Canada must follow U.S. Customs in restricting the import of slave-made goods from China, Conservative MP Michael Chong (Wellington-Halton Hills, Ont.) yesterday told a committee of the United States Congress. Canada “can’t be the place” where Chinese manufacturers export the products of slavery, he said: "We have yet to seize one shipment."
Elections Commissioner Caroline Simard yesterday in her Annual Report to Parliament omitted all mention of “China" in updating investigations of alleged election fraud by foreign agents. Simard earlier dismissed 116 complaints of alleged interference prior to the May 8 expulsion of a Chinese spy: "It is clear the issue of foreign interference weighs heavily on Canadians’ trust."
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne yesterday dismissed Budget Office figures showing he misled taxpayers on recovery of green technology subsidies. Billions for electric car makers remain “good deals for Canadians,” said Champagne: "We’re in the big leagues."
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault yesterday had no comment after agreeing to a $20,000 free speech settlement with Rebel News Network. Guilbeault blocked the news outlet and its publisher Ezra Levant on his official Twitter account: "Guilbeault hates Rebel News because he can’t control us."
The CBC now has 144 corporate directors paid six-figure salaries, according to Access To Information records. The Crown broadcaster had complained of “immense pressure” on its finances due to the pandemic: "Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures."
In-house Elections Canada research shows 13 percent of voters think federal elections are unfair due in part to suspected meddling by foreign agents. More than a quarter, 27 percent, believe voting is “prone to fraud” in Canada: "How much confidence if any do you have?"
A quarter of mortgage holders, 24 percent, are having difficulty keeping up with monthly debt payments, says CMHC data. And barely half said they expect the value of their home to grow over the next year: "Perceptions are at their lowest."
Not all side effects or “adverse events” from Covid shots were documented by the Public Health Agency, says a federal report. The Agency said it did not expect every incident to be detailed since vaccines typically undergo “rigorous testing for safety.”
Even an inaccurate and careless newspaper article does not warrant damages for libel, says an Ontario judge. The ruling came in the case of a London, Ont. councilor who blamed his election defeat on a story that falsely accused him of conflict of interest: 'I am not satisfied the column was actuated by malice.'
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault claims he protested human rights atrocities while attending a climate conference in Beijing. His department issued no such statement at the time. Guilbeault’s office would not release a text or recording in which Guilbeault mentioned "human rights" or China’s use of slave labour in manufacturing green energy products: "I have spoken with human rights issues when I was in China just last week; I have."
Governor General Mary Simon blames unnamed media for what she called Residential School “denialism.” Unidentified media are trying to “control the story of Indigenous peoples,” she said.
A Prince Edward Island senator billed taxpayers $3,500 for an Indigenous sensitivity training course that typically takes about three hours, according to facilitators. Senator Brian Francis’ office would not detail the expense: "Blankets arranged on the floor represent land."
Many Canadians considered homosexuality morally repugnant even if gay people were “God’s children,” then-Prime Minister Brian Mulroney told his 1986 cabinet. Newly declassified records show Mulroney was personally sympathetic to a gay rights bill but considered it divisive: "Look at the long sweep of history and at the changes in what had become socially acceptable."
House flipping is back despite a new federal tax targeting speculators, data show. Bank of Canada figures indicated nationwide the incidence of flipping had reached pre-pandemic levels: "You shouldn’t lose a bidding war on your home to speculators."
Poet Shai Ben-Shalom writes: “Newspaper articles dealing with Canada’s prostitution laws come with pictures. Some show the face of the Justice Minister, serous-looking, with a white collar, a suit, a tie…”
