Deputy Finance Minister Chris Forbes yesterday refused to say who at his department agreed to hire a Brazilian contractor to mismanage a pandemic relief program. Auditors found widespread irregularities including padded timesheets and rates charged at up to $750 per hour: "They really did fail."
Foreign interference by China is “mostly aimed at improving bilateral relations,” says a Liberal Senate appointee. Senator Yuen Pau Woo (B.C.) in a sworn affidavit said he personally overheard a Chinese diplomat advise a Canadian audience on how to vote, but considered it harmless: "While such actions may offend Canadian sensibilities because of antipathy towards China they do not amount to foreign interference."
Liberal MP Chandra Arya (Nepean) in an extraordinary protest said a member of his own caucus “threatened that I would be f—d up” over a vote he cast in the House. Arya named the MP: "I should be able to express my opinion."
A retired federal IT consultant has lost a bid for thousands in damages after spotting a “caution wet floor” sign in a government building. English-only warnings cause him “loss of enjoyment of life,” Michel Thibodeau of Ottawa wrote the Federal Court: "My identity as a francophone was threatened and I felt like a second-class citizen."
Canada should adopt a code of practice on media disinformation, says a Commons ethics committee report. Liberal MP Iqra Khalid (Mississauga-Erin Mills, Ont.), a committee member, called it among “the biggest issues of our time.”
Vancouver’s port and international airport should be on a critical list of federally regulated public works most susceptible to climate change, says a Senate committee report. Senators noted 2021 rainstorms forced a halt to cargo traffic at the Port of Vancouver, largest in the nation: "It is projected the sea level will rise more than one metre."
Poet W.N. Branson writes: “Mount Robson broods as the fog gains the hand and the shadows lay gently upon the passengers…”
One path to happiness is figuring out how the world works. Some Canadians are irritated that Catholics have their own school boards and Jonquiere road signs are in French. There is deep-rooted justification for this, upheld by the Supreme Court many, many times. Mention the fact and you’ll draw a last cry of exasperation – “Well I still don’t like it!” – and the first glimmer of awareness that for everything there is a reason.
So authors Greg Poelzer and Ken Coates of the University of Saskatchewan observe that First Nations have rights rooted in law, and the sooner Canadians recognize the fact the better off we will be. From Treaty Peoples To Treaty Nation is a careful, concise account of the “Indian problem” written primarily for non-Indigenous readers. Anybody is better for reading it.
Attorney General Arif Virani’s department last night said it will not prosecute reporters who disclose federal secrets. The Department of Justice dismissed an internal memo that detailed circumstances in which reporters could face charges for publishing government documents without permission: 'All hypothetical.'
Cabinet’s GST holiday will save the typical Canadian $4.51, the Senate national finance committee was told yesterday. Senators endorsed the measure while commenting it appeared pointless: "I think we all understand it is a political measure."
Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault (Edmonton Centre) yesterday said it is “deeply harmful” when white people claim Indigenous ancestry. Boissonnault told the Commons Indigenous committee he is not Indigenous though he once called himself Strong Eagle Man: "How can anyone believe anything you say?"
Subsidies on VIA Rail’s transcontinental service now average more than $1,000 per passenger, a record, documents show. Management in a report to Parliament said The Canadian tourist train that runs between Vancouver and Toronto is so frequently late “the delays are at times unacceptable.”
A national agency acted unlawfully in straying from its mandate, a federal court has ruled. The decision came on a petition by a drug company that complained regulators breached the Patent Act in the name of consumer protection: 'Ensure a firm and unwavering obedience to legality and the rule of law.'
MPs yesterday demanded names of who in the finance department approved the hiring of a Brazilian contractor to mismanage a pandemic relief program that cost taxpayers billions. “Covid is not an excuse for ignoring the rules,” Conservative MP Kelly McCauley (Edmonton West) told the Commons public accounts committee: "They are hiding something."
The Department of Veterans Affairs yesterday said it had nothing to do with a botched war memorial unveiled by MPs in 2022. The monument to “heroic Canadian Armed Forces who paid the ultimate sacrifice” includes names of non-combatants and ex-military who died of old age or are still alive: "How is it possible?"
