The House affairs committee behind closed doors has agreed to public hearings into how a Waffen SS member was given a hero’s welcome in Parliament. Liberal MPs had objected to open discussion of the incident: “Deal with this matter openly and transparently to get to the bottom of one of the greatest international embarrassments.”
The Commons ethics committee yesterday voted against hearing whistleblowers’ testimony on insider dealing at a tax-funded foundation, Sustainable Development Technology Canada. “The committee voted to silence a whistleblower,” said Conservative MP Michael Barrett (Leeds-Grenville, Ont.). “I can’t abide that.”
Public anger over economic failures is reminiscent of the 1970s, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said yesterday. However Macklem ruled out any interest rate relief in 2024 as “a huge mistake.”
Cabinet yesterday introduced a promised 50 percent bonus on loan forgiveness for medical students who agree to work in rural Canada. The measure will cost millions but attract more than 5,000 new doctors and nurses, said the Department of Employment: “Canada’s health system is experiencing an unprecedented health workforce crisis.”
A security scare that prompted closure of four cross-border bridges yesterday put Parliament on edge over terrorism fears. The fiery crash of a speeding car at Niagara Falls, N.Y. had the Prime Minister cut short his attendance in Question Period: “When an incident like this happens and it’s shown in media and it’s shown worldwide it does have an impact.”
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is doubling pre-election federal aid for publishers approved by the Liberal cabinet. Freeland in a Fall Economic Statement yesterday said payroll rebates originally promised to expire in 2024 are now extended past the next election at almost $30,000 a year per newsroom employee: ‘This is to ensure a strong and independent press can continue to thrive.’
The Commons industry committee last night voted to investigate the hiring of South Koreans at a subsidized battery factory. MPs demanded to know how many foreigners will work at taxpayers’ expense: “The motivation is simple: transparency.”
Canada needs South Korean labour at a subsidized electric car battery plant because “we’ve never done batteries,” Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said yesterday. Cabinet would not disclose how many foreign workers it agreed to subsidize at a Stellantis factory in Windsor, Ont.: “No one has done batteries in North America before.”
An $8 million solar-powered warehouse at Rideau Hall came in under budget, says the federal agency that managed the project. Members of the Commons public accounts committee yesterday expressed disbelief over the cost: “From photos we’ve seen it looks more like a detached garage with four doors.”
Cabinet yesterday confirmed a tax holiday for apartment builders will cost nearly $5 billion. New terms are to include co-operative housing: “Our country needs more homes and we need more of them fast.”
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s office in an Access To Information letter says it cannot find thank you notes from carbon tax supporters named Bob and Jill. Guilbeault in Question Period cited correspondence from the couple as evidence of the popularity of the tax: “After a thorough search no records were found.”
Cabinet yesterday confirmed it has begun issuing permits to foreign workers to build a taxpayer-funded electric auto battery plant in Windsor, Ont. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had promised subsidies for the Stellantis plant would create Canadian jobs: “Everything the Prime Minister has said about the Stellantis subsidy has proven false.”
A federal agency yesterday confirmed the abrupt resignation of its cabinet-appointed chair. Annette Verschuren is currently under investigation by the Ethics Commissioner and Commons ethics committee after voting to award her own company a $217,000 grant: “We are just scratching the surface.”
The Commons trade committee yesterday urged cabinet to review its 2022 equity tax on vacant, foreign-owned properties. Witnesses including one U.S. Congressman testified the tax breached free trade rules: “New policy measures do not always have the anticipated effects.”
Spending at Rideau Hall increased 11 percent last year, according to Financial Statements from the Secretary to Governor General Mary Simon. Cost of the vice-regal office is now approaching $40 million annually: “Irresponsible spending by the Office of the Governor General has caused outrage.”
