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Is it possible that announcements like this one could be intended as a distraction from other matters? Like vaccine procurement?

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Good to see Canadas Minister of Natural Resources, Seamus ORegan, is back in his office after his sojourn to dear Newfoundland, on behalf of Premier Furey, in the botched provincial election. The election itself was halted, or cancelled, or put on ice to use a phrase after the province had, for it, a huge spike in COVID cases. Prior to the lets call it a postponement Mr. ORegan was out doing the old door-to-door with various Liberal candidates, a sprightly sight for Newfoundlanders weary from lockdowns, February and firing up the woodstove.

But as said hes back now, and back at what remains his prime ministers absolutely No. 1 fixation, trimming Canadas carbon-dioxide emissions. Adorning Twitter Thursday was the ministers message that Hallelujah Electric snowmobiles will get us to net-zero. How sweet it is to know after a full year of COVID and lockdowns, businesses failing from one coast to the other, people almost driven numb by anxiety and loss of normal socialization, that someone is keeping, as they say, their eye on the ball, and tending to the important things, namely, exhaust from winter recreational vehicles. And to think some complain they dont have their priorities straight.

Im not sure of this but it could well be that, next alone to bovine flatulence, snowmobiles powered by gasoline might be one of the great triggers of global warming. Now with a plan to build a mighty fleet, battery-powered, we have Mr. ORegans pledge that Canada will edge ever closer to a non-carbon, net-zero economy. (That is, with this proviso, that the perpetual shutdown wont absolutely and completely destroy the Canadian economy first.)

Electric snowmobiles is an idea whose time has come. Purring along over the frozen tundra, or out in the wild barrens of Newfoundland, skirting the magnificent hills and valleys in Alberta, the electric snowmobile will be Canadas all-time signal, that regardless of China and its coal mines, the oil-gushing Middle East, or Indias push for industry, the Paris Accords are safe and Canada is back.

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The tweet didnt expand with any detail on accompanying developments. In my own province for example, if a band of merry snowmobilers are roving the long- abandoned railway line, or even more daringly out on the dread Witless Bay Barrens, in temperatures even colder than, say, Texas yesterday, and the batteries fail, what do they do?

Wheres the charging station? In that little clump of spruce trees over there? Not likely. Perhaps near some landmark familiar to the outdoors types. Nope. And despite their populous presence along the provinces bit of Trans-Canada Highway, you will not find an Irving Station in the loon-haunted wildernesses of Newfoundland and Labrador. You can go miles and miles in country and theres not a gas station to be found anywhere. Strange, isnt it?

It is a feature of the Newfoundland wild: the absence of charging stations. And this is not a new thing. Even a hundred years ago the few who ventured into the interior of Newfoundland found themselves nonplussed even fraught, which is worse than nonplussed by the absence of power outlets. Thats why they left the iPhones home when they travelled inland.

So unless someone invents the Near-Infinite Extension Cord, I am not entirely confident that battery-powered snowmobiles are going to make the top of the Christmas wish list for any winter-loving, outdoor-living Canadian sportsman.

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Another point. There is an awful amount of sheer outdoors in Canada. And the thought of populating the Great White North with charging stations might even daunt this global-warming-fraught Liberal government. Besides, I am certain that the environmentalists themselves would see this as a desecration on the natural environment. There would be protests. There would be blockades. There would be CBC specials.

We have a better chance of building pipelines than siting thousands of charging stations for the pure benefit of the Canadian snowmobiler.

So while I hail Minister ORegans thought, I fear the electric snowmobile will face a tough reception. It will not fly as easily as his other great initiatives, planting two billion trees, to keep the 300 billion trees Canada already has company. The trees will fly. The EV snowmobile in the ditch before it even hits the ignition.

A last flash, is it possible that announcements like this one could be intended as a distraction from other matters? Like vaccine procurement? Vast, unchecked expenditures? A mostly closed Parliament? WE scandals? Conflict-of-interest?

On reflection I think not. That would imply a measure of cynicism in the present administration. And in the five years they have been in power we have not a smidgen, not a jot or tittle, of a suggestion that they are capable of such.

National Post

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Rex Murphy: The electric snowmobile will save us all. The Liberals have said so - National Post

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In a document published Friday, the federal government makes over 50 proposals that aim to counter the decline of French across the country

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OTTAWA The Trudeau government is proposing a series of sweeping language reforms that will intervene vigorously to counter and remedy the decline of French in Canada.

