Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly yesterday dismissed criticism of a slow Canadian response to war in Israel. “I am a busy woman,” Joly told reporters. There were “so many issues happening in the world,” she added: “I know people are scared.”
The head of Canada’s largest Protestant church wrote MPs that cabinet should honour a boycott of Israel to protest its “system of apartheid.” Reverend Carmen Lansdowne, moderator of the United Church, wrote the Commons foreign affairs committee 10 days before Hamas terrorists killed Jews: “It is very complex.”
Immigration is key to preserving French, Languages Minister Randy Boissonnault has written MPs. Canada’s Languages Commissioner earlier recommended cabinet recruit immigrants from former French colonies like Mali and Senegal: “French is in a minority situation in Canada and North America due to the predominant use of English.”
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly yesterday did not comment on records indicating her office approved funding for a group that called Israel a “sadistic” perpetrator of war crimes. The group Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East complained Canadians were “cheering on Israel” after the country was attacked by terrorists: ‘Stop cheering on Israel as it takes out its revenge.’
Canadian workers have millions invested in Israel, according to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board accounts. Holdings totaling more than $120 million include shares in some of Israel’s largest banks impacted by terrorist attacks: “It’s very important for us to thoroughly understand all the risks of investing in any market.”
Cabinet advisors yesterday questioned whether legalizing marijuana achieved what advocates promised five years ago. Legalization neither eliminated the black market nor protected children from unregulated marijuana use, wrote an Expert Panel: “Rates of cannabis use among youth in Canada remain high.”
Computer security at the Canada Revenue Agency remains poorly monitored years after hackers breached taxpayers’ accounts, says an internal audit. The Agency maintains electronic records on more than 27 million individual and corporate tax filers: “Did these attacks not demonstrate there was a total failure?”
The Department of Transport is finally enforcing an auto bill passed by Parliament in 2018 that grants regulators new powers to recall faulty cars. Millions of “unsafe vehicles” are on Canadian roads, by official estimate: “Yes, there is always room for improvement.”
A federal charity called Israel “sadistic” and “barbaric” after terrorist attacks in that country left 3,100 casualties, mostly Jews. Directors of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East include one former MP and a current Government of Canada manager: ‘Charities may not support one or another political faction or prolong violence.’
A decades-old federal law mandating labels on date-expired food is under review. The Department of Agriculture said it supports in principle the removal of “best before” dates as Canadians face rising food costs: “The government supports in principle this recommendation.”
The Canadian Human Rights Commission says it has stopped mistreating Black employees but acknowledged “there is a long road ahead on our anti-racism journey.” Critics have demanded the entire management be fired for discrimination: “We do have some senior Black executives.”
The next election will see fewer MPs in Toronto and northern Ontario and more in the Okanagan and suburban Alberta. Historic changes under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act take effect April 22, 2024, according to a legal notice: “It is necessary.”
The CBC should rethink news coverage that disparages cabinet critics as extreme or disreputable, warns the network Ombudsman. The advisory follows a 2021 attempt by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to act as a political fact checker: “When they do so they had better be right.”
We are grateful this holiday to friends and subscribers as Blacklock’s embarks on a 12th great year of independent, all-original Canadian journalism. On behalf of all our contributors, please accept our thanks. We’re back tomorrow — The Editor.
A gun-metal sky hangs over
The lake, which is oil-black
And loud as it folds into itself
Again and again until it reaches
The shore and my boots.
Behind, town lights blink on
As eyes ready to shut.
Maple leaves, dead and grey,
Are picked up and scattered
As a child mindlessly throws stones.
I have been standing here for decades
But I have never seen it like this.
This place has never lived through a fall.
What season comes next?
By S.M.G. Dupel
