The internet is to blame for public cynicism and intemperate language against legislators, said a declaration yesterday signed by Commons Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia. “This behaviour is on the rise and we condemn this troubling trend,” it said.
Canadians will be asked how much they’re willing to pay to save rare fish. The Department of Fisheries yesterday outlined the unusual research project under the Species At Risk Act, a federal law that has been used to curb development in the name of conservation: "This project will collect data to allow the department to estimate Canadians’ non-market values for six species."
The Department of Public Works in 2024 approved the sale of up to 19,000 costly new ventilators as scrap metal without ever bothering to remove them from original shipping crates, Access To Information records show. One manager warned of “high reputational risk” if taxpayers found out.
A confidential Department of Foreign Affairs party to self-congratulate employees for bravery in their 2021 flight from Kabul was approved by then-Minister Mélanie Joly, records show. Internal documents described the Afghanistan Evacuation Recognition Ceremony as a “good news” story to boost morale: "Embarrassing."
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s undisclosed 2025 deficit is likely in the $80 billion range, the Bloc Québécois yesterday estimated based on current and promised spending. The Conservative Party earlier put the shortfall at $80 billion or more, the highest since the pandemic: "This is an historic amount."
A federal labour board has faulted the Department of National Defence for denying a religious exemption from its vaccine mandate. "Sincere religious beliefs" were sufficient to decline a Covid shot, an adjudicator ruled: 'The state is in no position to be the arbiter of religious dogma.'
Anonymous hackers breached an undisclosed number of email accounts and telephone numbers used by Canadians accessing federal services, the Treasury Board confirmed last evening. The Board has called data breaches a daily occurrence at the Government of Canada: "There is a tremendous amount of information available."
The Department of Health ordered so many surplus ventilators from Baylis Medical Technologies Inc. it couldn't give them away, Access To Information records show. Ex-Liberal MP Frank Baylis (Pierrefonds-Dollard, Que.) credited the sole-sourced $237 million contract with helping rescue his company during the pandemic: "We re-mortgaged all our buildings; we extended our line of credit."
Federal revenue from marijuana taxes has plateaued at under a quarter billion a year, says a Department of Finance memo. Cabinet had predicted revenues of up to a billion a year when it legalized cannabis in 2018: "How much?"
Cabinet imposed sanctions on Russia without ensuring they'd be enforced, says a federal report. Then-Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland had announced sanctions in tribute to “the remarkably brave people of Ukraine.”
Cabinet should mandate that a fifth of new housing starts be set aside for low-income families, says a report to Housing Minister Gregor Robertson. The advice contradicts a 2024 CMHC study that cautioned focusing on low-cost rentals was "not optimal."
Pursuit of self-improvement is not a write-off, says Tax Court. The ruling came in the case of a part-time shampoo salesman who claimed thousands in losses while pursuing goals set out in self-help books like Think And Grow Rich: "It was not a source of income."
The Department of Health scrapped half the costly Covid ventilators it bought under $1.1 billion contracts with sole-sourced suppliers, Access To Information records show. Then-Minister Jean-Yves Duclos approved the sale of brand new medical devices as scrap metal in a 2022 memo never disclosed to Parliament: "Lessons learned."
Elections Canada declined to count more than 43,000 mail-in ballots it says it received past a deadline of 6 pm Eastern on April 28. The agency did not detail where the “late” ballots were cast in a general election that saw four ridings go to judicial recounts: "There are no tracking mechanisms in the field that allow us to determine how many special ballot voting kits left Elections Canada offices on any given day."
Cabinet's reversal on electric vehicle mandates comes three months after government caucus members boasted Canada was “at the head of the pack” on climate change. The mandate was to take effect with 2026 model vehicles: "This is about my children, my grandchildren, everybody’s children."
