Blacklock's Reporter

Poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday: “Don’t miss!
All-new episodes! Canada is kicking off another season of The Premiers.

The Lake Erie water snake can dive ten feet and swallow its prey head first. The snake is also endangered. Its favoured habitat is private lakefront property where landowners don’t enjoy snakes. “I see no reason why it should be protected,” one Pelee Island landowner told an interviewer. “If it were to go away, I don’t think anyone would miss it.”
This is the most vexing part of endangered species. Rare birds, fish and wildlife belong to all humanity, but the lakefronts and marshlands belong to ratepayers. As the Canadian Cattleman’s Association once told a Commons committee, “Number one: if a species at risk is viewed as a liability to a land manager, it will always be at risk.”

The Department of Public Works yesterday approved a $2.5 million contract to distribute federally-sponsored “news” to publishers and radio stations. Handout stories include one saying its “nice” to fly with cannabis in your luggage, and articles citing a Health Canada endorsement of vaping: "There are short-term general health improvements…"

Senate managers yesterday complained they work too hard after calculating three executives clocked the equivalent of a 52-hour week. “Too much is definitely not good,” said Senator Lucie Moncion (Independent-Ont.), chair of a Senate subcommittee on budgets: "It is not good for their health."

Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer yesterday said he will not contest another national campaign, calling it the "best thing" for the Party. Scheer is only the third federal Conservative chief in 79 years to resign after winning a leadership convention and losing a general election: "Politics is tough."

The Senate yesterday opened debate on a motion to impose sanctions on any Chinese authority responsible for human rights abuses overseas. “The time for appeasement is over,” said Senator Leo Housakos (Conservative-Que.), sponsor of the motion: "Ask yourself, are you a defender of those values?"

Canada’s oldest retired parliamentarian yesterday appealed for a halt to deficit spending. Paul Hellyer, 96, is the last surviving member of the 1949 Parliament: "Bill Morneau doesn’t understand how the system works."

Staff in the Privy Council Office applied for a $508 federal grant for an after-hours workshop featuring liquor and PowerPoint presentations with titles like, Can You Spot The Mistake? The seminar was to provoke “meaningful questions and answers about failure and resilience”.

MPs yesterday clamoured for the text of a free trade pact amid growing opposition over aluminum imports. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters he wanted the latest NAFTA ratified quickly, though Parliament is scheduled to adjourn tomorrow for its Christmas break: "We’re being asked how we are going to vote and we haven’t seen the text."

Provinces have collected two-thirds of a billion dollars in marijuana taxes and profits since Parliament legalized recreational cannabis last year, by official estimate. Statistics Canada said a typical Canadian now lives within a short drive of a licensed narcotics dealer: '45% are within ten kilometres of a cannabis store.'

Senate Liberal appointees yesterday introduced a motion to strip Conservative lawmakers of status as Official Opposition in the chamber. Cabinet earlier served notice it will also attempt to ban Senate filibusters by Conservatives: "I want to be very clear on what the problem is."

Pseudo-science is fueling skepticism by "vaccine-hesitant" parents over the safety and effectiveness of childhood inoculation, says Health Canada research. The department expressed alarm: 'They are susceptible to opposing views.'

Liberals last night suffered their first defeat in the minority Parliament as MPs voted 171 to 148 for a Conservative motion to investigate human rights abuses in China. The motion was cast as an expression of no confidence in the Prime Minister, who will be summoned for questioning at televised hearings: "We have had serious concerns with the Prime Minister’s ability."

The Senate yesterday agreed to consider a motion for a rare, symbolic shunning of former legislator Don Meredith. The ex-senator would be stripped of the “honourable” title for life: 'It's to preserve the authority, dignity and reputation of the Senate.'

Statistics Canada bent the rules in attempting to scoop banking data on some 1.5 million people, Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien said yesterday. The project was suspended in 2018 following a public outcry: "The project would have exceeded Statistics Canada’s legal authority."