Blacklock's Reporter

Eight in ten applications for Canada 150 grants were rejected after cabinet changed the rules, says a newly-released audit. Criteria for funding were so confusing even the Minister of Tourism couldn’t recite them: “We only get to do it one time.”

Less than half of one percent of new federal employees hired last year were medically released veterans despite a 2015 law mandating priority hiring of ex-army, navy and air force members. The Public Service Commission noted the low compliance rate came amid a ten-year hiring boom: ‘They served our country.’

Cabinet yesterday said it will veto pandemic relief payments to sun holidayers but did not explain if it must rewrite legislation. A bill passed by Parliament October 2 allows returning vacationers to claim $1,000 while under two weeks’ quarantine: “It doesn’t make any sense.”

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation buried a six-figure “re-branding” expense in its budget and lied about it at parliamentary hearings. The federal insurer contradicted testimony by its own CEO Evan Siddall over money spent on a new name for the corporation: “Can you tell me how much?”

Canadians paid millions more in carbon taxes than they received in rebates, newly-released data show. Figures contradict claims by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that households “actually get more money” under the program: “How is that possible?”

Health Minister Patricia Hajdu approved orders for 1,920,000 failed Covid-19 test kits without first finding out if they worked, according to internal records. A total 5,500 kits from Spartan Bioscience Inc. of Ottawa were initially delivered before regulators discovered the devices failed clinical trials: “Many businesses put up their hand and asked us what they can do.”

A Liberal MP says he never profited from investments in a company that received a half-million, sole-sourced federal contract. “No, no and no,” said MP Sean Casey (Charlottetown) when asked if he was aware of the contract, or played any role in its award.

Rideau Hall yesterday said it played no role in censoring a newspaper column critical of Governor General Julie Payette. The weekly Hill Times, a subsidized federal contractor, said it deleted, revised then republished the column due to “negative feedback.”

The Department of Agriculture is awarding a sole-sourced contract for “cultural literacy” to a company led by Victor Tootoo, brother of a former Liberal cabinet minister. Tootoo’s firm has received seventeen federal contracts in four years: “It is believed no other organizations have the experience.”

Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier has quietly expanded audits on charities after publicly condemning the practice under a previous Conservative cabinet as harassment. “Charities are being used,” the Canada Revenue Agency wrote in Access To Information memos.

The national archives has warehoused thousands of donated treasures without looking at them, says an auditors’ report. The backlog of unprocessed boxes laid end to end would run to eight kilometres: “It represents 8.34 kilometres of material.”

Collapsing revenues will see VIA Rail face rising deficits at public expense for at least another year, says management. The Crown railway said the impact of pandemic travel bans was so disastrous it could not predict future income: “A future government will have to make the decision to eliminate VIA Rail or do something else.”

The labour department today begins enforcement of name-and-shame penalties for federally-regulated private sector employers that breach the Canada Labour Code. Tighter enforcement comes fifteen years after it was recommended by a federal labour commissioner, Professor Harry Arthurs, 85, former dean of Osgoode Hall Law School: “Legislation does not enforce itself.”

We wish you a happy New Year. Blacklock’s pauses for our annual holiday observance and will return January 4 — The Editor