In 2017, Andrew Scheer appointed almost every one of his leadership opponents to his shadow cabinet. Of Erin O'Toole's three leadership opponents, one was kicked from caucus, one was discouraged from running, the one elected to House of Commons was snubbed from shadow cabinet.
I was clear on my show today that if Erin O'Toole wants to stay on as leader, he should do two things: (1) seek a mandate from members sooner rather than later; (2) speak to the conservative base about why he made the decisions he did in the election.
So far, neither of these has happened. Moreover, when people have raised challenges to his leadership, they find themselves up against the apparatus of the Conservative party (Bert Chen, Denise Batters, etc.). Strong leaders are not afraid of criticism.
Full statement from O'Toole on Batters' expulsion. "Canadians elected Conservatives to hold Justin Trudeau accountable..." is a strange euphemism for "We lost the election." The implication here is that caucus members aren't allowed to speak about the party's leadership.
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One of the dangerous realities of the vaccine mandate for air travellers is that it effectively bars unvaccinated Canadians from leaving the country (which is a Charter guarantee). With a closed land border and a vaccine requirement for air and marine travel, people are trapped.
A friend points out that this mandate could bar Newfoundlanders from leaving the Rock. So far, it looks like only "non-essential" marine transport will require vaccination (such as cruise ships), though if the ferry, unilaterally mandates, internal mobility rights are dead.
Okay, it looks like Newfoundlanders can drive to Point May, canoe to Saint-Pierre, then hop on a direct flight to Charles de Gaulle in Paris. Great – constitutional liberties intact!
Justin Trudeau's vaccine mandate for public servants applies to employees who work FROM HOME. Does COVID spread through Zoom now or is it just about control? (I know the answer). cbc.ca/news/politics/…
A particularly egregious aspect of this is that if a worker loses their job or is placed on unpaid leave because you are unvaccinated, they won't be eligible for EI benefits (even though they'd have paid into the system).
Justin Trudeau bragged that these measures are the "strongest in the world." Limiting freedom more than any other country seems like an odd thing to be proud of. But Canada's back, I guess?
National Council of Resistance of Iran spokesperson @A_Jafarzadeh is speaking in Washington, DC about the Iranian regime's drone program. The NCRI says it is announcing previously unreported drone production and utilization details.
Jafarzadeh points to a production facility west of Tehran, Ghazanfar Roknabadi Industries, which he says is affiliated with Iran's aerospace force and is producing UAVs for the IRGC.
Jafarzadeh is showing satellite images (from Google Earth) of a number of plants – many nearby airports – he says are controlled by Iran's defense department and connected to the drone program.
BREAKING: Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says starting tomorrow all Albertans 75 and up, plus all Indigenous Albertans, will be eligible for third COVID shots six months after second doses.
Kenney says he's awaiting further guidance on "broadening" booster shots to other segments of population.
Kenney says Thanksgiving gatherings spiked Covid cases last year. "We simply cannot afford a repeat scenario." He reminds no social gatherings are permitted for unvaccinated, with vaccinated households permitted to gather with members of another household.
BREAKING: Alberta Jason Kenney declares "state of public health emergency," predicting Alberta will run out of ICU beds in next 10 days. Kenney calls for three steps: Maximize healthcare capacity, reduce transmission by reducing interactions, increase vaccination.
"This is a crisis of the unvaccinated," Kenney says, saying 90 per cent of ICU COVID patients are unvaccinated.
Kenney says he doesn't seek to "stigmatize" people but says being unvaccinated has "real consequences" for society and healthcare system. Says Alberta is being hardest hit in Canada because of low vaccination rate.