Cabinet last year sent nearly twice as much foreign aid to Palestine as it sent to Ukraine, totaling nearly a quarter billion. New figures were tabled in Parliament as Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged another $100 million in aid: "I am speaking for Canada now." READ MORE
The nation’s largest internet service providers agreed to a rare, two-year Court order blocking pop-up websites by anti-Israel activists targeting Indigo Books & Music Inc. Lawyers for the bookseller spent years tracking anonymous activists who called themselves “your friendly faceless internet trolls.” READ MORE
Toronto members of one of the nation’s largest unions are petitioning to abolish the phrase “public servant.” The reference is a painful reminder of servitude and African slavery, said the Toronto Racialized Members Committee of the Public Service Alliance of Canada: "The term ‘servant’ carries significant historical trauma." READ MORE
The Crown corporation attempting to build a $90 billion regional high speed railway yesterday would not comment on why it hired the chairman of the board’s law firm as legal counsel. Chair Robert Prichard is also chair of Torys LLP, a Toronto firm awarded an “open ended contract” by Alto Corporation: 'Work includes engagement with over 40 Indigenous communities.' READ MORE
Air passenger advocates last night urged senators to kill a cabinet proposal to send legitimate complaints over poor service to private, binding arbitration. The clause inserted in an omnibus budget bill was prompted by a backlog of some 97,000 complaints at the Canadian Transportation Agency: "The bill does not resolve the backlog, it relocates it." READ MORE
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne yesterday said a bill restricting the right to strike is needed for the sake of “stability” in the economy. Federal data show the number of private sector strikes fell by 33 percent last year: "We want to avoid this kind of conflict." READ MORE
Managers have installed nearly a thousand prayer or “quiet” rooms in federal buildings, new documents show. It follows a campaign by former Toronto Star columnist and cabinet advisor Amira Elghawaby to promote Muslim prayer rooms in government offices though only two percent of employees self-identified as Muslim: 'Islamophobia can manifest when Muslim employees face challenges in accessing reasonable accommodations for religious practices such as prayer breaks.' READ MORE
Some MPs come to Ottawa driven by passion for public affairs, others arrive by mishap. I’d worked as an educator for 30 years, teaching English, history and social studies. Current events were always very important in my class. Then I saw how Parliament works. I was shocked at the process. Debate is limited by closure. Many MPs are indifferent and never participate. There is no attempt at thoughtful analysis. Legislation is hastily passed and dissent is not tolerated. Is this too cynical?
