Ottawa

Politics on TV: Joe Oliver goes to Washington

The three things you need to see

Here are the three things you should not have missed:

  1. Thomas Mulcair
  2. Joe Oliver goes to Washington
  3. Updates on the VIA terror bust

Thomas Mulcair:

Power & Politics had NDP leader Thomas Mulcair off the top for a wide-ranging look at the issues of the day. Mulcair said that Bill S-7 – which passed less than an hour later – was not necessary if one looks at the successful arrests over the past week, and that the violations of civil liberties therein wouldn’t survive a Charter challenge (never mind that many of the provisions of the anti-terror legislation were in fact upheld by the Supreme Court). On the topic of Joe Oliver’s trip to Washington, Mulcair reiterated his usual talking point that Keystone XL represents the loss of 40,000 jobs in Canada, and that their preferred route to get oil to tidewater is by the East Coast. On the Rehteah Parsons case, Mulcair said that Nova Scotia had done a good job with their proposed bill, and that his party has offered to help pass cyberbullying legislation before the end of June.

Joe Oliver:

Power Play spoke with Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver from Washington DC, where he spoke about the long-standing relationship on energy and commerce, with some 80 pipelines already crossing the border. Oliver said that EPA report on Keystone XL is of more concern in Canada than the US, as the State Department has the primary responsibility on the file. On Power & Politics, Oliver defended his comments criticising former NASA scientist James Hansen for calling the oilsands “game over” for climate change. Oliver pointed out that the oilsands are 1/1000th of global emissions, and because Hansen knows his stuff, these kinds of exaggerated comments are all the more inexcusable. Oliver said that he trusts science too, and points to the research of Dr. Andrew Weaver. In response, Elizabeth May told Don Martin that Oliver’s “unwarranted and gratuitous swipe” was one of the sadder moments of this government, and that James Hansen is “untouchable.”

Terror bust updates:

Updating the ongoing look into the VIA Rail terror bust, CBC’s Greg Weston outlined the timeline from the initial tip brought forward by an Imam in May of 2012, to the beginning of the investigation in August of 2012 and its conclusion in February 2013, at which point American investigators asked the RCMP to hold off on the arrests while they gained more intelligence from their contacts, until the Boston bombings prompted the Canadian authorities to make the arrests. On Power Play, Robert Fife said that arrests in the US were likely upcoming and that it would be an exercise for those American agents to watch the reactions of American suspects to the Canadian arrests. Carleton University professor Martin Rudner noted that Bill S-7 would add provisions that allow Canadian agents to collect evidence in foreign jurisdictions, which they currently are barred from doing.

Worth Noting:

  • Treasury Board president Tony Clement spoke about the launch of the new federal spending digital portal, which is more than just numbers, but has charts and graphs that are easier to use, and will increase transparency and accountability.
  • Barry McLoughlin of McLaughlin Media said the new Trudeau ads work well in contrast, though Trudeau may be putting himself in a box with his positive spin, and noted that the new ten percenters are a case of the Conservatives “reinforcing the buy.”

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