Chaos at Pearson until Labour Day A former Air Canada executive said Wednesday that Pearson is likely to be a mess until Labour Day, CBC reports. "In terms of the customs delays, until the pandemic-era inspections are changed, I hate to think that this is something that's going to plague us through the entire summer," Duncan Dee said. On Wednesday, Omar Alghabra announced on Twitter that the CATSA has hired more than 850 new agents across Canada, but Dee doubts that will be enough to clear the delays that are leaving travellers stuck. CP also has a roundup on the issue. Airports are calling on the government to drop COVID travel rules to ease the crisis, CTV reports. No passports: Meanwhile, would-be travellers are continuing to struggle to get passports delivered in a timely way, Le Journal de Montréal reports (translation). White CPC knuckles: CPC leadership campaigns are in white-knuckle mode as they wait for the party to release membership lists to the campaigns, the Hill Times reports. Ian Brodie, who is in charge of the race, said on Twitter that the party will meet its deadlines for processing the massive number of new memberships. Pierre's path: In the Globe, Campbell Clark writes that it is starting to be difficult to imagine anyone but Pierre Poilievre finding a path to victory in the race, given how many memberships Poilievre has sold. Hypocrisy! In the Globe, Gary Mason writes that Poilievre is ahead because his supporters "are blind to the gross hypocrisy that underscores much of Mr. Poilievreâs public persona." Hungry: In the Post, Rupa Subramanya writes that the massive numbers of new members shows that Canadians are hungry for change, which is good for the CPC and bad for the LPC. How Trudeau stole freedom: The number one book on Amazon Canada right now is a parody childrenâs book slamming Justin Trudeau â How the Prime Minister stole Freedom â modelled loosely on the Dr. Seuss classic How the Grinch stole Christmas, the Post reports. Whither MRG? Is Michelle Rempel Garner going to join the race for the UCP leadership? Don Braid, writing in the Calgary Herald, is hearing that she might. One source close to Rempel Garner says sheâll be in the race to replace Premier Jason Kenney, but first sheâs waiting for the UCP to release campaign voting rules, the amount of the entry fee and a date for the vote. The provincial party said Wednesday that the details could be made public by the weekend, or early next week at the latest. Others who might know of a Rempel Garner run arenât aware of a campaign forming. They think sheâs about an even bet to follow through. Disappointed: Military ombudsman Gregory Lick is disappointed in Louise Arbour's report into sexual misconduct in the military, the Star reports. Lick is skeptical that the military will act on Arbour's recommendations, and disappointed that she did not âsufficientlyâ address his own calls for greater independence of his office. Super visas: Sean Fraser announced Wednesday that the federal government will extend how long Canadiansâ visiting parents and grandparents can stay in this country and allow them to use foreign health insurance while here, the Star reports. Drainville redux: Quebec commentators are continuing to chew over the reappearance on the political stage of former PQ MNA Bernard Drainville, who is now to run for the CAQ in Lévis. In La Presse, Michel C. Auger casts a cold eye on the announcement (translation.) In Le Journal de Montréal, Emmanuelle Latraverse compares him to Al Pacino in Godfather III, getting dragged back into politics (translation). Mandates going: Ontario will drop most remaining mask rules on Saturday, CP reports. Quebec will follow suit before long, CBC reports. Commissioner Dufresne: Justin Trudeau has nominated Philippe Dufresne, the chief legal officer of the House of Commons, to be the next federal privacy commissioner, CP reports. Lib Dems? After a difficult Ontario election for the opposition parties, should they merge? Maybe, but they won't, writes Martin Regg Cohn in the Star, in part because they are both headed into leadership races. Comeback plans: His colleague Susan Delacourt comes to the same conclusion, and reminds us that the federal Liberals managed a comeback from third place. Losing workers: Meanwhile, New Democrats are asking where they went wrong, the Star reports, and pondering the fact that they lost working class voters to the Tories. Bit of a mixup: In the Post, Colby Cosh regretfully invokes the BBC's Yes Minister to explain the spectacle of a senior official explaining what Marco Mendicino meant to say about the invocation of the Emergencies Act. Mistrust: Abacus has an interesting poll showing 44 per cent of Canadians mistrust information from the mainstream media â which seems alarming â but we would think that, wouldn't we? â Stephen Maher | 
