Few Canadians, only four percent, are aware Canada is still sending foreign aid to China, according to a Department of Foreign Affairs survey. Millions in aid last year included money for local Chinese projects on “empowerment” and “environmental justice.”
Kristina Namiesniowski, the former Public Health Agency president abruptly reassigned following the outbreak of the pandemic, has been formally reprimanded for late ethics filings. Cabinet transferred Namiesniowski to another $273,700-a year post as associate deputy minister in the Department of Employment: “I need a break.”
Labour Minister Filomena Tassi yesterday set the clock on enforcement of pay equity for federally-regulated private sector employers. Companies have until August 31, 2024 to draft equity plans, and up to five additional years to adjust wages for women: “I would love to have seen this corrected overnight.”
Too many professional people filing for bankruptcy consider ordinary labour “beneath them,” says a Nova Scotia adjudicator. The Court quoted Ayn Rand: “There is no such thing as a lousy job, only lousy men who don’t care to do it.”
One in six Canadians do not trust government news, says in-house research by the Privy Council Office. Skeptics numbered one in three in Alberta. The survey preceded a Department of Heritage directive to enforce federal standards on news reporting: “To what extent do you trust Government of Canada information?”
Library and Archives Canada yesterday defended erasing a longstanding web resource on John A. Macdonald as “outdated.” The First Among Equals feature originally unveiled by five prime ministers had praised the Father of Confederation as a good-humoured visionary who forged a nation: ‘It no longer reflects current understanding of history.’
Cabinet should be more willing to detail national security worries with everyday Canadians to “avoid rampant speculation,” says a Department of Public Safety report. The research coincided with cabinet’s refusal to disclose reasons why Chinese scientists were fired at a federal lab: “Most participants believe the government is not fully transparent about national security issues.”
Newly-appointed Governor General Mary Simon yesterday said she and the Prime Minister “have not talked about the election” expected after Labour Day. A cabinet bill setting out new rules for pandemic voting was introduced in the Commons but never passed: “I have not talked about the election at all.”
Provincial travel bans at the height of the pandemic were lawful, a judge has ruled. The decision by the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court is the second to dismiss constitutional claims of mobility rights in a health emergency: “Does it matter that the person owns a home in each place?”
Management at the national archives has deleted a website feature honouring John A. Macdonald as “redundant” and “offensive.” The content including historical facts and photos for schoolchildren was deemed out of step with “our diverse and multicultural country,” said archivists: “This is just shocking.”
Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault’s internet regulations could have “far reaching impacts on social media,” a Canadian internet manager said yesterday. Nearly two-thirds of people surveyed, 62 percent, worried federal controls will curb “legitimate, lawful speech.”
The Federal Court of Appeal yesterday dismissed a challenge of a 2019 ethics report on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s dealings with SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. Lawyers for Democracy Watch had claimed the investigation was too narrow in failing to cite political aides for misconduct: “The focus is on the Prime Minister.”
CBC’s ombudsman is again recommending the broadcaster make “improvements” in disclosing financial interests of pundits. The network in three separate cases broadcast views of commentators on federal affairs without divulging they were federal contractors: “It would be nice to see CBC News offer evidence that it does in fact provide such balance.”
A $49 million-a year grant program for seniors is popular with applicants but does little to help the poor, says a Department of Social Development report. Seniors used subsidies for bocce courts, Chinese cooking classes and big-screen TVs: “Other age cohorts that are struggling with young families should not have to pay for these kinds of goofy programs.”
Three senators defied pandemic bans on non-essential travel by repeatedly flying to Ottawa and back home on government jets at taxpayers’ cost, according to Access To Information flight logs. None explained what constituency business they had during Covid lockdowns in their home provinces. The health department at the time said it was unsafe for Canadians to visit family and friends: “Ask yourself before you go out this weekend, is what I’m about to do worth the risk?”
