U.S. President Donald Trump last night taunted Canada’s cabinet with a 72-hour extension of a deadline on $28 billion tariffs and a pledge that the long-cancelled Keystone XL Pipeline “may be awoken from the grave!” READ MORE
Disclosure Not Safe For Nazis
Federal archivists are protecting “safety of individuals” in concealing more than a million pages of records on Nazi collaborators let into Canada after 1945, says a newly-disclosed briefing note. Cabinet years ago had promised to release all Holocaust-related files: "They knew." READ MORE
282,065 Hours Of Counseling
Federal programs in a single year paid for more than 280,000 hours of counseling for Indigenous people, says an Access To Information note. The Department of Indigenous Services blamed “colonial sources of trauma.” READ MORE
Cite Feds’ False Advertising
Cabinet yesterday was formally named in a federal complaint alleging misleading advertising in breach of an Act of Parliament. New Democrat MP Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway) filed the complaint under the Liberals’ own 2024 law against “greenwashing." READ MORE
Home Starts Far From Target
Housing starts remain far short of target with new construction down by double digits in the largest markets, CMHC said yesterday. The figures contradicted repeated claims of success by Housing Minister Gregor Robertson: "Starts were down 19 percent year over year in centres with a population of 10,000 or more." READ MORE
Feds Discover 23 Bad Apples
A federal program to “promote ethical business practices” has blacklisted 23 suppliers in two years, says a Department of Public Works memo. Managers over the same period awarded an average 2,978 contracts annually: "Certain suppliers understand the procurement system." READ MORE
MPs OK China Spy Hearings
The Commons public safety committee yesterday by unanimous vote agreed to probe apparent failures in security screening after a Chinese-Canadian intern at NATO headquarters was arrested on espionage charges. Canadians of Chinese ancestry were owed a thorough investigation of security breaches that are “dividing our communities,” said one MP: "We need to get to the bottom of the issue, determine what went wrong." READ MORE
Guest Commentary
I walk through our warehouse and study the artifacts the same way others people-watch on the subway. There is character in things. They tell a rich story. My favourite is the Theratron Junior built in 1956. Canada made 140 of these radiation therapy devices and sold them all over the world for $25,000 apiece. We were so proud of them we put the Theratron in the Canadian exhibit at the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle. The German exhibit had strudel. The French exhibit had art from the Louvre. Canada had the Theratron and a Black Brant rocket and an Alouette satellite. We were fresh and modern and confident, and a scientific powerhouse. This is how we showed ourselves to the postwar world.
