Count 160-Year Gas Supply

Canada has a 160-year supply of natural gas that will be worth a fortune in a tightening global market, says the Department of Natural Resources. The forecast came as senators were urged to endorse a clause in cabinet’s omnibus budget bill that would permit 50-year liquefied gas export permits: "The 1,100,000,000,000,000 cubic feet is just representative of what is in the West."

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Tax Bill Of Rights Is No Help

Taxpayers out of pocket for bad advice from the Canada Revenue Agency should file a complaint under the Taxpayer Bill Of Rights, say managers. Federal judges previously ruled the document is not a bill and does not convey any rights: "It would probably be better if the document were given a different name."

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Reno Took 10 Years & $132M

Parks Canada spent more than $131 million renovating Charlottetown’s Province House, records show. The home of the Prince Edward Island legislature has been closed for 10 years: "It’s like everything else in life. They left the big repairs until they needed doing."

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The Sunday Poem —

Poet Jeff Blackman writes: “We would love to take credit for the fact we all share but then we wouldn’t, now would we?  We would love to take credit for the indelible likeness of Marilyn Monroe and be to blame for all bad things…”

Review: Eaton’s & The Alligator

In the days before television, newsreel producers each year assigned cameras to film three visually rich, set-piece spectacles that represented Canada to theatre audiences nationwide: the opening of Parliament, the Calgary Stampede and the Eaton’s Santa Claus parade. One of these is gone.

A Mile Of Make Believe recounts with warmth and nostalgia the Christmas extravaganza sponsored by a family-owned corporation once the largest retailer in the country. This is not a dry municipal history. Eaton’s in its heyday sponsored Santa parades from Edmonton to Montréal. Author Steve Penfold, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, has crafted a smart and funny account of a lost piece of Canadiana.

“Merry Christmas” Defector

Rookie Conservative MP Michael Ma (Markham-Unionville, Ont.) last night abruptly defected to the government caucus, bidding his newfound Liberal colleagues a "merry Christmas." The floor-crossing was announced as the Commons adjourned for a six-week recess: "Happy holidays and a great 2026."

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Confirms A Second Post Loan

Canada Post is seeking a second emergency loan from cabinet and will require years to pay back more than a billion already borrowed, CEO Doug Ettinger yesterday told MPs. An initial $1,034,000,000 line of credit approved last January 24 has run out, the Commons government operations committee was told: "We’ve exhausted that."

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Gov’t Admits $6.6M Mistake

The Department of Health paid out more than $6.6 million in ineligible claims under its Canada Dental Care Plan, records show. It follows disclosure the overall cost of the program is projected to go 50 percent over budget this year: "An error was identified."

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Missing Art Included Jewelry

Artworks that vanished from a multi-million dollar federal collection included jewelry, records show. The Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations said jewelry disappeared from an unnamed regional office 30 years ago but was only made public now: "Have you contacted police?"

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Got Raise Under Investigation

Cabinet approved a five-figure pay raise for an appointee under investigation for workplace misconduct, records show. Marie Chapman of Bedford, N.S., CEO of the Museum of Immigration, yesterday was accused of office bullying like referring to employees as “sluts.”

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Plans Outreach On Quran Bill

Attorney General Sean Fraser says he will spend the winter consulting faith leaders on a proposal to prohibit hate speech under the pretext of religious instruction. It follows a 2023 incident in which a Montréal activist called for death to Jews while reading a Quran prayer: "There’s a number of faith leaders who’ve reached out."

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Most Ignored Travel Directive

Most federal agencies spent more, not less, on travel last year while cabinet claimed to save taxpayers’ money, new records show. Then-Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland promised a 15 percent reduction in travel spending as proof the government was “fiscally responsible.”

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Foreign Study Was Bonanza

Colleges in a single province made a fortune in fees on foreign students, Statistics Canada confirmed yesterday. Record enrollment by foreigners made Ontario the only jurisdiction in Canada where colleges raised more in tuition than they required in public funding: "Nothing lasts forever."

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Questioning ‘Anti-Hate’ Bias

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree’s department in an internal memo questioned bias of a subsidized advocacy group, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network. It awarded the Network a $200,000 research grant even as staffers expressed unease over funding: "Was this taken into consideration?"

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Network Faked Carney Image

CBC’s Ombudsman yesterday questioned why the network manufactured a photo of Prime Minister Mark Carney partying with Jeffrey Epstein to illustrate a story on fake news. “Publishing such an image was risky business,” wrote Ombudsman Maxime Bertrand: "What’s wrong with the CBC? Have they lost their senses? Or worse still, was Carney associated with Epstein?"

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