The Republic of Singapore stands to gain a virtual monopoly over container handling at Canada’s fourth largest port. The buyout at the Port of Halifax is detailed in Federal Court records: “The proposed transaction is likely to result in the removal of a significant competitor.”
A federal bank regulator warns of far-reaching consequences of any significant decline in housing prices. Mortgage debts are equivalent to 85 percent of Canada’s entire economy, said the Superintendent of Financial Institutions: “This means any significant fall in housing prices could have let to material credit losses for lenders.”
The rising cost of living will be more persistent and long-lasting than officialdom admits, says a former chief economic analyst with Statistics Canada. “Containing inflation may not be a simple or short process,” wrote Philip Cross, senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, an Ottawa think tank: “Economists did not foresee the surge in prices.”
Hospital protesters face a maximum ten years in prison under Criminal Code amendments proposed by cabinet. It is the first of two election campaign bills targeting Canadians opposed to vaccine mandates: “Why would that legislation be necessary?”
A federal bill mandating paid sick leave benefits only a few thousand Canadians but sends a signal to provinces on workplace standards, says Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan. “I don’t think the impact will be minimal,” said O’Regan.
Pandemic lockdowns may spell ruin for many Canadian museums, says a Department of Canadian Heritage report. Cabinet on Friday proposed millions in bailouts for federal exhibitions while warning local operators will take years to recover: “The sector was fragile before the pandemic.”
A man
is stopped by the police for
speeding and watching a
movie.
He is charged with distracted driving;
licence and vehicle seized.
This proves that men can
multitask.
If it weren’t for the
law.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, writes for Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)
A new Liberal senator billed thousands for flights, meals and other costs charged as Senate business while Parliament was in recess, records show. Authorities yesterday defended expenses billed by David Arnot of Saskatoon when the Senate was adjourned and he had not yet taken the oath of office: “He was eligible.”
Canada has the worst climate record in the G7, the federal Environment Commissioner said yesterday. “Canada was once a leader in the fight against climate change,” said Commissioner Jerry DeMarco. “However after a series of missed opportunities it has become the worst performer of all G7 nations.”
Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson yesterday introduced a bill to repeal one of the few Confederation-era laws still on the books. Patterson described as “antiquated and elitist” a requirement that senators be landowners with at least $4,000 in paid-up equity: “Canadians should not be excluded from participating in the parliamentary process simply because they rent.”
Legislators for the third time in three years will attempt to pass an aid bill for jurors traumatized by graphic testimony in criminal courts. “When we ask citizens to be a juror we don’t ask them to be a victim,” said Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu (Que.), sponsor of the latest bill: “There is no excuse not to adopt that bill.”
Most Canadians find the country a nice quiet place, says in-house research by the Department of Health. Staff spent $48,166 on a survey that found only eight percent of Canadians have their nightly sleep disturbed, mainly by noisy neighbours or a snoring spouse: “Do you live in an area where you have a high expectation for tranquility, peace and quiet?”
Immigration Minister Sean Fraser yesterday said he is determined to root out racism in his own department. Fraser’s remarks follow a report the department tolerated crude bigotry including managers who patted a Black employee’s hair and called Indigenous people lazy: “Are you saying there is discrimination in your department?”
The Bank of Canada has suspended without pay a conscientious objector who declined a Covid shot, then threatened to fire the employee. Joseph Hickey, a work-from-home Bank researcher who is also executive director of the Ontario Civil Liberties Association, said his suspension made no medical sense: “Your employment may ultimately be terminated if you remain non-compliant.”
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland yesterday said she will soon update figures on federal deficits, the largest in Canadian history, with “the last step” in emergency pandemic spending. It comes ahead of new Statistics Canada data on per capita debt levels: “We know how important it is to be transparent with Canadians about public finances.”
