A federal handgun sales ban will not “meaningfully” reduce gun crime, the RCMP union and Regina’s police chief testified at the Commons public safety committee. Federal authorities have sought to enforce a ban through cabinet order: “The issue is people who are criminals.”
The federal Leaders’ Debates Commission paid $8,500 to settle out of court a defamation claim by Rebel News Network Limited. The payment was disclosed in Public Accounts tabled in Parliament: “There is room in the nation for the expression of opposing points of view.”
The Ottawa Police Service days before cabinet invoked the Emergencies Act distributed a memo falsely claiming foreign extremists bankrolled the Freedom Convoy. The memo by a U.K. think tank mentioned “Trump” five times and summarized Facebook insults against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: “Funding appears to be coming from a host of U.S. and international sources.”
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce yesterday was fined $5.6 million for breach of consumer protection rules. The federal penalty came on top of $11 million in refunds and interest the Bank was mandated to pay under Cost Of Borrowing Regulations: “CIBC was negligent.”
Parliament in promoting a federal dentacare program runs a risk Canadian employers will repeal private plans to offload coverage, medical professionals warn the Senate national finance committee. “It is a real fear,” said the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association: “Either incentivize employers to maintain their dental benefits or you disincentivize them through large government fines.”
Taxpayers face a half billion write-off on overpayments to federal employees due to payroll bungles, auditors said yesterday. “About half of these request had been outstanding for more than three years,” wrote Auditor General Karen Hogan: ‘It may eventually result in the amount being written off.’
Toronto could be a niche market for raw seal meat, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said yesterday. Federal agencies for years have subsidized attempts to build a market for seal: “Did you say there is a demand for seal meat in Toronto? Is that what you said?”
The Public Order Emergency Commission paid as an expert consultant an Ottawa pollster who described Freedom Convoy supporters as thugs and jihadists. Frank Graves, president of Ekos Research Associates Inc., said he regretted his tweets and deleted them: “The Commission was not aware of Mr. Graves’ tweets.”
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez’s department “begged us” to take a subsidy, says an anti-Semite. Laith Marouf in his first public comments on the $133,822 grant said he was contacted by the Department of Canadian Heritage and promised funding in less than a week: “We got the money very fast.”
Emergency powers could be used to jam Freedom Convoy cellphones, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki wrote a cabinet aide. Lucki did not advocate use of the Emergencies Act but checked off numerous applications: “Cell phone disruption (but more work to be done).”
Cabinet’s YouTube regulation bill is not close to clearing the Senate communications committee, the chair said yesterday. Parliament must not hurry passage of the bill, said Senator Leo Housakos (Que.): “It would be irresponsible.”
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem yesterday warned Canadians to brace for another interest rate hike in time for Christmas and a likely recession. “Rates will need to rise further” December 7 after increasing six times this year, said Macklem: “There is no easy way out.”
Senior officials including police and a deputy minister of public safety drafted a memo to end the Freedom Convoy with the stroke of a pen, in inquiry was told yesterday. A convoy lawyer said the proposal was before cabinet when it opted instead to invoke the Emergencies Act: “The deal would be: Leave the protest and denounce unlawful activity and you will be heard.”
Records at the Public Order Emergency Commission show Ottawa business groups lobbied cabinet for subsidies with inflated claims of damage from Freedom Convoy protests. A $20 million federal compensation fund later saw a third of the money unclaimed: “Daily I am getting stories of fear and desperation.”
Parks Canada wardens will gain extraordinary police powers under an obscure clause of a bill tabled by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault. Wardens would be permitted to “enter any place” without a warrant: “What changes do you think this will make?”
