Official public musings

The official musings have begun. We can
now count Thomas Mulcair, Robert Chisholm, Françoise Boivin, Peter Julian and Paul Dewar as
“considering” a run for the NDP leadership. Pat Martin also says he would run
as a “unity candidate,” keeping the door open for a “formal cooperation” with
the Liberals. Between that and Liberal Denis Coderre openly musing about the
supposed “merger,” despite Bob Rae’s insistence that the door is neither open
nor closed, as “there is no door,” it keeps the merger non-story alive
for one more day.

That non-binding private member’s motion about removing the residency restriction for pensions (along with 70 other non-binding motions that will never, ever,

ever see the light of day) that Libby Davies put on the order paper? The NDP publicly disavowed it yesterday and called
its inclusion a “mistake.” The Conservatives issued talking points, which said that it proves the NDP isn’t ready to govern. Given that these non-binding
motions aren’t going anywhere, could we please tone
down the rhetoric around them? (This goes for everyone, including those who
use them to make symbolic points.)

While Harper is in Paris to meet with other leaders to discuss the Libya situation, John Baird isn’t ruling out an extension of the Canadian mission to protect Libyan civilians.

Three different watchdog groups want the RCMP
to reopen the investigation of the political staffer who interfered with an access-to-information request.

Two Sudanese refugees in Regina are being
considered “international students” and are being charged $10,000 each to attend high school. Seriously.

And it’s been 40 years since Alberta became a one-party Tory state. Democracy!