In a roughly 30-page document titled English and French: Towards the substantive equality of official languages in Canada published Friday, the government makes over 50 proposals that aim to counter the decline of French across the country and reinforce a sense of linguistic security.

For example, making employers of federally regulated industries (such as telecommunications or airlines) communicate with employees in French in Quebec and other strongly francophone areas; making bilingualism mandatory for future Supreme Court judges, and increasing the number of French immersion teachers (and thus, classes) outside of Quebec.

According to Mlanie Joly, the minister of Official Languages, the idea is to reach true equality between English and French.

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Because of globalization and also the spread of digital content, English is being favoured. We need to make sure that French and English are much more at an equal footing at this point, Joly said in an interview Thursday.

French is the first language of eight million Canadians and their preoccupation is that French can continue to thrive in our country for the next 50 years, she said, adding that the same rights must be afforded to the English minority in Quebec.

The Liberal government has published its sweeping language reforms and will form a committee that will have 60 days to study their implementation. The Liberals then promise to bring forward the necessary legislative amendments.

In order to save you from having to go through the hyper-bureaucratic document yourself, the National Posts Christopher Nardi has broken it down into five main proposals.

More French immersion teachers

Use of French has deteriorated in Canada. The decrease of the demographic weight of Francophones is a trend that continues. The use of French at work and at home has also declined in recent years, including in Quebec, reads the proposal document.

French is a minority language in this country, and the Government of Canada recognizes the need to intervene vigorously to counter and remedy its decline.

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One of the key ways to do that, Joly says, is to address the deep and consistent shortage of francophone immersion teachers across the country, which in turns limits the availability of French education.

The document proposes two main solutions: increasing the number of training programs for future French teachers, as well as creating a fast-track immigration program focused on recruiting francophone teachers.

Too many parents across the country, are waiting in line or are participating in lottery systems in order to register their kids for French immersion. That is unacceptable, Joly said.

Bilingual Supreme Court judges

After years of fervent debate on the topic, Supreme Court judges should be functionally bilingual, the Trudeau government has decided.

Joly says she wants to remove the section of the Official Languages Act that exempts judges from the countrys highest court from having to understand both languages without an interpreter.

Lets all be clear here: if youre a judge in a superior court across the country, you have access to free French classes. So if you want to become bilingual, you can actually become bilingual if thats a priority for you because you want to become a Supreme Court justice, Joly said.

Increasing bilingualism within the public service

Though many management positions in the federal public service require candidates to be completely bilingual, the reality is that that isnt always the case in practice.

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So, Joly wants to review the standards under which bureaucrats are tested for bilingualism to ensure that theory meets reality going forward in French or bilingual regions, all the while improving second language training.

We need to make sure that people are able to speak both official languages when theyre in a position of power within the federal government, Joly said.

Mandatory French services for employees of federally regulated companies

For the francophones amongst the 815,000 Canadians who are employed in private businesses subject to federal jurisdiction, speaking French at work isnt always easy, the government says.

Thus, Joly proposes that the government oblige employers in Quebec and other regions with a strong francophone presence (which are not defined) to: communicate with workers in both official languages; ensure their workers have the right to work in French; and prohibit discrimination against an employee simply because they only speak French.

She would also give the Commissioner of Official Languages increased powers to better enforce compliance of the Official Languages Act.

Protecting CBC/Radio-Canadas services in underserved areas

The government wants to strengthen CBC/Radio-Canada as a cultural institution, recognize and protect the public broadcasters role in the promotion of both official languages and ensure that CBC/Radio-Canada implements measures that enhance the vitality of official language minority communities.

What does any of that mean? The minister could not detail how those services were to be protected, or whom they were being protected from: programing decisions made by CBC brass, or potential funding cuts from Parliament?

When services are cut in places around the country, that has an impact on the ability of minorities to have access to news and content from their own region, which in turn has an impact on the vitality of their community, on the strength of their community and on the future of their community, Joly said.

Email: cnardi@postmedia.com | Twitter: ChrisGNardi

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Liberals' proposed language reforms seek 'equality' of English and French in Canada - National Post

In South Australia, Steven Marshall's first-term Liberal Government has been plunged into minority after backbench MP Fraser Ellis was charged with 23 deception offences, relating to allegedly fraudulent claims of a parliamentary allowance.

It all began with an ABC investigation.

Here's how the dramatic turn of events unfolded, and what it means for the State Government.

