Welcome to The Feed, your weekly resource to Canadian politics and policies broken down into itty bitty (super witty) bite-sized knowledge by Apathy is Boring.
Pun intended.

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ANNOUNCEMENT

Register for The FLIP Summit: Youth Leadership for the Environment in Canada's Next Election today! This year’s summit, hosted by Environmental Leadership Canada, will support  young individuals passionate about climate action and civic engagement through networking, skills-building opportunities, and more.

Our very own, Jennifer Block and Sydney P., will also be hosting the End-Of-Summit Networking Session!

Registration for the two-day summit taking place on May 14-15 is FREE! For more information and to submit your registration, visit the summit’s Eventbrite page.

WHAT'S THE SCOOP?

Campus protests in support of Palestinians continue to grow and spread across Canada, including at universities in Ontario, British Columbia and Manitoba. The new encampments come as students in Montreal continue to camp out for a second week, after a Quebec Superior Court judge rejected an injunction request that would have forced them to leave. Quebec Premier Francois Legault has called on police to dismantle the encampment at McGill University, but so far law enforcement has not stepped in. The protests follow similar U.S. campus protests over the war in Gaza, with students demanding universities divest from groups with ties to Israel and this violence. PM Trudeau commented on the situation late last week, saying universities are for free speech, but everyone must feel safe on campus. P.S. Head inside the encampments and crackdowns at Columbia University in New York City with this detailed report by the staff of Columbia’s undergraduate newspaper. 

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was kicked out of question period last week after he called PM Justin Trudeau a wacko. Whoa, what?! Poilievre was speaking about Trudeau’s support for B.C.’s past policy of decriminalizing small amounts of some hard drugs, calling it a “wacko policy” backed by “this wacko prime minister.” Speaker Greg Fergus asked Poilievre to withdraw the unparliamentary language, but Poilievre offered only to replace “wacko” with “extremist” or “radical”. So Fergus removed Poilievre from the House of Commons for the rest of the day. The incident had Conservatives calling for Fergus to step aside, but his office says he has no intention of resigning. P.S. Listen to this pod for much more on B.C.'s pilot program on drug decriminalization, including what the provincial gov’s recent reversal of the policy means for harm reduction policies across Canada.  

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NEWS NUGGETS

Sound Systems: The first interim report from the public inquiry examining foreign interference in Canada’s elections was released Friday. “Our systems remain sound”, said Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue, who found attempts by other countries to meddle are a stain on our electoral system, but they did not affect the overall outcome of the 2019 and 2021 elections. So what’s next? Here are five elements Hogue says need more examination during the inquiry’s second phase. 

Leaders Leaving: A Liberal MP representing Ontario’s Oakville North-Burlington says she won’t seek re-election, after experiencing misogyny, disrespectful dialogue and threats to her life. In a letter posted on her Facebook page, MP Pam Damoff also wrote about the tenor of political discourse deteriorating. Related: listen to three city councillors from across the country speak about the abuse they face and the toll it takes, and why that’s leading municipal politicians to leave their jobs.

Peak Profits: A month-long boycott of Loblaws launched a week ago, on the same day the grocery giant reported $13.58 billion in first-quarter revenue. Fed-up shoppers, part of a Reddit group called “Loblaws is out of control”, are boycotting stores, citing concerns about pandemic profiteering, greedflation and the company’s exorbitant profits as Canadians struggle. The boycott’s organizers hope their actions educate people and get the attention of government.

WHAT ELSE WE'RE NIBBLING ON

We’re listening to Paydirt, a new podcast miniseries all about the Greenbelt saga in Ontario. Learn more about how the Doug Ford government’s opening up part of the protected Greenbelt for housing development led to a massive political scandal. We’re reading about why Pierre Poilievre wants a carbon tax election, and how the policies of carbon pricing have been twisted to get there. And we’re celebrating that Canada’s dental care plan has begun! The Canadian Dental Care Plan, aka CDCP, began covering 1.9 million seniors on May 1. But…many seniors may have to wait a while to get their dental visits covered. The program is expected to be available to all eligible Canadians in 2025. 

CROSSWORD

And now it's time for dessert...your weekly crossword! A little hint for you: you can find all these words in last week's newsletter!

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