Cabinet should expect the Bloc Québécois to slow or rewrite objectionable Liberal bills in committees, leader Yves-François Blanchet warned the Commons last evening. “We have a certain weight,” said Blanchet: “We are going to use what Québeckers have given us, which is the balance of power in committees.”
The Public Health Agency has failed an internal audit for forgetting to maintain workplace first aid kits for its 4,400 employees, a requirement of the Canada Labour Code. It’s the same Agency censured for failing to stock emergency pandemic supplies to protect Canadians from Covid: “It was not as prepared as it could have been.”
Green Party MP Elizabeth May (Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C.) has sponsored a petition asking that Parliament declare an LGBTQ genocide in Canada. May did not comment on the measure yesterday in her first remarks to the 45th Parliament: “Human rights of the Canadian LGBTQ community are endangered.”
Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali accepted free flights from a Muslim advocacy group in traveling to Jerusalem to be photographed at prayer, new filings with the Ethics Commissioner confirmed yesterday. Ali had himself photographed in a mosque and later called the Israeli shelling of Gaza “the tragedy of the century.”
Cabinet will “set a responsible target for deficit reduction,” the Commons was told yesterday. The pledge followed a Throne Speech in which cabinet reiterated campaign promises to cut waste but fixed no deadline to curb new borrowing: “Our government brings a new approach to this matter.”
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne yesterday served legislative notice of billions in promised tax cuts. Cabinet would “deliver real change,” he said: “It sends a very clear message to Canadians that we care.”
An executive with the Department of Environment resigned while under investigation for “belittling and humiliating” employees, managers disclosed yesterday. Thousands of federal employees have filed harassment complaints since Parliament passed an anti-harassment bill seven years ago: “Harassment can be bullying in the workplace, yelling at employees repeatedly, asking employees to perform tasks that are not part of their employment contracts.”
Nearly a third of Canadians complained about their internet service provider last year, says in-house CRTC research. The volume of complaints did not include grievances about costs: ‘Most related to service delivery or billing disputes.’
New Democrats deserve consideration as the Party with the balance of power in the minority Parliament, leader Don Davies said yesterday. Cabinet publicly rejected any waiver that would grant NDP members crucial votes on Commons committees: “We are going to be able to play a profoundly important role in this Parliament.”
Allowing a million foreign students into the country cost Canadian jobs and wages, Bank of Canada research shows. The latest study confirmed a 2022 employment department report that foreign labour had a “significant” impact in some sectors: “They accounted for a larger share of workers in low skilled occupations, replacing Canadian born workers.”
MPs yesterday elected their fourth Speaker in six years. Francis Scarpaleggia (Lac-Saint Louis, Que.), 67, an eight-term Liberal MP, told the Commons: “We are all equal here.”
Liberal MP Greg Fergus (Hull-Aylmer, Que.), first Black nominee elected Commons Speaker, yesterday was denied a second term in secret balloting. Fergus admitted errors that saw 149 MPs demand his ouster: “To be frank, it would have been a difficult time for anyone in that role.”
More than a third of Canadians are “feeling hopeless” about climate change, especially young people, says in-house research by the Department of Environment. Canadians over 55 expressed less alarm: “I felt isolated with no one to rely on.”
Canadian banks, credit unions and other cash dealers have reported more than 2.6 million suspicious transactions since the pandemic, Access To Information records show. The reporting coincided with cabinet’s unmet pledge to create a new police agency to fight white collar crime: “It is a step above simple suspicion.”
The next two years “will be challenging” as millions of low-cost mortgages come up for renewal, says Canada’s chief bank inspector. The warning from Superintendent of Financial Institutions Peter Routledge follows federal data showing most mortgage borrowers are already struggling: “2025 and 2026 will be challenging years.”
