Taxpayer-owned Trans Mountain Corporation will require “further financing” though a planned expansion of its British Columbia oil pipeline is less than half complete, according to documents. Cabinet to date has not detailed total costs of the pipeline bought by cabinet three years ago for $4.5 billion: "Is the sky the limit?"
The Department of Foreign Affairs closed its embassy in Kabul though it knew Canadian citizens remained trapped inside Afghanistan. Cabinet had claimed all Canadians were "safely on their way back to Canada." The department would not account for poor planning after a 2019 federal report correctly predicted Afghanistan "could collapse quickly" once U.S. forces withdrew: "The only reason rockets are not raining down on Kabul today is because of the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan."
Staff in the Prime Minister’s Office complained it was “totally unacceptable” for the Public Health Agency to offer medical advice without first checking with political aides, according to 2020 internal emails. Staff debated whether to order removal of a web page recommending essential workers wear Covid masks when federal agencies knew masks were in short supply: "They're not ready."
The Department of Natural Resources in a briefing note says it’s relying on private landowners to help fulfill a Liberal Party promise from the last election campaign to plant two billion trees. The department earlier acknowledged it had no detailed plan to ensure “the right tree is planted in the right place.”
We Charity has served libel notice on a Toronto publisher who first disclosed payments of six-figure talent fees to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s family. A lawyer for the Kielburger brothers accused Canadaland of a “pastiche of falsehoods” in a podcast: "We are extremely concerned."
Voters in select ridings in high-growth provinces are heavily underrepresented in Parliament, according to Elections Canada data released Saturday. Constituency boundaries are up for revision beginning in 2022 based on new Census figures: 'The goal is each electoral district contains roughly the same number of people.'
Poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, writes for Blacklock’s each and every Sunday: “My mailbox, 1 terabyte. Indicator says I use 0.05% of the storage space, leaving room for 54 million more emails…”
Every hometown has its triumphs and tragedies, but few produce writers as evocative as Professor Jonathan Vance of Western University, one of the most skillful Canadian historians of his generation. Vance chronicles his town’s collision with the First World War, a fascination born in Vance’s youth when he walked door to door as a hydro meter reader in the Township of East Flamborough and spoke to ordinary neighbours with extraordinary experiences.
“The statistics say that about 8 percent of its population served in uniform and about 1 percent died – or , if you prefer raw numbers, 210 out of 2,400 served and 28 died,” writes Vance. “But how much do those numbers actually reveal?”
The Department of Health will pay burial costs for Canadians killed by federally-approved vaccines. “Serious and permanent vaccine injuries are rare but as with any medical product they do occur,” staff wrote in a briefing note: "The program will provide death benefits and support for funeral expenses."
Cabinet aides in internal emails said federal agencies should keep quiet about donations of pandemic supplies from China. The messages were prompted by Liberal MP Han Dong (Don Valley North, Ont.) who questioned why Canada was not celebrating charity by Chinese corporations: "We aren't touting any."
Hockey Canada is asking a federal judge to seal records detailing what it does with millions in subsidies. The governing body in a rare Federal Court application claimed it faced “material financial loss” if information was disclosed: 'Ask how they spent the $9 million.'
The Department of Transport turns an average eight percent profit on mandatory security fees for air travelers, records show. Net profits over a five year period totaled a third of a billion: "It has become a cash cow, not a fee for service."
Judges have ordered a fresh trial in Canada’s longest-running bribery case. Executives with an Ontario software firm are accused of plotting large cash payoffs to win an Air India contract. The investigation dates from 2007: "A fair trial is a trial which satisfies the public interest in getting at the truth."
Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault yesterday said his agency will strictly enforce any local mask requirements on Election Day, September 20. Maskless voters will be ejected from polling stations if they defy local health orders, he said: "I think electors have a responsibility."
Facebook Canada yesterday named the CBC as an election campaign fact checker. The Crown broadcaster’s French-language service Radio Canada will monitor other media’s news stories to ensure accuracy, though the network has acknowledged multiple errors in its own news coverage: "We are committed to doing our part."
