Last Week Today Episode 175 Show Notes for Monday, November 18th, 2024
The Week in Justin Trudeau, the Incoming Trump Administration, Legacy Media Continues to Shrink, Our Fragile Economy & the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The Week in Justin Trudeau.
Legacy news is reporting that former Federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler has been informed by RCMP officials of an Iranian plot to kill him.
The original story, the November 18th, 2024 Globe and Mail post, “Iran allegedly planned to assassinate human-rights crusader Irwin Cotler,” is hidden behind a paywall, but lots of other publicly available sources are echoing the story.
According to the November 18th, 2024 National Post story, “Canada foils Iranian plot to murder Irwin Cotler,” a government source told the Globe that:
… the Royal Canadian Mounted Police warned the former Liberal justice minister on Oct. 26 that he was the target of an “imminent threat of assassination within 48 hours from Iranian agents.”
The source said authorities had knowledge of two suspects in the plot, but it is unknown whether they were arrested or fled the country. The RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
But it’s not clear why this story is top of mind in today’s news cycle. There are a number of other good stories needing to be told.
For example, there’s the November 12th, 2024 Policy Options post, “Public service job cuts loom as Ottawa misses spending and deficit targets,” which notes the potential for cutbacks and layoffs in the Canada’s public service, after a decade of increases, and its companion piece, the November 18th, 2024 Hill Times post, “Unions warn non-permanent public servants will be first on chopping block as feds look to cut costs,” which quotes Treasury Board President Anita Anand’s office as saying “the feds have been clear with departments that they must ‘focus on finding savings without layoffs.’”
There’s also the November 13th, 2024 The Bureau post, “Breaking: Hogue Commission Will Hear From New Safety-Protected Witnesses On PRC Targeting of Chinese Candidates,” and the November 14th, 2024 Blendr News post, “Hogue Commission to Seal First-Hand Accounts of China’s Election Interference for 99 Years.”
The Hogue Commission’s decision to seal evidence from two anonymous witnesses with firsthand knowledge of China’s alleged interference in Canada’s federal election has sparked widespread criticism, with many viewing it as a continuation of government secrecy intended to hide Liberal party corruption.
But at least it’s ok to talk publicly about Iranian political interference and potential state sanctioned assassination attempts against Canadian politicians using anonymous sources in the Globe.
It’s also worth noting that these stories, while attempting to convey the impression of political activity, also hide the fact that Canada’s House of Common’s hasn’t been doing anything since September.
As outlined in the November 17th,2024 Canadian Press post, “Parliament on the road to an unprecedented confidence crisis, but there are off-ramps,” the House of Commons has been gridlocked in what the article calls a “filibuster,” for more than a month.
The reality is more complex.
As outline in the September 27th, 2024 National Post article, “Government seemingly violated House powers on 'green slush fund' docs, Speaker rules,” House speaker Greg Fergus ruled in late September that:
… the government appears to have violated the vast powers of the Commons when it failed to surrender records on the so-called “green slush fund” so they could be turned over to the RCMP, even though the force doesn’t want them.
Fergus brought House business to a standstill until records related to Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), the so called “green slush fund,” are released to Parliament and the RCMP.
Almost 40% of the billion dollar government funding allocated to the program, originally intended to fund innovative new “green“ technologies, seems to have ended up in the pockets of well connected political insiders and friends of the Liberal party.
The more recent Canadian Press post notes:
The ongoing debate, which supersedes all other business, doesn't allow the government to raise any money, which is one of the central reasons Parliament exists.
Legislation to raise funds — called supply bills — are special, said Skinner, because if the government can't convince Parliament to pass them it shows the House has lost confidence in the government. Loss of confidence can trigger an election.
Traditional, supply bills are defeated by a parliamentary vote, which show a “loss of confidence” in the government, which must then call an election. But if the bills never come up for a vote, that could also be indicative of non-confidence.
The Conservatives and the Bloc have vowed to defeat the Liberal government at the first opportunity and no one knows what will happen next.