It was a big night for the South Australian Parliament.

The House of Assembly sat into the early hours this morning to reach agreements on a significant piece of legislation a bill to decriminalise abortion.

After a marathon debate and conscience vote, the bill passed.

But at 2:13am, as tired MPs prepared to adjourn for some sleep, Liberal MP Fraser Ellis rose to his feet, and sought the indulgence of a weary house to deliver a bombshell.

"Yesterday I was charged with alleged offences arising from the recent ICAC investigation into the Country Members' Accommodation Allowance," he said.

"Mr Speaker, I am completely innocent and I will be vigorously defending these allegations to the full extent of my resources and the law. I repeat now what I've said previously and my position has not changed."

In keeping with fellow MPs Troy Bell and Sam Duluk, who are facing criminal charges over separate matters, Mr Ellis revealed he was suspending his membership of the Liberal Party, and moving to the crossbench.

By mid-morning, the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Ann Vanstone had issued a public statement, adding detail to Fraser Ellis's statement in Parliament.

It revealed that the Director of Public Prosecutions had charged Mr Ellis on Wednesday afternoon with 23 counts of deception.

"It will be alleged that between 13 May 2018, and 12 June 2020, Mr Ellis made 78 fraudulent claims for the Country Member's Accommodation Allowance, totalling more than $18,000," the statement read.

"It will be alleged that Mr Ellis claimed the allowance for nights he did not spend in Adelaide."

The Country Members' Accommodation Allowance is a nightly payment made available for country MPs who live more than 75 kilometres from Adelaide, and are required to stay in the capital city overnight to attend to parliamentary or other official duties.

Mr Ellis moving to the crossbench is a big deal, because it means Premier Steven Marshall no longer has a majority in the 47 seat House of Assembly.

He started his term with 25 members. He's now down to 23.

That means the Liberal Party can no longer pass legislation without the support of others.

However, things are not quite as bad for Mr Marshall as they look.

The Premier said Fraser Ellis has provided him written confirmation that the now crossbencher would continue to support the government in matters of confidence and supply meaning he won't vote with Labor to unseat the government or block its budgets.

In addition, Fraser Ellis is not Robinson Crusoe on the crossbench.

There are two other former Liberals, Troy Bell and Sam Duluk, who are facing criminal charges on separate matters.

The State Government would usually be able to rely on at least one of these three to provide it a majority.

Former Labor premiers Jay Weatherill and Mike Rann both led minority governments, but had the benefit of duchessing crossbenchers by offering them seats in cabinet a gift that Mr Marshall cannot realistically bestow on any of the three men facing charges.

The challenge is, at this stage all three MPs intend to face the March 2022 election.

The Liberal Party will have to decide whether to run candidates against them.

Two of the three crossbenchers have already demonstrated some propensity to vote against their Liberal colleagues on some matters. If they band together and start looking for ways to differentiate themselves from brand Liberal, some chaos could ensue.

Few people had ever heard of the Country Members' Accommodation Allowance until June last year.

That's when the ABC published a series of exclusive stories raising questions over the eligibility of allowance claims by one of Parliament's most senior office holders, Legislative Council President and veteran Liberal Terry Stephens.

Mr Stephens had claimed the allowance while living in Victor Harbor, but the ABC observed him spending significant time at his second home in suburban Norwood.

Further stories also revealed he was paying no land tax on that suburban property.

It also emerged that Fraser Ellis had been regularly staying rent-free at Mr Stephens's Norwood townhouse during parliamentary sitting weeks.

Both MPs have steadfastly denied any deliberate wrongdoing.

The ABC's stories also forced the Parliament to release a decade's worth of previously unreleased allowance claims.

It proved to be a political pandora's box for the Marshall Government.

Before the claims were published, Fraser Ellis committed to repaying $42,130 in claims made since he was elected.

Two senior cabinet ministers, Tim Whetstone and Stephan Knoll also paid back thousands of dollars in either incorrect or doubtful claims.

All denied wrongdoing, and all were supported by the Premier until the damage proved too much to take.

On the same day, Mr Knoll, Mr Whetstone and Mr Stephens all announced they would resign from their positions of power, and move to the backbench.

Within days, another Liberal, Adrian Pederick was also resigning after questions about his eligibility to claim the allowance.

In the background, the state's ICAC swung into action, launching investigations into Fraser Ellis, Terry Stephens and Adrian Pederick, with all three MPs publicly outing themselves as targets.

