A bill for independent oversight of the Canada Border Services Agency will not address “problematic behaviour” by management, employees have told the Commons public safety committee. The Agency is the only police force of its size in Canada without a civilian oversight board: “Make real change.”
My friend
who works as a server
at a banquet hall
tells me
about their training.
We are expected to work
in the background, she says,
allow patrons
to focus on their business.
We respond politely
to requests, questions,
but do not encourage
further discussions.
Friendly
but not familiar.
Patrons are not here for us.
Downtown Toronto
I look for a place
for lunch.
Across the street, Hooters.
By Shai Ben-Shalom
Liberal and New Democrat MPs last night saved David Johnston from a summons to testify on his dealings with the Trudeau Foundation. The Commons public accounts committee by a 6 to 4 vote adjourned debate on an order compelling Johnston to appear as a hostile witness: “It is like a subpoena from a lawyer. There are legal consequences.”
The chair of the Senate agriculture committee yesterday would not comment on an Italian junket so costly other senators expressed unease with the expense. Senator Robert Black (Ont.) submitted a $66,940 budget to lead a four-member farm delegation to Italy in July for a study of “soil conditions in Canada.”
Jody Thomas, national security advisor, yesterday said she was on holiday and never read a secret July 20, 2021 pre-election memo warning that Chinese agents had targeted a Conservative MP. Thomas testified at the House affairs committee the “integrity of my statements here” should not be questioned: “You want Canadians to believe that?”
A federal registry mandating disclosure of payments to all foreign agents “will provide us with very important tools,” Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said yesterday. Cabinet has yet to set any deadline for introduction of a bill: “Is there something that gives hesitance or pause?”
Cabinet is unsure of the scope of tobacco smuggling nationwide, according to a report to Parliament. Manufacturers have estimated bootleg cigarettes are worth billions in lost tax revenue: “This has been driven mainly by persistently high rates in Ontario estimated at 35 to 40 percent and a recent explosion in British Columbia where we estimate the rate has grown to 35 percent.”
The Commons yesterday voted 174 to 150 to fire David Johnston as cabinet’s “special rapporteur” on Chinese subterfuge. Johnston rejected the vote, saying he didn’t answer to MPs: “My mandate comes from the government.”
The Freedom Convoy was a “far-right extremist movement” that “terrorized” Ottawa, a Liberal-appointed senator said yesterday. Remarks by Senator Ratna Omidvar (Ont.) contradicted police evidence that Parliament Hill demonstrators were neither extremist nor violent: “What is the government doing to track this? Specifically, are you tracking how these extremists are influencing politicians in Canada?”
Passengers should not expect quicker airport screening with a 33 percent increase in mandatory security fees, says the National Airlines Council. Fees intended to cover security costs represent an annual profit for the Government of Canada, figures show: “I wish I could say these increases in fees would lead to better service.”
A Senate employee golf tournament that’s soliciting $400 corporate sponsorships complies with all ethics codes, managers said yesterday. The tournament is scheduled only days before a new Lobbyists’ Code comes into force that limits gifts to public office holders at $40: “The organizers are employees of Senate administration.”
The Federal Court has rejected a claim that Crown prosecutors have a constitutional right to run for public office. Courts and labour arbitrators have issued mixed rulings on whether the Public Service Employment Act restricts partisan activity by prosecutors: “I am not convinced.”
