeau's Speech

"It is a cruel joke to claim that you are liberating people from oppression by dictating in law what they can and cannot choose to wear"
— Paul Wells  (@InklessPW) March 10, 2015

I didn't hear it live, but all accounts say its old-timey Liberalism.  So people will yell about it.  Which is good.  Justin and the LPC need to poke a few people in the eye, get the debate a bit more livened up than its been.  The above is what he said about the niqab in Quebec thing. True, and prettily phrased.

This is what he said about C-51.

Why support C51, Trudeau asked. Contains concrete measures,' that will make Cdns safer,' he responds
— Michael Den Tandt (@mdentandt) March 10, 2015

It's important to note again  that the NDP position on C-51 is empty posturing.  Given the nature of our political system, it will pass in whatever manner the government chooses.  After that happens, Mulcair has admitted that he will merely amend, not kill, the bill, should he ever become PM.  The only difference between the NDP and LPC is therefore the individual clauses they would choose to delete.  So why  is the NDP making a futile attempt to kill a bill they obviously see some good in? Anyway: good answer, Justin.

Wow! Those Trudeau Gaffes Are Just KILLING The LPoC

And Mulcair is kickin' LPoC ass!   And...and...

But Wait! Some Pundit Said Something About Gaffes!!!

Exclusive - While a general election must be held within a year, the Liberals Justin Trudeau continue to lead in voting intentions of Canadians. According to an EKOS survey CBC /, support for the Liberal Party of Canada are at 38.5%, more than 12 points ahead of the Conservatives, who collect only 26.4% of the vote. Nationally, the NDP at 25%.

You know, these days when a pundit criticizes you...what with the news industry in a tailspin down the toilet bowl of failure, and most pundits looking at career changes that likely involve spatula training and properly enunciating the words "would you like fries with that sir?"...it's a little bit like getting yelled at by some homeless guy.  The nerve of these people! you think.

PS.  Also lots of talk re Tom Mulcair getting his chance!  Is it too soon to say he's already blown it?

Rex Murphy Whips It Out

His vocabulary, to show everyone how big it is.  PS.  The link works, but you don't have to read.  Although I think somewhere about paragraph three Rex deploys a 12 syllable word meaning "cheese-burger".

Ezra's Apology, An Early Draft

Yesterday afternoon, we learned

Brian Mulroney called Liberals to say Sun Media will apologize tomorrow for offensive rant by @ezralevant vs @JustinTrudeau. #cdnpoli
— Robert Fife (@RobertFife) September 28, 2014

Today it was announced that Ezra himself would present the apology.  And I was able to secure a first draft of this document from one of my informants inside Sun News.  I have reproduced it below:

Dear Justin,

I know I've acted badly.  I've said things about your mom and dad that would've earned me a well-deserved punch in the mouth from a less finely bred man.  And I'm sorry for that.  But, Justin, there's something I have to get off my chest before I go any further.  

I love you, Justin.  I have for a long time now.  Since you first became an MP and I was back in Calgary defending The West from your dad's policies.  I saw you on on TV and I said to myself I'm gonna make that future liberal prime minister my number one.  

And I've tried, and tried.  Good Lord I've tried.  But you won't talk to me, you won't even look at me, and its made me crazy.   And when I get crazy, you know me, I talk crazy.  And when I talk crazy, the nations various regulatory agencies starting looking at my bosses like they might pull the plug on STV any minute.  And things get all messed up.  

But I'm done, Justin.  I'm done.  I won't follow you around anymore, if you say the word.  I've sent you a box of chocolates with a note saying how sorry I am, and a big bouquet of roses...the biggest I could find!  But you don't have to eat those chocolates, you don't have to read that note; you can through those roses in the dumpster, if you like.

But let me just say that a better man has not been created on this  Earth, Justin.  You are like an archangel, who has flown too low and broken his wings.  I do and will always worship the ground on which you walk. I would kill and die for you, Justin.

Ezra Levant

I imagine they'll be a few changes made to it before air time.

Sun News Prepares To Grovel

RT @RobertFife: Brian Mulroney called Liberals to say Sun Media will apologize tomorrow for offensive rant by @ezralevant vs @JustinTrudeau
— National Newswatch (@natnewswatch) September 28, 2014

If you're thinking WTF Brian Mulroney?

New Chair of Quebecor "@chevymo: Brian Mulroney? Why him? @cfhorgan @RobertFife @ezralevant @JustinTrudeau"
— Robert Fife (@RobertFife) September 28, 2014

And an update:

Even with apology for @ezralevant rant, @JustinTrudeau may ban Sun from campaign plane until Tory editorial links cut, say Libs #cdnpoli
— Robert Fife (@RobertFife) September 28, 2014

Turn the screws until they can be turned no further, say I!

LPoC on Abortion Rights: Thumbs Up Or Down?

I dunno.  But at least I can see the reasoning behind this one (whereas the sense of holding open nominations continues to elude me.  Because nobody cares about process issues and the only news stories it will generate is when a nomination goes to heck).  Anyway, the reasoning is that the LPoC thinks there are votes for the taking in the NPD pond, and is willing to move towards that party a bit on a 2nd tier issue to grab them.  I'm not saying it will work; I'm just saying it was probably a calculated move, not Justin getting out of the shower one morning and telling the first reporter he met about this great new idea he had. 

After all, something similar did work for Kathleen Wynne.

Justin At The Mosque

The CPC's new plan is to bash JT for being soft on terror; they've been on him for visiting, back in 2011, the  Sunnah Al-Nabawiah mosque, which had been flagged waaaayyy back in the 1990s as being possible incubator of Islamicist terror.  Their plan is very likely to backfire on them.

But all the muck stirring has kicked up a few interesting items.  For example, the government's conduit for the smear job was, no surprise, The Sun News Network.  That fact inspired Paul McLeod, Ottawa Bureau Chief for the Halifax Chronicle Herald, to draw a few connections between the network and the gov. that even I wasn't aware of:

The Sun brain trust is apparently made up by three key people. They are:

Kory Teneycke - This is the name everyone knows. Teneycke is a former director of communications for Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Sun TV is said to be his brainchild. He’s the big boss there.

Matt Wolf - Sun’s executive producer of primetime programming. From 2008 to 2010 he served as issues advisor in the office of… Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Dennis Matthews - The director of marketing and brand development at Sun. From 2006 to 2010 he served as manager of advertising and staff director for, you guessed it, Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Before that he worked for Conservative MP Rona Ambrose and Harper again during his opposition days.

Now, when the smear first emerged folks were quick to recall Jason Kenney's visit to Jaffari Centre in 2013. But if we are looking for cheap-shots, we could also mention the CPC's dalliance with the MQM (Muttahida Qaumi Movement), a Pakistani political organization with a "reputation for violence, extortion and other criminal acts such as murder." What's interesting is that Harper continued to  court MQM-Canada until at least 2012.  He even addressed a delegation from the group back in 2011.

LPC Ads On Youtube

The last couple of days I've been running across the following ad every time I go looking for clips of this or that on youtube.  Below is what I got last evening.

Its Justin reading a Private Member's statement on Eugenie Bouchard, from June 4, but recycled again after her latest run.  Here's the original:

 I suppose this kind of thing is not terribly remarkable these days but its nice to see the party being creative. FWIW this is the tune I was looking for when I found the ad:

Justin's Star Ascendant In Fort Mc!!!

Liberals would have won Fort McMurray #byelxn41 if held on the new boundaries, poll-by-poll results show. #YMM #LPC pic.twitter.com/JOWtfsE2ux
— Pundits' Guide (@punditsguide) July 6, 2014

Look at that top-line.