Cabinet advisor Amira Elghawaby secretly paid $80,000 for pro-Palestine research to counter alleged “disinformation" by MPs, senators and media, Access To Information records disclose. Elghawaby's Office of the Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia had flatly denied the confidential funding at taxpayers' expense: "Thank you again for this impeccable work." READ MORE
The Department of Industry sought tips from Value Village on “affordability,” Access To Information records show. The nation’s largest commercial second-hand retailer met top federal executives to discuss the benefits of thrift, said a staff memo: "What strategies has Value Village used?" READ MORE
A&W Restaurant franchisees in Québec say they face closure without migrant labour. Owners in a petition to the Commons human resources committee said they could find no Québecers willing to work in fast food: 'They are currently the only labour force truly available to fill positions that Québec workers refuse.' READ MORE
A new $20 banknote will include unprecedented security features to combat counterfeiting, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said yesterday. “You’ll have to wait for the unveiling,” he said. READ MORE
The Alberta Court of Appeal yesterday struck down a 1912 law that required new lawyers to swear allegiance to the King. Most other provinces had already repealed the requirement: "'I will be faithful and bear true allegiance’ are not the words of an ordinary undertaking." READ MORE
The Budget Office yesterday challenged Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne to explain why he seeks a 20 percent hike in the national debt ceiling. The increase would take permitted borrowing to a record $2.54 trillion: "This is more than required." READ MORE
The Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations is sealing all reports filed by a Kamloops, B.C. First Nation that was paid to exhume the purported graves of 215 children at an Indian Residential School. “Confidential information,” the department wrote in denying an Access To Information request for the records: "None of these sites have been investigated further." READ MORE
I went to Canadian Tire for some Christmas shopping. On my way out of the store a hot dog vendor said, “Did you see the police lights? There must have been an accident.” And I replied, “Isn’t that a shame, just before Christmas.” The police called the house later that evening. Maybe they were excited school was over for the holidays. Maybe the music was a little too loud. They made a bad left turn at a busy intersection and collided with a fuel truck. The impact blasted the car apart.
