The chair of the Commons ethics committee yesterday told reporters to “do your goddamn job” as cabinet moved to quash committee scrutiny of spending and appointments. Conservative MP John Brassard (Barrie South-Innisfil, Ont.) said media were so Liberal-friendly the “Opposition party is held to a greater account than the government.” READ MORE
Many Canadians are resigned to high household debts and increasingly borrow more to cover basic expenses, a bankruptcy trustee yesterday told the Commons finance committee. Household debt is $3.2 trillion nationwide including more than $2 trillion worth of mortgages, according to Statistics Canada: "Many Canadians have no margin for error." READ MORE
Parliament must mandate that news media drawing taxpayers’ aid tell readers when and how much, says an independent publisher. Rudyard Griffiths, publisher of the news site The Hub, yesterday told the Commons heritage committee that hidden subsidies were “undermining public trust in the media.” READ MORE
The Commons ethics committee yesterday recommended that Parliament close what critics called the “Carney loophole” by forcing the Prime Minister to sell millions in stock holdings. Liberal members of the committee objected: 'It appeared to have been crafted with one individual in mind.' READ MORE
The Commons by unanimous vote has passed a private bill to commission a medal for living organ donors. The award would be a token of the nation’s thanks for “a priceless gift,” said the bill’s sponsor, Conservative MP Ziad Aboultaif (Edmonton Manning): "A transplant recipient once said to me, ‘I just don’t feel that a thank you card is enough.'" READ MORE
Cabinet will take majority control of all 26 Commons committees and no longer “play silly partisan games,” Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon said yesterday. The move effectively quashes all ethics investigations, subpoenas and questioning of reluctant witnesses: "That’s settled." READ MORE
Free health care for illegal immigrants and rejected refugee claimants cost more than $43 million last year including free prescriptions and transportation to a doctor’s office, the Department of Immigration disclosed yesterday. Figures were made public at the request of Conservative MP Burton Bailey (Red Deer, Alta.) who said foreigners with no legal right to be in Canada received better care than many taxpayers: 'People on bogus asylum claims are receiving health care many Canadians do not even receive.' READ MORE
All families have skeletons. Ours is illegal betting. My grandfather’s incarceration was an embarrassment for my mother. He served his time at Burch Industrial Farm near Brantford, Ont. Over the years I have spoken to people who knew of these events, but none really told me anything. Parliament wrote an epilogue to my grandfather’s story. Now if someone in Canada wants to bet on a boxing match or hockey game, it’s as simple as downloading an app.
