Leslie Shepherd

Strategic communications and PR leader with expertise in health care. Never met a crisis I didn’t want to manage. Former scribe, still telling stories.

[Leslie Shepherd @leslie_shepherd]

Anyone want to start a pool on when Trump goes bonkers on social media after hearing speculation Mark Carney could be nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize or be Time magazine's Person of the Year?

[Leslie Shepherd @leslie_shepherd]

@CTVNews It's not a Newfoundland island

[Canada Hates Trump @AntiTrumpCanada]

BREAKING: During his speech today, Donald Trump recounted helping save Titanic victims: “I saved more people than anybody, many people, the best people. I said, ‘Turn left, Captain. Very simple. Very easy.’ He didn’t listen. I know icebergs. Nobody knows icebergs better than me.”

[Leslie Shepherd @leslie_shepherd]

@NBCNews @LlamasNBC The head of government in a Canadian province is a premier, not a governor. Please do not repeat inaccurate terminology that imports a U.S. political framework into Canada. Journalistic accuracy matters.

[Wab Kinew @WabKinew]

Taking 🇺🇸 booze off Liquor Mart shelves is having an impact. If Trump wants to negotiate an end to the trade war he started, we’re happy to get a fair deal. Until then, the US booze stays off the shelves. Thank you for buying 🇨🇦 and thank you for your attention to this message!!!

[Michael de Adder @deAdder]

The Contrarian

[Covie @covie_93]

If the 14th amendment was only meant to protect the “babies of slaves” then the 2nd Amendment is only meant to protect the right to own a musket.

[Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández @RepTeresaLF]

Imagine going before the Supreme Court to attack birthright citizenship and being unable to say Native Americans are American citizens.

This was never about the Constitution. It’s about exclusion.

[Larry the Cat @Number10cat]

Translation:
"I started something I can't finish and broke something I can't fix so I'm going to walk away and pretend it's your fault"

[Leslie Shepherd @leslie_shepherd]

@archeohistories @LorettaRyan Thought all the pinnipeds were gone now

[Meg 🇨🇦 @nut_meggy]

Poilievre giving up MPs for lent, apparently.

[Andrew Coyne 🇺🇦🇮🇱🇬🇪🇲🇩 @acoyne]

This country is in for a very rocky 18 months or two years. If the Conservatives allow themselves to be know as the party that wouldn’t stand up to Trump, or to secessionists — or as the party that sided with either — it will spend another generation, possibly two, out of power.
Don’t kid yourself: there are significant sections of the party base, and of the conservative intelligentsia, who are indulgent of, if not favourable to, both — annexation and separation.
That number is likely to grow, not fall, as the pressure on Canada, and the party, grows: as Trump gets crazier, and his secessionist helpmates more brazen, those who are now counselling meet appeasement may grow more desperate, and more ambitious.
That’s partly why you see Conservative elder statesmen like Stephen Harper and Jason Kenney speaking out. Yes, they want to help their country. But they’re also trying to drag their party back to sanity.
One early clue to whether anyone is listening will be how they deal with Jivani. At the moment, the signs are not encouraging. If they can’t even bring themselves to deal with Jivani, who holds no party office, it’s scarcely likely they’ll deal seriously with Trump. And for the same reason: Jivani speaks for many in the party. They know it.
And he knows it. Jivani has thrown down the gauntlet to the party establishment. At the moment, it seems no one is willing to pick it up.

[Jason Kenney 🇨🇦🇺🇦🇮🇱 @jkenney]

The Blame Canada crowd is angry with the appointment of Janice Charrette to lead trade negotiations with the US. (When are they not angry?)

They claim that she’s unqualified, and a Liberal patronage appointee.

Some facts:

- Madame Charette actually started her career in Ottawa as a Conservative political
staffer;

- She served as Deputy Minister in some of the largest and most complex government departments;

- She was appointed Clerk of the Privy Council (ie head of the Public Service and top advisor to the Prime Minister and Cabinet) by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper;

- She was then appointed to Canada’s second most important diplomatic head of mission role, as High Commissioner to the Court of St. James, ie representing Canada in the United Kingdom;

- She was then re-appointed Clerk at PCO, the first person ever to serve in the highest role in Canadian public service twice, a reflection of the broad confidence in her ability.

There is literally no one in Canada with more senior leadership experience in the public service, dealing with the most complex issues, systems, and crises.

Some are trying to tie her to the Trudeau government’s invocation of the Emergencies Act. (N.B. I was the only Premier in Canada to challenge the constitutionality of its invocation.)

To be clear: the role of the Clerk is not to provide the Prime Minister with their personal advice or opinion, but rather to offer an objective summary of the views of relevant government agencies and departments on a particular issue, and to outline the pros and cons of a course of action. That’s what Madame Charette would have provided to the Prime Minister per his request for advice on the EA. Per the motto of the Public Service: fearless advice, loyal implementation.

In our system of responsible government, the Prime Minister and Cabinet are accountable for decisions, such as the EA invocation.

Canada will be well served by having someone of Madame Charette’s ability and experience in such an important role.

[Leslie Shepherd @leslie_shepherd]

@DrJLHazelton doubtful

[Liam Nissan™ @theliamnissan]

The King of England is talking about criminal charges for his own brother (for his association with Epstein) meanwhile America can't even get rid of Howard fucking Lutnick

[David Frum @davidfrum]

Whaddya know

[Michael de Adder @deAdder]

https://t.co/lGg3hrfV8z

[Daniel Dale @ddale8]

President Trump’s post threatening to block the opening of a major new US-Canada bridge was filled with important omissions and misleading claims.

- Trump professed astonishment that the Canadian government would expect him to support the project. He didn’t mention that he explicitly endorsed the project in a 2017 joint statement with then-PM Trudeau, calling it a “vital economic link” and saying he looked forward to its quick completion.

- Trump, complaining about Canada, said “we should own, perhaps, at least one half of this asset.” But the state of Michigan already owns half of the bridge.

- Trump said, “I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them.” But Canada paid for the entire bridge construction.

- Trump complained about a Buy American waiver Obama granted the project, then claimed the waiver let Canada “not use any American products, including our Steel.” But the waiver actually allowed Canadian and US steel to be treated equally in consideration for the project, and numerous Canadian officials and Republican former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder say some American steel was indeed used. (Also worth noting the Obama administration said it was granting the waiver out of a “basic notion of fairness” because the project was a “unique circumstance…under which Canada is assuming all financial liability and risk for the construction.”)

Fact check: https://t.co/yjLPjJEWuz