China Central Television, voice of the Communist Party, must be removed from the CRTC’s approved list of programs for distribution in Canada, MPs said yesterday. It follows a 2022 federal ban on state-run Russia Today: “In mainstream society they have no idea what is happening in our Chinese community.”
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault yesterday threatened criminal sanctions against coal-burning provinces that fail to comply with climate change regulations. His remarks came a day after Saskatchewan’s Premier said the province will run its coal and gas-fired power plants so long as they’re useful: “Not complying with this regulation would be a violation of Canada’s Criminal Code.”
Legalization of marijuana has normalized cannabis use by 13-year olds, says a Department of Health report. Children considered it a natural relaxant from ordinary stresses like schoolwork or loneliness, said federal research: “Cannabis use poses a significant health risk during adolescence, in particular interfering with brain development.”
The Department of Health says it worries private employers who currently provide dental coverage for most Canadians nationwide will offload costs onto taxpayers as cabinet expands its national dentacare program. “It is something that we are concerned about,” the head of the department’s dental task force yesterday told the Senate social affairs committee: ‘Are there any mechanisms the government can use to prevent clawing back coverage by insurance companies?’
CMHC in the largest known privacy breach of any federal agency last year mistakenly emailed personal information on 45,000 homeowners to an unnamed bank. The Privacy Commissioner was never notified, according to newly-disclosed records: “An email with an MS Excel attachment was sent.”
Conservative MP Michael Chong (Wellington-Halton Hills, Ont.) last night said he was personally threatened numerous times by people he believed were Communist Chinese agents. Chong said he called police: “It was more than one.”
Governor General Mary Simon in a 16-month period billed taxpayers nearly $38,000 for silk jackets, cocktail party dresses and other outfits and accessories, accounts show. Charges ranged from $675 for a silk jacket to $380 shoes, a $159 suede vest and $95 scarf: ‘People spend $150 for two small bags of groceries that are barely enough to feed a family.’
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland yesterday said federal debt charges are “absolutely handleable” but would not discuss the figure. Freeland testified for 90 minutes at the Commons finance committee to break a Conservative filibuster of her budget bill: “I think it’s really important to put numbers in context.”
A federal backlog of air passenger complaints over poor service is now up to a record 46,000, the Canadian Transportation Agency said yesterday. It is the equivalent of a three-year wait according to Agency figures: “The customer comes last now.”
People’s Party leader Maxime Bernier yesterday said he was the first politician in Canada to be jailed without committing a crime. Bernier agreed to pay $2,000 in fines and costs in Manitoba Provincial Court for technical breach of 2021 pandemic restrictions: “It was a dark time in Canada.”
A federal program offering homeowners “green” grants to refit their property is under-subscribed by almost 60 percent, records show. The Department of Natural Resources acknowledged “challenges.”
Conservative and Bloc Québécois members of the Commons public accounts committee yesterday served notice they seek to review 10 years’ worth of Trudeau Foundation tax returns. It follows evidence the Foundation misrepresented a $140,000 gift from a Chinese donor affiliated with China Central Television: “Canadians are owed a proper explanation.”
Cabinet spent billions more on Indigenous affairs without proportional improvement in actual services, Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux said yesterday. Public Accounts show spending more than doubled after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau created two Indigenous departments out of one: “Increased spending did not result in a commensurate improvement.”
The entire management of the Canadian Human Rights Commission should be fired for racism, union executives yesterday told the Senate human rights committee. The Commission was cited by the Treasury Board for mistreating Black employees: “Systemic discrimination runs so deep in Canada’s public service it can be found in the very branch of the government responsible for fighting it.”
Data confirm hundreds of thousands of families will not use subsidized daycare. A quarter of young children are raised in the home, figures show: “It provides a snapshot of early child care use across the country.”
