A fire the feds can't put out

More than tensions have flared up in Nova Scotia's fishing conflict

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The biggest news of the weekend struck over the midnight hours of Saturday morning, when a lobster pound operated by Mi’kmaq fishers in southwestern Nova Scotia was burned down, following weeks of increased attacks on the Indigenous fishing community from commercial fishermen. As Stephen Maher explained in a Maclean's investigation weeks ago , the region's Indigenous fishing community won the right to catch and sell fish to earn a "moderate livelihood" in a Supreme Court ruling in 1999. Commercial fishers feel the Indigenous community is skirting federal regulations and conservation laws, but there's debate over how much of an impact the Indigenous fishers are actually having on the greater fishing economy. Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil is now calling on the feds to define what exactly a "moderate livelihood" is.

The federal response has been muggy so far. Hours before the fire, Justin Trudeau said his government has been "extremely active" in their peacemaking efforts, though Mike Sack, chief of the Sipekne'katik First Nation, which operates the attacked fisheries, has repeatedly called on the feds to do more. Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan has kept away from the media all weekend, and Public Safety Minister Bill Blair confirmed on Saturday the government was sending in additional RCMP members to keep the peace. As of Sunday evening, there have been no charges on the arsonists who levelled the fishery, though a man from Digby County was charged with assault on Saturday for attacking Chief Sack last week, and another man was charged with arson for burning down one of the Mi’kmaq fisher's vehicles in a separate incident several days ago.

Oh snap, another fall election? Trudeau's government has been swatting away opposition calls for an investigation into this summer's WE Charity scandal, but the Conservatives and NDP aren't letting go. The Tories are now pitching an "anti-corruption committee" that, if approved, would investigate the WE scandal, as well this year's more easily forgotten ethical scuffles, like the one involving Trudeau's chief-of-staff's husband lobbying the government directly. The House of Commons will look at the idea tomorrow. If the Liberals push back hard and the opposition unites, it could turn into another confidence vote that could spiral into a snap fall election. Guess we're not out of those woods yet.

After climate issues were front and centre during the 2019 election, political onlookers might have expected to see more of Jonathan Wilkinson, the new Liberal environment minister. But it’s been a strange year, Paul Wells writes in Maclean's. Wells interviewed Wilkinson for an in-depth Q&A in which the pair discuss the government's green economic recovery, nuclear energy and the role of oil in Canada's zero-emissions future:

Meanwhile, Global News gained polling data the government collected this summer about the viability of a national green-focused economic recovery. The verdict: Canadians, at least in June, did not especially care. The poll, commissioned by the Privy Council Office, found Canadians' top three concerns were (surprise, surprise) COVID-19, health care and the economy. One year earlier, government polling data showed the environment and climate change were indeed Canadians' top priority, with 20 per cent saying so. This year, that dropped to 2.5 per cent. So if you were wondering why Justin Trudeau stopped talking so much about a green recovery after the spring, prorogued Parliament and returned with a redirected throne speech—that's part of it.

If at first you don't succeed. After a glitchy debut last Monday, the Canada Recovery Benefit—available to those who don't qualify for Employment Insurance—ended up helping around 600,000 Canadians. But thousands of others gave up after their applications met with "error code 026." The Canada Revenue Agency put out a statement advising anyone who received that message to try their luck again, starting today.

This weekend, Alberta's United Conservative Party held their virtual AGM. By a slim margin, party members voted to endorse a two-tiered health care system that would allow a privately funded, privately managed alternative to the province's government-run system. The winning side comprised 53 per cent of the 793 votes cast. A spokesperson for Premier Jason Kenney told reporters that the government would not act on that decision for the duration of their mandate, as they weren't elected in 2019 to overhaul the health care system. But Albertans can expect those discussions to play a major role in the UCP's re-election campaign in 2023, if the resolution sticks.

Kenney also appeared next to federal Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole—a little too closely, if you ask certain critics. The pair sat less than six feet apart, neither wearing masks, as O'Toole joked about being unable to give or get the virus following his own diagnosis and recovery. The federal leader has been on good terms with his provincial counterpart, but the same can't yet be said for Ontario's Conservative head, Doug Ford. Insiders say the federal Tories haven't appreciated Ford's warm words for Trudeau and Chrystia Freeland in the wake of the pandemic, and the two parties have been frosty since former federal leader Andrew Scheer avoided Ford during last year's election. O'Toole took a sly shot at Ford when praising the UCP's pandemic response, which involved setting up COVID tests at pharmacies and placing fewer restrictions on businesses. "This is only in Alberta," O'Toole said. "My province [Ontario], many other provinces, there hasn’t been as strong a reaction."

Horgan's gambit. With B.C.'s election less than one week away, 338Canada's Philippe J. Fournier ran the numbers to see how likely an NDP victory is. The result: extremely likely. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson is seen as dragging down his party's brand, paving the way for a probably NDP majority. You can see the data here.

"I was born in Asbestos and I want to die in Asbestos." So says one supporter of keeping the name of his hometown as Asbestos, Que. The town of approximately 6,700 people, built around a large deposit of the namesake mineral, was established in the late 19th century. After asbestos was found to be a lethal carcinogen and the mine shut down, the name stuck, despite facing occasional ridicule. Yesterday, the town held a vote on whether or not to change the name. Expect the results tallied by later tonight.

—Michael Fraiman

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