If an ex-PM were running Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered weekday mornings. If Stephen Harper returned to lead the Conservatives, it would cut the Liberal advantage by two-thirds, Paul Wells writes for Maclean's, based on a poll from Innovative Research Group about the hypothetical matchup. Harper would also attract support that’s not currently available to O’Toole. Of respondents who expect to vote Liberal against O’Toole, 11 per cent said they would switch their vote to the Conservatives if Harper were leader. Harper would also pick up 10 per cent of respondents who are undecided with O’Toole as leader, as well as nearly half—49 per cent—of support for “other” parties. Lyle said this category mostly captures support for the People’s Party and the Maverick Party, parties whose leaders, Maxime Bernier and Jay Hill, were cabinet ministers in Harper governments. CSIS acted to protect 2019 election: CSIS used its broad “threat-reduction” powers “to reduce the threat posed by foreign interference activities to Canada’s democratic institutions and processes,” an indication of a threat to the 2019 election, the Star reports. A heavily censored top-secret document, obtained by Carleton University professor Leah West, raises more questions than it answers. We don't know "whether or not this was done on a preventative basis or whether this was in response to something specific and targeted at Canada," she said. On Thursday, CSIS reported it has observed “steady, and in some cases increasing, foreign interference by state actors against Canada” targeting “all facets of Canadian society.” “One of the key sectors targeted by this activity is Canada’s democratic institutions and processes,” according to the CSIS report. “CSIS has observed persistent and sophisticated state-sponsored threat activity targeting elections for many years now and continues to see a rise in its frequency and sophistication. For instance, CSIS observes social media being leveraged to spread disinformation or run foreign-influenced campaigns designed to confuse or divide public opinion, or interfere in healthy public debate.” Speaker defends Parliament: Speaker Anthony Rota filed a legal motion Thursday saying a federal attempt to shield documents related to the firing of two scientists is a violation of parliamentary privilege, CP reports. Rota says pursuant to its parliamentary privileges, the House of Commons has the power to send for the "persons, papers and records" it deems necessary to its functions. The Liberals asked the court last month to block records after Rota reprimanded Public Health Agency of Canada head Iain Stewart over his refusal to provide the documents. Not distracted by suit: Annamie Paul says she won't be "distracted" by her battle with what she describes as a "small group" of Green executives who are taking her to court, CBC reports. On Wednesday, the Green Party announced the legal case, ending a short-lived truce in the run-up to an election call. "These are the actions of a small group of outgoing councillors," said Paul. "This was not an action sanctioned by our federal council, it is not an action that came before our federal council." The court documents say an arbitrator quashed a non-confidence vote. In their court filing, the Green Party of Canada Fund and the Green Party of Canada are asking a judge to pause the arbitration order that set aside both the non-confidence vote and a leadership review until after the party elects a new federal council on Aug. 19. Fortin devastated: The former head of Canada’s vaccine rollout says that the government’s decision to fire him and reveal he was the target of an investigation into an allegation of sexual misconduct over 30 years ago was “devastating,” the National Post reports. “The reputation I have built up over the course of three decades of service to my country has been irreparably tarnished by the Decision to announce publicly an investigation into my alleged conduct, exacerbated by the fact that the announcement lacked the context that the investigation relates to a single allegation of misconduct dating back over 30 years,” Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin wrote in an affidavit signed last week. Fortin filed suit in June. He was removed as PHAC’s vice-president for operations on May 14. His suit alleges he was not afforded proper due process and that his firing was decided not by his military superior but by the defence minister, the health minister and the PMO. No charges have been laid against Fortin, and no official details relating to the allegation have been revealed. Bad behaviour at mint: Female security guards at the Royal Canadian Mint faced sexual harassment and racial taunts, several former employees have told CBC News. They say white officers used the N-word, called them slaves and compared one woman to a chimpanzee, while another former female employee said she was sexually harassed frequently. Cuts not enough: Governments have failed to plan emissions cuts sufficient to achieve Canada's recently announced 2030 or 2050 net-zero goals, says a report from the Pembina Institute. "Unfortunately, we are not on track to meeting Canada's new target of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 45 per cent by 2030, based on 2005 levels," Isabelle Turcotte, Pembina's director of federal policy, told CBC. "The most optimistic projections show that we are on track to reduce emissions by 36 per cent. So there's a big gap here." Dropped over photos: The Nova Scotia Liberals are under attack after a former candidate said Wednesday night that the party dropped her over boudoir photos she had already disclosed, and asked her to lie about it, Global reports. Robyn Ingraham said she was very open with the party during her vetting process about images she sold online, but then they got cold feet: “This screams gender inequality from all angles, why should I be ashamed of my body and what I decide to do with it?” — Stephen Maher | 
