A federal labour board has dismissed a constitutional challenge of the use of Social Insurance Numbers to catch government employees who falsely claimed pandemic relief benefits. The Canada Revenue Agency had “a legitimate interest” in knowing whether any staff were cheats, ruled adjudicators: "It knew that some wrongdoing had occurred, and it had a legitimate interest in discovering the extent." READ MORE
The military in an annual update on suicides said there were no “statistically significant” changes in rates, and that suicide overall was no more common among Canadian Armed Forces members than the general public. The Commons veterans affairs committee has recommended yearly reporting on suicide rates: "A detailed and nuanced understanding of the epidemiology of suicide is essential." READ MORE
Cabinet will do “whatever it takes for as long as it takes” to compensate Canadians for losses in a widening trade war, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said yesterday. His remarks came five months after Champagne promised to control deficit spending: "How are you going to bring your spending under control?" READ MORE
Leaders stung by a widening trade war yesterday piled insults onto the U.S.A. Ontario Premier Doug Ford likened trading with America to sending weapons to Iranian terrorists and said U.S. President Donald Trump could “kiss my ass.” Prime Minister Mark Carney in separate remarks said America was as unreliable as Russia. Trump in reply called both men "clowns." READ MORE
Parliament must be recalled from its 13-week summer recess to address a widening continental trade war, Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre said yesterday. The Commons trade committee in 2024 held emergency hearings under similar circumstances: "Canadians elect Parliament to defend their interests and decide the hard questions." READ MORE
Nearly 900 million pages of historic records, the vast majority of the collection held by Library and Archives Canada, are inaccessible to the public, says an internal briefing note. Archivists blamed in part the fact that “boxes must be physically retrieved from storage.” READ MORE
Maintaining embassy lawns and tennis courts abroad is important for the “representational image of Canada,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Diplomats served notice they're hiring full-time gardeners to tend the acreage at the Canadian Embassy in Rome and nearby Villa Grandi, a luxury estate occupied by the ambassador: "Maintain the tennis court." READ MORE
I tell friends, never miss an opportunity to tell your family how much you love them, and how grateful you are that they’re part of your life. I think of Fabian every time I spot a camper on the highway – Fabian loved camping – or hear Eddy Murphy’s laugh. At home, I pass by the cemetery where he rests multiple times a day. A friend once told me, when you pass away nobody mourns you longer than family. It was a reality check. We were talking about work-life balance. Mine had been way out of balance for a long time.
