Commons Speaker Anthony Rota offered reporters armed guards at taxpayers’ expense after the Parliamentary Press Gallery complained it was troubled by Freedom Convoy truck drivers. Parliament Hill guards armed with federal-issue handguns were available to keep reporters safe, said Rota: “I have followed up with the Sergeant-at-Arms.”
The National War Memorial has attracted numerous vandals in the past five years, the Commons veterans affairs committee was told last night. A police investigation remains underway for a mystery woman in a parka who jumped on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: “It’s very emotional to see.”
Canada must raise immigration quotas again this year to help employers fill labour shortages, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said yesterday. The nation’s jobless currently number more than 1.3 million: “Get workers here to fill those jobs where business owners can’t find Canadians.”
Cabinet tolerated First Nations blockades at ports and railways in 2020 as part of its “broader commitments to reconciliation,” according to briefing notes. Federal staff said First Nation protesters were exercising “important democratic rights.”
Cabinet yesterday said a blanket recommendation against non-essential travel will be lifted February 28 after 705 days. “We are easing our current border measures,” said Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos: “The government will no longer recommend Canadians avoid travel for non-essential purposes.”
Cabinet yesterday claimed Freedom Convoy truckers opposed to vaccine mandates pose a threat to national security. Demonstrators in the 19th day of a protest outside Parliament were threatened with jail and seizure of cash and vehicles: “What we are facing today is a threat to our democratic institutions.”
Canadian diplomats embarrassed the nation by abruptly fleeing Afghanistan, MPs were told last night. The Department of Foreign Affairs has not yet explained why diplomats fled Kabul though Canadian citizens remained trapped under Taliban control: “All of a sudden, boom, they were gone.”
Cabinet is not even thinking of taxing Canadians’ home equity, Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen said yesterday. The repeated pledge follows the January 5 release of a CMHC-funded study proposing a $6 billion-a year equity tax on homeowners: “This is not under consideration by our government.”
The Department of Finance yesterday said it is unsure of the impact of a first-time federal equity tax on foreign non-resident buyers in real estate. The tax to take effect this year would punish scofflaws with $5,000 fines and surcharges: “Surely they are going to reciprocate very quickly in taxing Canadians who own property in the United States.”
Federal climate researchers spent more than $69,000 surveying Arctic residents on whether they were prepared for global warming. Respondents said they looked forward to it: “A few also felt concern that climate change was overblown and perhaps part of a historic warming period.”
The Commons yesterday by a 185 to 151 vote rejected a motion compelling cabinet to table a pandemic recovery plan by month’s end. Conservatives sponsored the proposal for a timetable to lift Covid regulations: “Canadians have had enough particularly with the yo-yoing on some measures.”
The Privy Council Office in confidential research found Canadians increasingly unhappy with cabinet’s pandemic management including “absence of a concrete reopening plan.” The in-house polling report came weeks after the September 20 election that saw Liberals regain office with 32.6 percent of the vote, a record low: “Some felt considerations other than the best interests of the country were increasingly playing a role.”
Cabinet will change Covid rules for cross-border travelers this week. The Department of Health would not say if the decision was prompted by the Freedom Convoy truckers’ protest now in its 18th day outside Parliament: “The situation changes.”
Now-retired Senator James Munson (Ont.) tomorrow is to lead national observance of “Kindness Week” after calling Freedom Convoy truckers racists and hostage takers. Munson, a former Liberal press aide, sponsored An Act Respecting Kindness Week to “encourage values such as empathy.”
A company directed by Defence Minister Anita Anand’s husband was awarded a Covid contract over eighteen competitors, records show. Cabinet said Anand played no role in the award: “A total of nineteen companies submitted bids.”
