Constables on patrol have been spat on, cussed and yelled at in the aftermath of Black Lives Matter protests, a police union told the Commons public safety committee. Union executives complained police have been unfairly targeted in media debate on bigotry: “Police officers have been broadly targeted both by activists and some political figures.”
A federal website has published climate change commentaries opposing aid for oil companies or airlines, claiming “the world remains on fire”. Neither the author nor Department of Industry would comment: “Browse through this set of articles.”
An independent audit of the Senate, the first since 2012, has raised questions on contracting. It follows disclosures Senate managers broke rules in spending $95,000 to hire doormen and ushers without legislators’ approval: “When someone breaks the rules we say, ‘Oh, well.'”
Almost one in ten Canada Student Loans Program borrowers default on their debts, says the Department of Employment that runs the program. Staff called it the best performance yet in the 56-year history of the program: “This is the lowest rate ever achieved.”
Ongoing pandemic paid leave for federal employees who are neither sick nor working from home has now cost $623 million, the Parliamentary Budget Office reported today. Analysts calculated 1,470,000 hours of paid leave have been claimed: “It’s huge.”
A Toronto talent agency has until July 29 to surrender records detailing all speaking fees paid to members of the Trudeau family. The Prime Minister as an MP said he collected nearly $300,000 in fees: ‘It’s important disclosures are made.’
The Department of Public Works says it does not know if billions’ worth of masks and other pandemic supplies contracted in China are made by slave labour. MPs yesterday called the admission shocking: “Canadians deserve to know if their government is financially supporting forced labour.”
The Public Health Agency is now having to lease warehouse space for pandemic supplies after closing three warehouses and throwing away millions of masks. One MP yesterday called it acknowledgement of a “grave mistake” in managing a federal stockpile of emergency medical goods: “These are literally people’s lives.”
The Royal Canadian Navy blames pandemic shutdowns for delays in getting its costly submarine fleet back to sea. Four-year maintenance costs are now $1,325,330,000, almost double what Parliament spent to buy the subs in 1995: ‘Work has been impacted by Covid-19.’
The Commons ethics committee last night by a 6-5 vote ordered Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to appear for questioning on his family ties to We Charity. MPs also ordered records of speaking fees paid to the Prime Minister, his wife, mother and brother by all third parties since Trudeau’s election to Parliament in 2008: “Be careful.”
Finance Minister Bill Morneau faces an unprecedented censure vote after admitting he failed to disclose $41,366 in gifts from We Charity while approving a federal grant that would have paid the group up to $43.5 million. Morneau yesterday said he will not resign: “How is that even possible?”
Cabinet yesterday vetoed a direct federal bailout of the CFL. Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault said any football club that needs money should call a bank: “I take it the answer would be no.”
Jobless Canadians calling a federal 1-800 number for help spent an average of more than an hour and a half on hold, says the Department of Employment. The disclosure follows complaints from MPs inundated with thousands of calls from constituents unable to reach the Government of Canada: “Applicants have to try for days to speak to a real person.”
Cabinet yesterday waived millions’ worth of interest on late payments by federal debtors. The relief measure does not apply to taxes unpaid after September 1: “Canadians are working hard and are struggling.”
A federal judge yesterday stuck as unconstitutional a treaty disqualifying refugee claims from foreigners who arrive in Canada from the U.S. An American policy of detaining claimants on their return breached the Charter of Rights, said the Federal Court: “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security.”
