Millions in promised federal funding to retrain oil and gas workers has gone unspent, records show. The figures follow complaints cabinet was “very slow off the mark” in fulfilling its pledge to find jobs for energy workers through a Just Transition program: "It’s seven years since they’ve had notice they had to work on this." READ MORE
Happy Days has escaped Canadian TV censorship. A national broadcasting panel yesterday upheld programmers’ right to rerun an old episode of the 1970s sitcom even if “it is highly unlikely it would be produced in today’s environment.” READ MORE
Of thousands of new vehicles bought by federal departments and agencies in the past two years a small fraction, less than five percent, was electric. Records show Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s department bought gas burners even as he warned Canadians to do their part for climate change: "We need to be doing something about it." READ MORE
Foreign fugitives have a better than 50-50 chance of dodging deportation, new records show. Of thousands of foreigners ordered out of the country in the past six years fewer than half, 48 percent, were actually deported: "I don’t quite understand why we would tolerate this." READ MORE
The Commons yesterday by a 213 to 114 vote passed a bill mandating that social media platforms share a portion of news-related ad revenues with online publishers. Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez called it one part of his plan to “build a safer” internet: "The whole world is watching Canada right now." READ MORE
The Commons on its last business day of the year yesterday unanimously passed into law a bill to criminalize organ trafficking. Advocates called it a shameful practice that sees wealthy patients buy organ transplants abroad: "Efforts to combat this practice have been ongoing in Canada’s Parliament for close to 15 years." READ MORE
Complaints of cronyism and other misconduct in federal hiring jumped 14 percent last year, the Public Service Commission said yesterday. Allegations ranged from favouritism to fraud: "There are still areas for improvement." READ MORE
From outside it sure looks like reporters and politicians and prominent lobbyists are too close to each other, chummy in fact, a set if you will — a view solidified by the knowledge the government has extended close to half a billion dollars to Canada’s media. To ask embarrassing questions of the membership of a club (this would be the Ottawa Press Gallery) whose only task is (supposed to be) asking hard questions of the government which is richly subsidizing so many of them. what an impertinence. Call the cops. Shut their office. Out with them.