There’s also the November 12th, 2024 The Bureau post, “Exclusive: Beijing Endorsed Nomination of 41 Candidates in Canada’s 2019 Election,” which notes that:
An elite Chinese Communist Party organ has published a chillingly sophisticated analysis of People’s Republic interference during Canada’s 2019 federal election, noting that Justin Trudeau personally campaigned in key Toronto-area ridings and highlighting Beijing’s satisfaction that 41 ‘distinguished’ Chinese candidates were nominated by various political parties in 2019.
The post was originally published in February 2021 on the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese (ACFROC) website, a subsidiary organization of the United Front of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) tasked with “responsibility of maintaining relations with overseas Chinese individuals and associations,” according to Wikipedia.
Evidently, almost everyone knows about Chinese interference in Canadian elections except for Canadian citizens.
In conclusion, election interference from China, government inactivity and looming government layoffs are more important stories to Canadians than an unverified failure of an Iranian assignation attempt.
Legacy media should cover these topics in a little more detail and stop waiting patiently for government press releases or unattributed off the record sources to approach them before compiling their stories.
Also in the News this Week
The Incoming Trump Administration
In other news, people are either in absolutely in favor or adamantly opposed to president elect Donald Trump’s incoming cabinet and future plans,
For example, the November 9th, 2024 Activist post story, “Fed Chairman Powell Defiant in Response to Trump Election,” notes Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s defiance in response to Trump’s election.
American Civil Liberties Union Attorney Lee Gelernt and others are preparing to fight Trump’s (promised) mass deportations as outlined in the November 13th, 2024 Democracy Now post, “ACLU Attorney Lee Gelernt on How Rights Groups Are Preparing to Fight Trump’s Mass Deportations.”
ACLU is currently seeking basic details on how the federal government would carry out the campaign promise to deport millions of people from the US to plan way to disrupt it, according to the November 18th, 2024 The Guardian post, “ACLU sues for information on Trump mass deportation plan.”
But the most reasonable assessment on the incoming administration seems to be the November 6th, 2024 blckbx on YouTube post, “Ex-Top government official Catherine Austin Fitts: Inside Trump’s Victory, RFK Jr., and the Deep State,” which notes a “mandate for great change,” plus a couple of other things.
Legacy Media Continues to Shrink
The legacy media in the US continues to shrink, according to the November 18th, 2024 Press Gazette ongoing series, “News media job cuts 2024 tracked: Dotdash Meredith lays off 53 people while AP plans buyouts.”
As outlined in the November 10th, 2024 We are Change on YouTube post, “Trump Makes 4D MOVE To SHACKLE The Deep State! Prosperity Restored?,” the incoming US president has favored new media outlets throughout his campaign and often listens to new media.
An example of this Mike Pompeo and and Nikki Haley, who will not be in the next administration due to feedback from new media outlets.
The November 8th, 2024 Clownfish TV on YouTube post, “RIP Mainstream Media,” goes into detail about this and notes that the biggest current media outlet is Joe Rogan, not CNN or Fox.
Legacy media is currently shrinking in the US, as it always does after an election because political advertising contributes massive amounts of new funding to media outlets, but goes away after the campaign concludes.
That shrinkage is compounded by ever more influential new media outlets which can access viewers equal to legacy media for only 1/10th the cost.
Expect similar things to happen in Canada after the next federal election.
Our Fragile Economy
Also in the news this week, the economy is still very fragile, both in Canada, the US and throughout the world.
One of the more interesting overviews of the current situation is the November 18th, 2024 Zero Hedge post, “Nearly 40% Of Cars Financed Since 2022 Are Underwater,” or are attached to loans greater than the vehicles value.
The total includes 39% of regular car loans financed since 2022 and 46% of financed electric vehicles.
The 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The 2024 United Nations Climate Change conference (COP29) is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11th to November 22nd, 2024.
But the most important person in the room, will likely not even be attending.
Here’s the November 18th, 2024 Mongo Minds on Bitchute post, “Trump Win Upends The Fight For Climate Cash At COP29,” with commentary on the real issue.
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