Canadian travelers had a duty to swear off “hedonistic pleasure” during Covid lockdowns, says Ontario Divisional Court. A justice of the peace upheld $4,500 in fines for a woman he called “cavalier and selfish” for taking a Mexican holiday: "Some did not heed the government."
Pandemic lockdowns and school closures took a toll on Canadian children, witnesses testified at the Commons health committee. Loss of outdoor play, organized sports and classroom activities left a “psychosocial hidden burden,” MPs were told: "Their development – physical, emotional, social, spiritual – has been impacted severely."
Near Ottawa City Hall at the corner of Cooper and Cartier Streets lived an unforgettable prime minister, Charles Tupper. His grand home like so much of the city’s architectural heritage is gone. Yet Tupper is oddly immortal. He once punched a man who interrupted his Bible reading. His autograph lists on eBay for $4,950.
Lost to history is the state funeral of Generalissimo Trujillo, strongman of the Dominican Republic, shot by assassins in 1961. Canadian diplomat John Graham attended the mass. “The only people in the entire church without guns were the clergy and the diplomatic corps,” he recalls.
Fearful that rebels would seize the corpse for public display, Trujillo’s henchmen hoisted it from the church by helicopter winch. “The Generalissimo’s coffin swinging in the air was a moment of unbearable, transcendent mystery for the dazed and credulous mourners below,” writes Graham. Only later did diplomats learn Trujillo wasn’t in the coffin. They’d stuffed it with an unknown corpse while preserving El Presidente in a freezer for quiet burial.
Parliament Hill police mistakenly feared Freedom Convoy truckers were armed and would try to break into federal buildings. Legislators last night questioned why MPs and senators were permitted to walk freely among protesters if the convoy was considered violent: "I don’t recall every seeing anything come out that would make me fearful."
An expected October interest rate hike could send average home prices down as much as a fifth this year, the Parliamentary Budget Office said yesterday. “Average income households across the country are stretching their finances,” wrote analysts: "Households that recently purchased a home have become more financially vulnerable."
Canadians should not blame “this government’s mismanagement” for the rising cost of living, cabinet’s representative in the Senate said yesterday. “The struggles Canadians are experiencing are real,” said Senator Marc Gold (Que.). “They are not the function of this government’s mismanagement.”
The Department of Immigration yesterday said it will investigate whether foreigners were treated unfairly by racist managers. It follows a 2021 report that found executives made crude remarks about lazy Mexicans and immigrants from “dirty” African countries: "Within our department these problems do exist."
A cabinet bill to permit negotiated sentences for drunk drivers sends a terrible message, say Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The bill would abolish mandatory minimum sentences for dozens of crimes: "We do feel it’s important in terms of denunciation that a message be sent to the public."
A grocers’ lobbyist yesterday denied allegations of profiteering. Profit margins in the retail food trade average three percent, the Commons finance committee was told: "That is a lower rate than just about any other industry, certainly lower than food manufacturers and big agriculture."
Homeowners who paid down mortgages and built up equity should “demonstrate allegiance” by paying more tax, says a CMHC consultant. The remark in a confidential email by Professor Paul Kershaw of the University of British Columbia was obtained by homeowners’ advocates through the Freedom Of Information Act: "You must be joking, buddy."
The Commons yesterday by vote of 245 to 77 rejected a New Democrat bill to permit Grade 10 students to cast ballots in federal elections. Twenty Liberal MPs supported the measure: 'Should candidates running for office campaign at high schools? Is that something we want?'
MPs yesterday gave Second Reading to a private Liberal bill to restrict junk food advertising to children. The Canadian Association of Advertisers estimated a ban would cost $956 million a year with “significant job losses.”
The Commons yesterday unanimously passed into law a Criminal Code amendment to aid jurors traumatized by graphic testimony in criminal courts. Advocates spent five years lobbying to pass the bill: "Jurors should not be cast aside and ignored."
Rising interest rates will see a doubling of federal debt charges within four years, Budget Officer Yves Giroux last night warned the Senate banking committee. New figures indicate interest on the federal debt will eclipse the military budget next year and keep on rising: "That is something that will have a major impact on public finances."