In addition to those formal investigations, the ICAC's public shopfront, the Office of Public Integrity, also looked over claims made by several regional MPs, including Stephan Knoll, Tim Whetstone and Adrian Pederick.

The Commissioner later issued a public statement saying that because there was no evidence of misconduct, those inquiries would not be widened.

There's another thing, there's no sign the allowances scandal is behind the State Government, and there's no clear indication yet what voters will make of it all.

In her public statement today, Commissioner Ann Vanstone issued this perhaps ominous warning:

"My investigation into claims by other members continues."

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Liberal MP Fraser Ellis has been charged with deception. Here's what it means for the SA Government - ABC News

Comedian-actress Sarah Silverman isnt someone we usually would turn to in trying to make a point about the double standards that exist today in this world of political correctness. Shes outspoken, frequently profane and unabashedly liberal.

But comments she made late last year about how things work in Hollywood and the national media spoke volumes, and we give her credit for that.

That comedy I did, it was like, Oh, its OK because you know I dont mean it. But then it also is kind of like, Were liberal, so we can say anything. We can say the words that are unsayable. You know I dont mean it, so I can say it. Its a weird balance, Ms. Silverman said on her podcast.

Heres an example: Ms. Silverman wore blackface in an appearance in 2007. For many conservatives, doing so would be a kiss of death for their career. But Ms. Silverman has survived. She even spoke at the Democratic National Convention in 2016.

Gregory Clay, a Washington columnist who is Black, recently compared Ms. Silvermans situation with that of fellow actress Roseanne Barr. She publicly revealed her support for Donald Trump as president and also compared a former aide to Barack Obama to a character on the Planet of the Apes movie.

Tactless? Yes. Offensive? Yes. Worse than what Ms. Silverman has said or done over the years? No.

Except, of course, that Ms. Barr is conservative and Silverman is liberal. Barr has been effectively labeled as a Hollywood outcast. Producers, directors, casting agents and others wont touch her. Silverman continues to work.

Mr. Clay offers another example in edgy comedian Dave Chappelle on Saturday Night Live.

On the Saturday after the Nov. 3 presidential election, Mr. Chappelle erupted on a comedic, N-word-laced rant about living in year that was 2020. One infamous line of his 16-minute soliloquy was this: Do you guys remember what life was like before COVID? It was a mass shooting every week. Thank God for COVID. Something had to lock these murderous whites up, keep them in the house.

Mr. Clay goes on to suggest what would have been the reaction if conservative white comedian Jeff Foxworthy had made similar comments in a comedic routine. In other words, if he had said, Thank God for COVID. Something had to lock these murderous blacks up, keep them in the house.

One can easily imagine the vastly different reactions that would have occurred. Thanks to Mr. Clay for pointing out the double standards allowed to continue in society today.

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Liberals can say offensive things and come away unscathed; conservatives can't - Norfolk Daily News

QUEBEC CITY -- Quebec Liberal leader Dominique Anglade pointed to an exchange of emails published Wednesday in the media to once again call for a public inquiry into the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Wednesday, Quebecor media published an email exchange between Premier Francois Legault, Health Minister Christian Dube and the director of public health, Horacio Arruda, among others.

These key players seemed completely unaware of the outbreaks of COVID-19 in Montreal bars last July, even after Montreal public health sounded the alarm.

But all indications are that the situation will never be investigated by the health commissioner charged with reviewing the network's performance in the first wave, the Liberals said Wednesday.

Government communications, including within the crisis unit, are not part of the announced investigations, Anglade lamented during question period in the Salon Bleu.

Neither the health commissioner nor the coroner will be able to investigate this aspect, "however, this aspect is important... to learn collectively from this crisis," she insisted.

According to Anglade, the emails published in the newspaper add a "new argument" that justifies the holding of an independent public inquiry into the overall management of the crisis.

"If there is no public inquiry, we will never know whether the contracts awarded during the crisis were justified, whether inter-ministerial coordination was effective. We will never know if the vaccination campaign was optimized, if the confinement could have been organized differently, if the rapid tests were used in the right way," she said.

Liberal health critic Marie Montpetit added that the emails demonstrate the "significant gap between the government and the management of the pandemic on the ground."

They highlight the fact that there was no clear chain of communication, and that decision-makers learned important information from newspapers, she said.

-- this report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2021.

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Quebec Liberals say emails show a lack of communication in dealing with the first wave of COVID-19 - CTV News Montreal