The Department of Immigration yesterday said it booked at least eleven quarantine hotels for foreigners who illegally crossed the border. It follows an abrupt fortyfold increase in illegal crossings to the highest levels since the outbreak of the pandemic: ‘The department is responsible for providing temporary accommodations to asymptomatic asylum seekers.’
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos yesterday could not explain a $150 million Covid contract from his own department to SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. The sole-sourced deal was finalized almost two years ago for “urgently” needed mobile hospitals that were never used: “We’re not getting a lot of clarity here.”
Media directors of the Parliamentary Press Gallery yesterday met behind closed doors to consider membership for Xinhua, the official propaganda agency of the Chinese Communist Party. The Gallery said it had not discussed the matter with the Prime Minister’s Office: “The Gallery is not bound by any outside political considerations.”
Public Health Agency monitoring of millions of cellphone users did no harm to privacy rights, the president of the Agency said yesterday. Dr. Harpreet Kochhar said managers at no time collected information that personally identified any of 33 million cellphone users: “No personal information was asked or was received.”
Allowing MPs to read secret documents on the firing of Chinese scientists at a federal lab would be “endangering our national security,” Government House Leader Mark Holland said yesterday. Cabinet for the past year has defied multiple House orders to permit review of internal records detailing the January 20, 2021 dismissals: ‘Is that what this is about, your own hide?’
Bank of Canada managers yesterday denied running a press enemies’ list though staff openly discussed it in a recorded Zoom call. Bank Governor Tiff Macklem’s director of communications Paul Badertscher in an email denied blacklisting Blacklock’s despite telling a deputy governor in an audio tape: “I do not want to be in a situation where we are allowing Blacklock’s to be asking us. So, yes, that’s where we’re at.”
Statistics Canada yesterday said it had no estimate of the impact of a federal home equity tax. A CMCH-commissioned study issued January 6 claimed tax revenues worth up to $6 billion a year could be used to finance affordable housing: “Stop commissioning studies on how to tax home ownership.”
Six cities saw house price gains averaging at or near six figures last year, Canadian Real Estate Association data showed yesterday. Members of the Commons finance committee reviewed the figures with Canada’s chief statistician: “Housing inflation is homegrown.”
More than a million Afghans have asked to settle in Canada, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser yesterday told reporters. Canada has accepted 6750 to date, said Fraser: “I use the point to illustrate the pressures the system is facing.”
Covid is real, a federal judge has ruled. The Federal Court dismissed out of hand a claim by a Montréal stock trader who likened himself to Galileo in questioning conventional wisdom: “The comparison is unfair to the great Italian scholar.”
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem’s staff disclosed the agency runs a press enemies’ list in contravention of cabinet orders. Macklem’s director of communications said blacklisted media outlets like Blacklock’s were prohibited from questioning bankers while friendly reporters may call for tips on how to cover the news.
“Oh, is this on the record?” Paul Badertscher, the Bank spokesperson, said when asked for an explanation. “I have no comment.”
Badertscher made the remarks Friday while preparing for a Bank videoconference. Unaware of an open microphone, Badertscher explained to federal regulators that certain reporters were blacklisted from asking questions.
“There’s a couple here who I absolutely – I’ll check the list to make sure he’s not listening – absolutely not keen to give questions to,” said Badertscher. “I do not want to be in a situation where we are allowing Blacklock’s to be asking us. So, yes, that’s where we’re at.”
Badertscher did not name the other news organization banned from asking questions. A total 23 media organizations attended the videoconference.
The remarks were made to Deputy Bank Governor Toni Gravelle and Ben Gully, assistant superintendent of banks. Neither commented.
“We have our usual suspects and then we have a lot of other folks like The Narwhal, the National Observer, and on the other side Investment Executive asked to come in as well,” said Badertscher. “So we will have a lot of people.”
Badertscher explained other media were given preferential treatment. One Bloomberg News reporter, Theophilos Argitis, called to ask how to cover the Bank’s announcement, he said.
“So, couple of quick updates,” said Badertscher. “There have been not a lot in terms of questions, in fact very little. I’ve got – Theo Argitis gave me a call, just to sort of do the, ‘Hey, what’s my lede here?’ You know, as a former colleague of mine – ”
“And I basically just told him, you know, look, you know, all we’re doing here – you know, there may not be the kind of news that you are expecting or that a wire’s expecting here, but what we are doing here is just trying to – it’s our way of underlining the importance of the issue for the financial sector, and it’s us giving financial institutions the tools to move forward,” said Badertscher.
“So that’s what I told him,” Badertscher continued. “He hadn’t gone through the scenarios yet. I suspect he’ll head there. I just had a reporter from The Logic looking for the raw data for the scenarios and I don’t know if that’s possible – “
An unidentified voice interrupted: “Paul, I think we have a journalist on the line with us right now.”
“We do,” replied Badertscher. “I have got to get you to drop. Don’t admit people, please.”
Cabinet in a December 16 Ministerial Mandate letter cautioned federal employees had a duty to act professionally in dealing with reporters and the public. “Canadians continue to rely on journalists and journalism for accurate and timely news,” said the Prime Minister’s letter. “I expect you to maintain professional and respectful relationships with journalists to ensure Canadians are well informed.”
Cabinet went further in a 2015 Mandate letter that pledged to “set a higher bar for openness and transparency in government,” including taking questions. “Members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, indeed all journalists in Canada and abroad, are professionals who by asking necessary questions contribute in an important way to the democratic process,” it read. “Your professionalism and engagement with them is essential.”
By Staff 
Covid infection rates nationwide are much higher than the Public Health Agency expected, admits Dr. Theresa Tam, chief public health officer. The Agency for the first time acknowledged the entire basis of its pandemic planning, that fewer than one in ten Canadians would become infected, was wrong: “That’s a fact.”
People are “going nuts” over Covid, exasperated MPs told the Commons health committee. Legislators summoned Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos for questioning this week on pandemic relief, lockdowns and quarantine measures: “It goes on and on.”
Carbon taxes may slow economic growth for decades, says a Bank of Canada report. The outlook follows a Budget Office forecast that taxing fuel to lower emissions would cut workers’ net income: ‘Canada has unique needs as a vast northern country for heating and transportation.’
Teamsters Canada has lost a challenge of a workplace vaccination order. The union appealed on behalf of an employee at the Toronto Maple Leafs’ home arena who was suspended without pay after declining to reveal his medical status: ‘Personal medical information should not be the subject of disclosure.’
