CMHC research shows homeowners of Chinese ethnicity including new immigrants and longtime citizens own the priciest real estate in Canada. The federal mortgage insurer compiled the race-based data on a theory of discrimination in housing: “Further research is needed to understand.”
The 2,400-kilometre boundary between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories has not been fully surveyed, says the Department of Natural Resources. Only piecemeal surveys were completed at mining sites to avoid squabbles over royalties: “The short answer is no.”
The Department of Immigration is reviewing whether to permit a third of a million foreign students to work full time in Canada, says a senior manager. MPs recommended the change though the jobless rate for school-age Canadians is ten percent: “There are people who really need to be hiring those students.”
Federal subsidies for charging stations have cost taxpayers thousands for every driver of an electric car, new figures show. The subsidy per driver in some provinces was $4,000 or more: “I have never ridden in or driven a zero emission vehicle.”
A $20 million federal Covid Alert app was discontinued due to lack of interest, says a federal report. Only a fraction of Canadians used the app despite appeals from the Prime Minister to download it as a civic duty: “Several challenges persisted which prevented the app from reaching its full potential.”
Attorney General David Lametti is appealing to Parliament to quickly pass a bill to “address the gap in the law” created by a May 13 Supreme Court ruling. Judges struck down as unconstitutional a provision that self-induced intoxication was no criminal defence: “I think this is lightning speed, quite frankly.”
A single bankruptcy, Sears Canada, was to blame for a tripling of claims under a federal wage compensation program, says a newly-released audit. Some 18,000 were thrown out of work when the retail giant collapsed in 2017: “They used their program payment to catch up on unpaid bills.”
An archaeological dig
on Parliament Hill
unearthed items
from the military barracks
that predated the legislative institution.
One artifact (c. 1827): a lice comb.
It appears
blood-sucking parasites
have thrived here
for ages.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, writes for Blacklock’s each and every Sunday)
Federal departments and agencies in the past two years spent $39 million hiring private contractors to censor documents sought by Canadians under the Access To Information Act. Records show a handful of companies were awarded millions in contracts to process paperwork: “Each file is different.”
Government caucus members on the Commons transport committee yesterday blocked disclosure of scientific data justifying on-and-off travel restrictions. “It’s not filibustering, it’s making a point,” said Liberal MP Vance Badawey (Niagara Centre, Ont.).
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra is rewriting regulations to grant airlines more leeway in denying cash refunds to customers for flight delays and cancellations. Terms are to be spelled out in a Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement as early as tomorrow: “It’s a question of legal interpretation.”
CEO Romy Bowers yesterday defended five-figure bonuses awarded annually to almost every employee at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. “We have a very important role in providing services to Canadians,” said Bowers, who did not disclose her own bonus paid in addition to her $459,000 annual salary: “We conserve taxpayer resources.”
Cabinet yesterday reintroduced a bill exempting itself from a ban on third party use of Canadians’ personal information without consent. A previous bill introduced in 2020 lapsed in the last Parliament as federal agencies scooped data on millions of cellphone users: “That’s what I object to the most, the total lack of transparency.”
Attorney General David Lametti yesterday predicted soon-to-expire federal vaccine mandates will be upheld by courts. Numerous legal challenges have been filed against mandates on employees and contractors now set to expire June 20: “We’re on solid legal footing. That’s part of my job.”
A $40 million federal subsidy to a Russian-owned steelmaker in Western Canada included free cash, records show. Legislators have sought terms of payments to Evraz Incorporated: “What has the Government of Canada done to get our $40 million back?”
