Blacklock's Reporter

A federal immigration museum faces recurring deficits amid rising costs and a “shift in Canadian attitudes towards immigration,” say managers. The Canadian Museum of Immigration noted public opinion had changed since nearly a million 20th century transatlantic immigrants landed at Pier 21 in Halifax: “Economic concerns as well as the housing crisis have contributed to an increase in the number of Canadians who think immigration levels are too high.”

Postal workers are asking a federal judge to quash a directive by Labour Minister Patty Hajdu as a breach of their constitutional rights. Hajdu yesterday had no comment: “How dare she.”

A federal labour board in a judgment it said will have wide-ranging impact has ruled government managers must honour any “guarantee of a reasonable job offer” for employees affected by cutbacks. The ruling comes ahead of a cabinet proposal to reduce spending on 445,000 federal employees: “I am mindful of the impact this case could have throughout the public service.”

A redefinition of Canada’s official poverty line is underway and “will end in Fall 2025,” says the Department of Social Development. Managers said they remain confident they will meet cabinet’s target of a 50 percent reduction in poverty though rates have increased since the pandemic: ‘It will reflect the goods and services required for a modest, basic standard of living.’

True costs of wildfires may run to the billions including expenses like lost timber fees and declining tourism receipts, says the Department of Natural Resources. Staff for the first time attempted to calculate the cost of a random selection of forest fires: “Risk of potential impacts from wildfires is increasing.”

Liberal Party organizers are petitioning the Commons to give high schoolers the vote. The petition’s sponsor Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (Beaches-East York, Ont.) was one of 20 Liberal MPs to support an identical private bill three years ago: “Extending the voting age to 16 would empower a new generation to participate in democracy while still in school.”

More than 120,000 mail-in ballots issued for the April 28 general election were never counted, according to Elections Canada. The agency earlier apologized for dumping uncounted ballots at a British Columbia returning office and mislabeling ballots in a Québec riding that gave Liberals an upset win: “We are demanding transparency from Elections Canada.”

The Prime Minister must sell his large stock portfolio to avoid obvious conflicts of interest, Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre said yesterday. “This is a meritocracy, not an aristocracy,” Poilievre told reporters: “How can he possibly be involved in developing a budget when all the tax policies could impact his investments?”

Cabinet would criminalize the public display of “terror symbols,” says a briefing note by Attorney General Sean Fraser’s department. B’nai Brith Canada has sought a swastika ban following anti-Semitic street protests: “The government is considering legislative and other actions.”

The Department of Immigration in a report to the Senate said foreign students contributed billions to the economy, mainly through tuition. The report did not mention costs cited by other federal analysts including impacts on rents: “Most newcomers start out as renters.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney held a vast stock portfolio when he quit the private sector to run for the Liberal Party leadership last January 16, records show. Carney’s investments ran to millions’ worth of shares in 606 publicly-traded corporations including federal contractors, in addition to royalties from his book “Values: Building A Better World For All.”

Rideau Hall is spending a third of a million on an artificial ice rink, records show. The sole-sourced contract to be signed July 28 followed Prime Minister Mark Carney’s promise of a government-wide austerity drive to “spend less.”

The labour department in a briefing note to Minister Patty Hajdu acknowledged young jobseekers face “economic shocks” including rising unemployment. The note made no mention of cabinet’s decision to allow 1,040,000 foreign students into the workforce: “This may result in increased competition for Canadian workers.”

Parliament will never allow cabinet to trade away dairy quotas, says Green MP Elizabeth May (Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C.). “We have to stand up,” the Party leader told reporters after the U.S. again cited protection of the Canadian dairy industry as unfair: “We promised.”

In-house federal research found widespread public support for an oil and gas emission cap among Ontario and Québec residents. Participants in Privy Council focus groups said energy companies must face “clear consequences” for greenhouse gas emissions.