The membership numbers are in

The NDP membership numbers are now final in
the lead-up to the leadership vote, and they have some 128,351 paid-up
memberships going into the vote. While these may be record numbers for the NDP,
it should be noted that, unlike any other federal party, the NDP includes
provincial party memberships with this figure. In their party, a New Democrat
is a New Democrat, be it provincial or federal (which is largely why Quebec
memberships were largely non-existent going into this race, as there is no
provincial party). So far? BC and Ontario have the most members,
so that means interesting calculations where Quebec is concerned, because it doesn’t have big membership numbers but has more than half the caucus. Pundit’s

Guide breaks them down here, and then discusses them with CTV’s Power Play here. Meanwhile, the various
leadership candidates spin the results as to what it means for their campaigns here.

Amy Minsky at Global talks to a privacy
lawyer, who pans the changes proposed in the lawful access bill as overreaching
and unnecessary. Not that this should be a surprise at this point.

The minister of veterans affairs vows to change the format of letters so they’re more clear when veterans
are denied claims. But wait – you mean this isn’t a Ten-Point Action Plan™?
Then how are we supposed to take it seriously?

Here’s a look at our swelling ranks of temporary foreign workers – while we continue to clamp down on the number of permanent residents we accept every year.

Susan Delacourt notes that the over-the-top rhetoric about “child pornographers” has been in use in the Commons for some
time now, which is partly why some of us on the Hill barely blinked when Toews most recently hauled it out.

Diane Finley is now selling the message of
OAS changes to a younger audience under the rubric of “generational fairness.”
Here’s an account of her speech today, which was once again devoid of any
meaningful information.

And in case you were wondering, CSIS apparently
found the whole Bob Dechert/alleged Chinese spy story hilarious.