A newly-registered Commons petition yesterday challenged Prime Minister Mark Carney to reinstate a $3.7 billion Google tax he suspended 14 months ago as “part of a bigger negotiation” with the United States. Collapse of trade talks cleared the way to revive the tax approved by Parliament, wrote petitioners: "This tax concession has yielded no lasting benefit." READ MORE
Costs of lawyers’ billable hours on land claims and other Indigenous litigation went up 24 percent after then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau disbanded the old Department of Indian Affairs to create two new departments, figures show. “Roles and responsibilities are not always understood,” wrote auditors. READ MORE
Civil defence planners in 1954 proposed drawing up a “brains and skill” A-list of gifted Canadians to be saved in case of nuclear war, newly-declassified records show. People whose intelligence was deemed essential would help rebuild a postwar world, said a secret memo: "Special facilities should be provided to preserve the lives of persons whose intelligence and experience may be essential." READ MORE
Ron Hallman, the $327,000-a year Parks Canada CEO responsible for forest management, was given a hero’s farewell in retirement with an Army band and testimonial by a former prime minister, Access To Information records show. No mention was made of the disastrous 2024 Jasper fire: "Showcase Ron’s accomplishments." READ MORE
Cabinet yesterday approved a rare deer cull at a national historic site. The Department of Environment in a legal notice called it a question of public safety: "A controlled cull was determined to be the most effective approach." READ MORE
Taxpayers must wait until a fall budget update for details of costs to households and industry from retaliatory tariffs, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said yesterday. Cabinet detailed a limited $7.5 billion aid package that business groups dismissed as cumbersome and ineffectual: "Is Canada still committed to a fiscal anchor?" READ MORE
Conservatives yesterday invoked Prime Minister Mark Carney’s misrepresentations over the Gordie Howe International Bridge in demanding he now disclose terms proposed by Canada to avert a continental trade war. Carney secretly agreed to toll concessions as “a good deal for Canada,” then denied the terms and called toll splitting proof of erratic behaviour by Americans: "Transparency is essential." READ MORE
I tell friends, never miss an opportunity to tell your family how much you love them, and how grateful you are that they’re part of your life. I think of Fabian every time I spot a camper on the highway – Fabian loved camping – or hear Eddy Murphy’s laugh. At home, I pass by the cemetery where he rests multiple times a day. A friend once told me, when you pass away nobody mourns you longer than family. It was a reality check. We were talking about work-life balance. Mine had been way out of balance for a long time.
