Blacklock's Reporter

Lost to history is the state funeral of Generalissimo Trujillo, strongman of the Dominican Republic, shot by assassins in 1961. Canadian diplomat John Graham attended the mass. “The only people in the entire church without guns were the clergy and the diplomatic corps,” he recalls. Fearful that rebels would seize the corpse for public display, Trujillo’s henchmen hoisted it from the church by helicopter winch. “The Generalissimo’s coffin swinging in the air was a moment of unbearable, transcendent mystery for the dazed and credulous mourners below,” writes Graham. Only later did diplomats learn Trujillo wasn’t in the coffin. They’d stuffed it with an unknown corpse while preserving El Presidente in a freezer for quiet burial. READ MORE

The Department of Environment spent more than 10 years and $1.4 million building a “net zero” garage in Whitehorse that it neither needed nor finished, say auditors. The project was commissioned by then-Environment Minister Catherine McKenna as proof her department could “lead by example.” READ MORE

Illegal immigrants and refugee claimants receive an average $1,363 per year worth of free health care at a total cost of $989 million this year, the Budget Office said yesterday. “Can you understand why Canadians are really frustrated and mad about this program?” Conservative MP Dan Mazier (Riding Mountain, Man.) asked the Commons health committee. READ MORE

Canadians should beware of “illegitimate” media for the sake of social cohesion, Heritage Minister Marc Miller said yesterday. His remarks followed a briefing note stating cabinet is relying on the CBC and its $1.6 billion annual grant to promote “social cohesion.” READ MORE

Muslim observances now outnumber Christian days on the federal calendar, according to an Access To Information memo by the Immigration and Refugee Board. It was due to the inclusion of “diversity, equity and accessibility related dates,” it said. READ MORE

Federal departments and agencies should boycott Twitter, says a Liberal-appointed Alberta Senator. Paula Simons, a former CBC producer and Edmonton Journal columnist, called the social media platform revolting: "Many have quit for reasons of moral revulsion." READ MORE

The Commons and Senate yesterday suspended all proceedings in mourning for eight dead including schoolchildren as young as 12 and 13 shot at a Tumbler Ridge, B.C. secondary school. The town’s Member of Parliament said the killing of children was beyond words: "I got a terrible phone call." READ MORE