Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne yesterday confirmed he approved up to $13.8 billion in subsidies to build a single Volkswagen battery factory in Ontario. The giveaway is nearly triple the average annual cost of all federal aid for all corporations nationwide: “That money could be used to build more than a dozen hospitals.”
MPs on the Commons health committee yesterday agreed to rewrite a Liberal “whitewash” bill that would have cabinet review its own Covid management. “Delete it, get rid of it,” said Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (Beaches-East York, Ont.), sponsor of the bill.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault yesterday defended his climate programs and pledged “full steam ahead.” His remarks followed a critical report by the Environment Commissioner that rated Canada the worst of the G7 in lowering emissions despite higher fuel costs and more regulations: “‘‘Just trust us, it’ll all add up’ doesn’t work.”
A 2019 cabinet promise to plant two billion trees within a decade is “unlikely to succeed,” Environment Commissioner Jerry DeMarco said yesterday. A separate Budget Office report earlier concluded the program would go 88 percent over budget: “They are not on track.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau only hours into a national public service strike yesterday warned that “Canadians are not going to be very patient if this continues.” Cabinet dismissed contract proposals by the Public Service Alliance of Canada as “unaffordable” and “completely unworkable.”
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s sister in law yesterday stepped aside as acting Ethic Commissioner. Critics had protested the interim appointment: “You’re ineligible to win the Tim Hortons Roll Up The Rim contest if you’re a family member of an employee. This is ethics 101.”
Taxpayer guarantees now cover more than $5 billion in equity loans under a CMCH program intended to aid first time homebuyers. However figures show the program was of little or no use in the costliest cities: “Options are few across the country for people starting out today.”
A long-sought bill to shield private sector pensions in corporate bankruptcies has been passed into law by the Senate. Reforms most recently prompted by the collapse of Sears Canada were first proposed in 1975: “Pensioners’ groups have been calling for this legislation for a long time.”
Budget Officer Yves Giroux yesterday said it was unclear whether cabinet has “lost control of its spending.” The Department of Finance is forecasting half-trillion budgets for years to come with ongoing deficits through 2028: “We are going over a psychological hurdle, a very large one.”
The largest federal public service union last night launched a national strike for the first time in 19 years. “Our members are prepared to fight for a good, decent, fair collective agreement,” said Chris Aylward, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, as picketers prepared to protest outside Parliament and the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Commons health committee yesterday by a 7 to 4 vote cleared a private Liberal bill to ban advertising of junk food to children. The committee passed a similar bill five years ago that subsequently lapsed in Parliament amid protests from marketers: “A blunt instrument is being applied here.”
More than 360,000 new Canadians swore the citizenship oath at ceremonies last year, new data show. The Department of Immigration has proposed replacing ceremonies with a check box on a federal website: “The negative concerns I have heard about this idea are legion.”
Air passengers deserve more generous compensation for poor service, the Commons transport committee said yesterday. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has proposed to draft new regulations by June: “The committee heard from many witnesses on the shortcomings.”
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne yesterday ignored a request from MPs for details of new federal subsidies for Volkswagen that are suspected of running into billions. The Commons industry committee gave Champagne one more week to disclose the VW contract: “This government is afraid to give Canadians the number.”
The largest federal union, the Public Service Alliance, set a deadline of 9 pm Eastern this evening for a strike that “can shut the government down,” President Chris Aylward said yesterday. Any job action by 155,000 employees would be the largest in 19 years: “Together we wield incredible power and can shut the government down to secure a fair contract.”
