Liberal MP Wayne Easter (Malpeque, P.E.I.), the only union president to chair the Commons finance committee, yesterday announced he’ll retire at the completion of his term. “It’s been my honour,” Easter, 71, told MPs: “You must never, ever forget where you came from.”
Canadians over 55 continue to vote at high rates not seen in the general population for more than a half century, according to Elections Canada data. Voters in the Maritimes and two Prairie provinces also go to polls in greater numbers: “Turnout generally increased with age.”
Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault faces a deadline of just eight business days to push an internet regulation bill through the House and Senate. Bill C-10 cleared the Commons heritage committee Friday under a cabinet gag order: “These are strange times.”
Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson’s department ordered confidential research on a proposal to have mining and pipeline companies make cash payments to environmental groups as a condition of federal licensing. “Support was highest for companies to pay into a fund that supports conservation,” said a report.
The taxpayer-owned Canada Infrastructure Bank is in breach of a committee order for disclosure of million-dollar bonuses it paid executives. The Bank refused comment on why it concealed details of executive pay sought by the Commons transport committee: ‘Why do you think you should be able to keep your compensation secret from taxpayers?’
A bill to honour multilingualism has cleared the Senate social affairs committee. Senators said the bill to proclaim a Mother Language Day would promote “linguistic diversity” for those raised in households that are neither English nor French: “I always say ‘immigrant’ is only for the first three years. Then they are Canadian.”
The Department of Natural Resources will not detail plans for 49,421 acres of pristine, taxpayer-owned coal lands in southeast British Columbia slated for auction since 2013. Cabinet on Friday said it will refuse permits for all new coal mining ventures in Canada: “That resource is a scarce resource.”
Poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, writes for Blacklock’s each and every Sunday: ” A bird in the hand is alleged to be better than two in the bush…”
The Canada Border Services Agency yesterday confirmed it’s opening an Office of Biometrics under the largest surveillance scheme in the country’s history. Exit Information Regulations will see the Agency use computer chips embedded in new passports to monitor every citizen who travels out of Canada. In-house research identified widespread opposition to the program: “What more information would they want?”
Privy Council President Dominic LeBlanc yesterday said Parliament should lessen the paperwork requirements for electors who want to vote by mail. Elections Canada said it will refuse a mail-in ballot to anyone without proper ID or a notarized affidavit: “This will be the first election in which those voting by mail from within their riding can apply online.”
Federal agents have issued millions’ worth of tickets to quarantine scofflaws including $2,964,000 to air travelers who refused to stay at pandemic hotels, records show. Other offences included forged Covid tests: “The exact breakdown of costs cannot be publicly disclosed at this time.”
Changes to the Oath Of Citizenship are not mere words, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino yesterday told the Senate. A cabinet bill “makes a crucial addition,” he said: “It is a public declaration of joining our country and everyone who calls it home.”
A bill granting preference to pensioners in bankruptcy court settlements would benefit more than a million private sector workers, the Commons industry committee was told yesterday. The private bill follows protests over insolvencies like the 2018 collapse of Sears Canada that left pensioners with under-funded plans: “Pensioners should be fully paid.”
Cabinet yesterday declined comment on internal emails from a federal lab indicating executives were wary over ties to China prior to an RCMP raid on the facility. “The government is not hiding documents,” said Senator Marc Gold (Que.), Government Representative in the Senate, who complained MPs were making “excessive demands” for records in the case.
Senators yesterday challenged Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson to resign from his $274,500-a year post if he fails to meet his own climate change targets. Wilkinson declined. “I actually don’t accept the premise,” he told the Senate energy committee: “That, in my mind, is not correct.”
