If you thought a non-sitting House means a quiet Wednesday in Ottawa, think again.

There’s some quiet beef happening in the Upper Chamber.

The Senate’s handling of legislation overhauling Canada’s energy efficiency laws has thrown a wrench in the government’s plans for consumer rebates, iPolitics has learned.

Bill S-4 is a sweeping update of the Energy Efficiency Act, which, when passed in the early 1990s, enabled Natural Resources Canada to set and enforce efficiency standards, while also creating the EnerGuide labelling.

The new bill aims to streamline how new household appliances enter the Canadian market by giving the minister greater flexibility to update standards and grant temporary exemptions for innovative products through regulatory sandboxes and enforcement.

But it hasn’t progressed past committee study in the Senate despite being introduced last fall.

Marco Vigliotti and Sydney Ko has more. 

Also, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand defended Canada’s ties with Taiwan on Wednesday while carefully reaffirming Ottawa’s One China Policy stance, as Conservative MP Michael Chong met with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te amid mounting pressure from Beijing.

“We have a long history of parliamentary delegations… we do have strong people-to-people ties with Taiwan and strong commercial ties with Taiwan at the same time,” Anand said during a press conference from Estonia.

Taiwan, a de facto autonomous island state, is regarded by the Chinese Communist Party as a rogue province that must be reunited with mainland China.

Since 1970, Anand noted that Canada has operated under the One China Policy, which regards Beijing as China’s sole representative but still maintains trade ties with Taiwan.

Ko’s got this one. 

Over on the West Coast, Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Columbia Premier David Eby have agreed to enter negotiations on B.C.’s economic priorities and Ottawa’s role in national development projects.

Carney met with Eby in a closed-door meeting in Vancouver Wednesday, shortly after the prime minister spoke to B.C. business leaders at a separate event where he outlined prerequisites for a possible pipeline championed by Alberta.

At the event hosted by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Carney noted that the pipeline would only go ahead with the creation of the Pathways carbon capture project as well as substantial economic benefits for B.C. and “non-negotiable” consultation with First Nations.

“One of the benefits of actually sitting down and talking about these things, as opposed to litigating about these things across federal government and provinces, is that it develops a shared understanding, a recognition of what needs to be done, an understanding of why this is the right thing to do,” Carney told the Board of Trade before entering talks with Eby.

The Canadian Press has more. 

Global Affairs Canada said it is not aware of any Canadians affected by a rare type of Ebola with no cure that’s spreading fast in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda.

Thida Ith, a spokesperson for the federal agency, said there are thousands of registered Canadians in both countries, but that those numbers may not be up-to-date, and don’t reflect a desire to leave.

There are 2,300 Canadians registered as being in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Global Affair’s voluntary registration for Canadians abroad, and 1,300 are registered in Uganda.

“Consular officials are standing ready to provide assistance to those who are requesting it,” said Anita Anand, the minister of foreign affairs, during a call with reporters from Estonia on Wednesday.

CP’s got this one too. 

In Other Headlines

Internationally

Elsewhere, Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has sparked a diplomatic crisis by publishing footage of Israeli security forces abusing international activists who were detained as they tried to sail to Gaza with aid.

There was a rapid and furious response from countries whose citizens were onboard the boats, including the UK, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and Ireland, in many cases delivered in person from the top of government.

The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, one of the country’s staunchest allies, described Ben-Gvir’s behaviour as “despicable” and said the minister had “betrayed the dignity of his nation”.

The video includes images of dozens of men and women kneeling in rows, with their foreheads to the ground and their hands zip-tied behind their back. Ben-Gvir appears waving an Israeli flag, mocking and taunting the detainees, including shouting: “The people of Israel live” in the face of one bound man.

The Guardian has more. 

Supporters of President Donald Trump who tried to overturn the 2020 election are among those eager to potentially cash in from the $1.8 billion compensation fund for people the Trump administration believes were victims of government “weaponization and lawfare.”

In interviews with CNN, convicted US Capitol rioters from January 6, 2021, fake electors and prominent election deniers said they’re hoping to tap the massive fund, which they think is long overdue.

“I can’t even find a job answering the phone at a motorcycle dealership,” said convicted January 6 rioter Dominic Box, who spent 1.5 years in jail awaiting trial and was later pardoned by Trump. “I can’t find a way to support myself right now. I lost my career. I look forward to financial compensation. I need it. This will be a welcome relief.”

MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell told CNN he believes his company lost $400 million due to what he views as government weaponization in the aftermath of the 2020 election. He was perhaps the loudest promoter of baseless voter-fraud claims – drawing boycotts from businesses, defamation lawsuits and even FBI scrutiny.

Read more from CNN. 

In Other International Headlines

The Kicker

While Prime Minister Mark Carney is in B.C. with Premier David Eby, google search trend for “David Eby height” reached its all time high.

Some folks believe Eby is the tallest politician ever, standing at… 6’7 (yes, do the gesture).

The next most searched key word today was “Carney height.” Sometimes, perspectives are needed.