Foreign Minister Anita Anand in 2023 had experts with the Canadian Armed Forces train members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, newly-disclosed Access To Information records show. Internal records indicate staff tried to conceal the fact, but were warned to be truthful if asked: "We know we will be training and we have Minister approval to do so." READ MORE
Newly-declassified cabinet records yesterday disclosed then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was “astonished” by the 1992 failure of the Charlottetown Accord and blamed the Reform Party and media for its defeat. Mulroney in one secret meeting compared himself to a First World War general who would fight on: "The Prime Minister, like Marechal Foch, will be attacking and will be around to lead the next campaign." READ MORE
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree cannot be brought into court over a courtesy letter to a member of the public, a federal judge ruled yesterday. Cabinet members and parliamentarians typically receive thousands of letters, cards and emails each year, records show: "Correspondence primarily includes junk emails, newsletters and spam emails." READ MORE
Federal regulators yesterday froze Employment Insurance premiums for 2027 though the “outlook remains uncertain” due to tariffs, says the Chief Actuary. Premiums remain far below rates charged workers and employers a decade ago: "The rate is expected to generate sufficient premium revenue." READ MORE
A cabinet proposal to eliminate a backlog of air passenger complaints may cost travelers, says a consumer advocacy group. The amendment to Air Passenger Protection Regulations would see airlines refer complaints to binding arbitration: "What standards will they be held to?" READ MORE
Twenty-five Canadian diplomats were fired last year and another 11 abruptly quit while under investigation, says the Department of Foreign Affairs. Wrongdoing included security breaches and suspicious activities in an unnamed “country of concern.” READ MORE
Most Canadians who applied for subsidized dentistry under the federal Dental Care Plan were already regular patients in private care, new data show. Federal agencies to date have not accounted for billions in cost over-runs on the program: "If employers were to start dropping their plans because there is some new federal plan, that is a potential concern." READ MORE
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was “a wild show,” he wrote. He listed a half dozen close calls. A university friend was killed by a sniper while they were shaking hands. An enemy shell made a direct hit on the post he had just turned over to a new officer and “blew him to pieces.” Another shell landed six feet away and failed to explode: “If it had exploded we would be going yet.” Percy traded in his uniform and returned to Ottawa where he lived out his life serving God and the Presbyterian Church.
