Attorney General Sean Fraser yesterday said he “will occasionally” check if judicial appointees made political donations, but denied any partisan intent. “I will on occasion have a candidate’s political activities flagged before a final appointment is made,” he said. READ MORE
Judges must beware of “potential danger” when discussing current events with reporters, Supreme Court nominee Glenn Joyal said yesterday. Joyal avoided reference to the Chief Justice's criticism of the Freedom Convoy in a Québec newspaper, but said all judges must avoid editorializing: "There is a risk." READ MORE
The Prime Minister’s Office yesterday would not say who gave an Ottawa pollster advance notice of an unusual proposal to finance public works through corporate donors. Pollster Bruce Anderson conducted a survey seven weeks before the announcement to gauge support for tax credits for donors who renovate 24 Sussex Drive: "My take based on these results is the approach announced by Prime Minister Carney will experience some, but pretty limited, opposition." READ MORE
An Ontario judge describes the Canada Border Services Agency as ineffectual in rounding up foreign fugitives. The remarks came in the case of an illegal immigrant repeatedly arrested, jailed, released and re-arrested for theft despite a 2022 federal warrant for deportation: "I have no confidence that the Canada Border Services Agency will actually deport." READ MORE
The Department of Natural Resources spent nearly $75,000 asking Canadians if they’d consider replacing home siding and roofing with fireproof materials. Regulators to date have stopped short of applying climate revisions in the National Building Code to existing structures: "The purpose of this project is to dive deeply into the intricate layers of Canadians’ perceptions." READ MORE
The Department of Immigration is eager to show it's “delivering results” in a costly shelter program for illegal immigrants and refugee claimants, says an Access To Information memo to Minister Lena Diab. Managers complained of media focus and Opposition criticism of a hotel program that cost taxpayers billions: "Recent reporting and Opposition motions question overall costs." READ MORE
The Federal Court says it will see a record 30,000 immigration cases this year, five times the average. Administrators served notice of long delays in paperwork affecting all plaintiffs and defendants: "This persistent surge is causing significant and sustained operational pressures on the Court." READ MORE
I felt we had freedom of speech on the web, that I could basically post whatever I wanted in whatever language I chose, and I wanted my day in court to fight them. What was my point? As a free society, we have a right to put on the internet our content in whatever language we want without government control. We don’t need Big Brother watching over you on the internet. They had to put in their two cents, they had to regulate. How could there be a medium out there over which they had absolutely no control? I mean, isn’t that part of government’s philosophy?
