Fraud in Canada’s refugee system is difficult to gauge but may be significant, says Immigration Minister Lena Diab’s department. A “meaningful proportion of claims” from illegal immigrants and other refugee claimants are ineligible, it said: "Indicators provide a broader picture of integrity pressures." READ MORE
The Commons yesterday by a 198 to 134 vote rejected a Conservative motion to suspend free medical benefits for illegal immigrants. The vote followed pointed debate: "It is disgusting." READ MORE
Seizures of fentanyl chemicals by Customs agents under Canada's new "fentanyl czar" are a fraction of what they were three years ago, records show. Kevin Brosseau, the $286,000-a year Commissioner of Canada’s Fight Against Fentanyl, confirmed the figures after claiming “significant progress” since his appointment: "What’s your record?" READ MORE
The Department of Public Safety never undertook any security review of the subsidized purchase of Chinese vessels because rules don’t permit it, Minister Gary Anandasangaree said yesterday. “We had no authority to undertake that review,” he told the Commons transport committee. READ MORE
Cabinet yesterday gave Cuba an advance on $8 million in yearly foreign aid before the April 1 start of the budget year. Emergency shipments of Canadian petroleum products to ease fuel shortages were not considered, Foreign Minister Anita Anand told reporters: "Why aren’t you sending fuel?" READ MORE
MPs yesterday said they doubted whether taxpayers will ever see repayment of billions in emergency loans for the post office. Cabinet in 13 months awarded a total $2.04 billion in credits to maintain mail deliveries: "Taxpayers are not going to see that money." READ MORE
A cabinet proposal for regional high speed rail is “sexy” but expensive, the CEO of the Crown corporation responsible for the venture yesterday testified. Martin Imbleau acknowledged taxpayers were “suspicious and skeptical.” READ MORE
In small-town Saskatchewan in those days if your parents didn’t own a farm or a business where you might work there were few choices, actually. One was to join the RCMP. Another was to join the military. The third option was to get a job in a bank, so that’s what I did. I started off as a ledger keeper and finally got promoted as teller. Banking was very different then. You basically took people’s money, looked after it, and if you did lend it was only to customers with a huge amount of collateral.
