Carney dodges questions, A&W owners push for more foreign workers, and about that ambassador...
Plus, Donald Trump is eyeing Greenland again.
If you are still struggling for a last minute Christmas gift make sure to check out my list of political books you or the political nerd on your list might like. I based the list on people I had interviewed about their books this past year, that saw me leave Sam Cooper’s Willful Blindness and Warren Kinsella’s upcoming The Hidden Hand - both books are also well worth it.
So, check out the list and there is a good chance you can still get delivery before Christmas.
Speaking of checking things out, have you watched the interview that I did with Pierre Poilievre last week? We released it on Sunday and it’s getting mostly rave reviews - except from people who hate Pierre or who didn’t actually watch it.
Yes, we talk about the floor crossings and leadership issues, how can you not? Most of the interview though is spent on issues that voters are actually casting their ballot on.
Carney dodges questions on trying to recruit other parties’ MPs…
I’m a frequent critic of Rosemary Barton at CBC, that’s no secret and it’s unlikely to change. That said, she did push Mark Carney on whether he was actively recruiting MPs from other parties and didn’t get an answer.
Some might say she could have kept pressing until he said yes or no, I’ll say that’s not how I conduct interviews. If I ask someone a question a few times and it becomes clear they aren’t answering, I leave it to the audience to make their own determination on why the politician is dodging the question.
There really is no point in continuing to pester them, move on.
The truth is however that Carney and his team are actively recruiting Conservative MPs and some I’m talking to say they would also like to recruit the New Democrat MP for Nunavut, Lori Idlout. I can’t confirm if they are talking to her, I just know Liberals would like her on their team and the budget has pledged a lot of money to the region.
Plus, the rumour mill keeps saying more Conservative MPs will cross.
It’s hard to say how much of this is reality with MPs considering offers and how much of it is phycological warfare, but make no mistake, the Liberals are recruiting.
Does A&W really need foreign workers to sell you overpriced burgers…
I like The Dub as A&W is often called. It’s a quality product and when you’re in small town Canada, it’s up there with Subway as one of the most reliable options for fast food. That said, whether in small towns or big cities, A&W prices aren’t cheap but their owners apparently are - or at least some of their Quebec operators.
The Western Standard has details on a petition Quebec franchisees sent to the House of Commons human resources committee.
“Temporary foreign workers are currently the only labour force truly available to fill positions that Quebec workers refuse, students cannot take and newcomers do not target,” the franchisees wrote.
“Without them, many services will close or drastically reduce their operating hours.”
The story, first documented by Blacklock’s Reporter, says the franchisees in question were from Sept-Iles and Baie Comeau on Quebec’s north shore of the St. Lawrence across from the Gaspé Peninsula.
The unemployment rate across Quebec is 5.1%, well below the national average of 6.5% and Quebec’s participation rate of 64.5% is just a bit below the national rate of 65.1%. While the youth unemployment rate in Quebec is well below the national average of 12.8% for those aged 15-24, it still comes in at 7.4%.
Are we really to believe that workers can’t be found at all without importing them to take cheaper wages? Or is it that these franchisees may need to pay more than the $16.10 per hour that Quebec’s minimum wage currently sits at?
The Temporary Foreign Workers Program has made too many small businesses addicted to cheap foreign labour. It’s unsustainable, it can’t keep going, this needs to end.
Mark Wiseman, Carney’s fundraiser, now our ambassador in Washington…
There will be some Conservatives upset that Mark Carney appointed his friend and fundraiser Mark Wiseman to be Canada’s next ambassador to the United States. Personally, I’m all in favour of partisan appointments to top diplomatic posts, it shouldn’t be a career bureaucrat, it should be political.
That said, I did recommend many months ago that Carney appoint a Conservative to the post and after considering many names, landed on Ontario cabinet minister Caroline Mulroney.
Sadly, the PM has once again ignored my advice. I’m not shocked, but I still think it would have been a good idea.
As for Wiseman, we shall see if he can get the job done. When his name was first floated I spoke to more than a dozen people to get a sense of the man and while there were some mixed reactions, overall he was seen as a smart guy and a good choice.
As I write in my latest column for the Sun, there is no doubt that Wiseman will be better than Ambassador Kirsten Hillman whose office hired a Democrat firm to teach them how to listen to and speak to Republicans.
Yes, some eyebrows may be raised over his support for the Century Initiative and raising Canada’s population to 100 million by 2100. Mass migration is definitely out of fashion in Trump’s Washington, but Wiseman’s pet project isn’t government policy.
In Quebec, they are more likely to be upset that he has criticized supply management, a sacred issue in that province and something the Americans will want to talk to Wiseman about.
Trump says he needs Greenland for national security…
The talk of Canada as the 51st state may have faded away, but Donald Trump brought back the idea that the United States wants Greenland. Trump has named a special envoy to Greenland and says his country needs Greenland to protect and Chinese and Russian incursions.
It all reminded me about my chat with Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief advisors and one of the key figures in the MAGA and America First movements.
Bannon laid out why Canada and Greenland should be part of the United States from a military defence theory point of view. Here’s the interview.
I think we would be wise to be part of a military alliance with the us and Greenland because we need protection from china and Russia too. That said, I hope it’s not too late to root that red dragon out of the many layers of Canadian power it’s squirmed its way into. I hope the us wont let us, for their own sake, become any further entrenched. But apart from a change of government in Ottawa we are in great danger.
Commenting on "The Dub" here.
Well, i am old enough that my boyfriend and I were going to the Dub in the 60's. And it used to be my favorite. Sadly, the Dub nearest to us has now hit close to rock bottom. And yes, i am sorry to say: foreign workers. It's possibly also owned by "new canadians". Here's the problem, import foreign people and they bring their business style with them. So now...the place reeks of rancid oil that has been used over and over. The burgers do not taste like real meat. The fries are limp and greasy. My most favorite of all time: the teenburger....nope. I would not stop at any Dub, anymore. Even the root beer tastes watered down. And it's a shame. It really is.
I would add here: same with "harveys"...same exact problem.