Treasury Board President Anita Anand yesterday issued a new directive reminding federal executives to read the Values And Ethics Code For The Public Sector. It follows Anand’s testimony she was unaware of ArriveCan irregularities while responsible for Government of Canada contracting: “They shuffle the deck chairs on the Titanic every couple of months.”
A federal judge has dismissed an attempt by two ArriveCan executives to quash an investigator’s report that alleged criminal wrongdoing. Antonio Utano and Cameron MacDonald were both suspended without pay January 11 but never charged with any crime: “I understand the applicants’ concern regarding their careers, reputations, dignity and livelihoods.”
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland yesterday denied federal spending is out of control after she raised the debt ceiling to a record $2.13 trillion. “I love answering questions about fiscal responsibility,” Freeland told the Senate national finance committee.
Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard (N.S.), a Liberal appointee, yesterday said cabinet must apologize for what she called Canada’s involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. No Canadian Parliament ever legalized slavery. Most Black people arrived here after 1971, according to Statistics Canada: “It would be really good for Black Canadians to know why there is such resistance to issuing an apology.”
Mortgage default rates are low but rising, CMHC said yesterday. The federal insurer counted a total $2.16 trillion in mortgages loans nationwide: “Under current interest rate conditions more mortgage holders find themselves in precarious financial situations.”
CBC managers in the fiscal year just ended March 31 awarded themselves $14.9 million in bonuses even as CEO Catherine Tait claimed financial hardship and laid off 141 employees, documents show. Records tabled in Parliament directly contradicted testimony by Tait that she had no idea whether or not bonuses were paid: “I really take objection to being called a liar.”
New Covid ventilators bought at $22,000 apiece were sold in a hurry as scrap to “further understand” the recycling business, the Department of Public Works says in an Access To Information document. Records show the ventilators bought under a sole-sourced $169.5 million contract were scrapped even while the pandemic was ongoing: “This has not been a cheap enterprise.”
The Department of Industry is refusing MPs’ order for terms of billions in federal climate subsidies to manufacturers. Deputy Minister Simon Kennedy called it “highly sensitive confidential information to be safeguarded.”
A federal investigation into lewd workplace harassment prompted the abrupt resignation of a Parole Board of Canada appointee, the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner disclosed yesterday. The appointee was identified by name: “He repeatedly behaved inappropriately towards female employees.”
The Privy Council ordered focus group research on a new logo to boost enthusiasm for Canada Day, documents show. The in-house study followed a 2020 report that found Canadians typically were not flag wavers but shared a quiet pride in their nation as strong and free: “This is where they were born, this is their country.”
There is no chance Housing Minister Sean Fraser will reach his target of 3.9 million new housing starts by 2031, builders yesterday told the Commons human resources committee. Even a costly tax holiday for apartment builders will not avert further slowdowns in construction, MPs were told: “We are staring into a pit.”
Immigration Minister Marc Miller yesterday said he wants no votes from friends of Israel who equate criticism with anti-Semitism. “I don’t want their vote,” Miller told the Commons immigration committee: “Those people who have that type of thinking, I don’t want their vote.”
In-house Privy Council research found British Columbians universally opposed a short-lived cabinet experiment with decriminalization of cocaine and opioids. All residents surveyed including recovered drug addicts called the entire “safe supply” policy a failure: “All believed this was a step in the wrong direction.”
Old Age Security cheques for Canadian pensioners living abroad cost taxpayers more than $686 million last year, records show. Payments were up $66 million or 11 percent from 2022: “These recipients may or may not have non-resident status for tax purposes.”
Federal agencies spent more than a quarter million a month on unused government-issue cellphones assigned to employees working from home, says an internal audit. The investigation by Shared Services Canada, the federal IT department, said the number of dormant telephone accounts jumped 65 percent under pandemic work-from-home orders: “The number of mobile devices that had not been used for three or more months increased by 65 percent.”
