Blacklock's Reporter

If hindsight is 20-20 it’s also two dimensional. The past is often depicted by amateur historians and skillful propagandists as a morality play with cardboard characters: good, bad, black hat, white hat. This is the screenplay of every John Wayne film you ever saw.

More Than Just Games asks, why did Canada support the 1936 Nazi Olympics? There were several reasons. Co-authors Richard Menkis of the University of British Columbia and Harold Troper of the University of Toronto are talented writers with a keen eye for detail.

Just Games is not merely honest, it is compelling. First, Menkis and Troper dispense with myths.

No, Hitler did not pointedly refuse to shake U.S. sprinter Jesse Owen’s hand after the black athlete won gold. Hitler had shaken so many hands earlier in the games the International Olympic Committee told the effusive Fuehrer he’d breached protocol: no more handshakes.

Cabinet aides yesterday confirmed they withheld spy documents requested by the China inquiry. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s national security advisor testified she did not know how many confidential memos were concealed: "It is impossible."

An executive with a federal agency disbanded over sweetheart subsidies yesterday described public criticism of the “green slush fund” as hurtful. Sheryl Urie, vice president of finance, said Sustainable Development Technology Canada benefited all Canadians beyond the 186 conflicts of interest by the board: 'It is difficult to hear.'

Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc yesterday would not commit to naming Parliament Hill spies before the next election. LeBlanc earlier said he knew the identities of public office holders working for foreign embassies: "I asked a simple question; answer the question."

Senator Yuen Pau Woo (B.C.) predicts a McCarthyist witch hunt with Parliament’s passage of a bill mandating public disclosure of Canadians lobbying for foreign governments. Fellow Liberal appointees in the Senate ridiculed Woo’s claim: "What advice would you give to Chinese Canadians who want to build good ties with their motherland?"

Canada must spend billions more to meet its minimum NATO commitments, says the Commons national defence committee. The recommendation follows remarks by Defence Minister Bill Blair that it “is a challenge for Canada” to achieve the same funding targets as the U.S., United Kingdom and other allies: "Meet the Alliance’s two percent defence spending target."

Federal managers are still attempting to recover about $1.6 million worth of wages mistakenly paid to employees while they were on strike in 2023, records show. Management blamed paperwork errors: "What was the total amount mistakenly paid out?"

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says she routinely shares password-protected news stories with friends. Freeland’s remarks followed a Federal Court ruling won by Department of Justice lawyers that permits password sharing, a Canadian first: “As you guys know I used to be a journalist.”

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault yesterday banned the sale of lightbulbs once touted by his department as climate-friendly energy savers. Compact fluorescent bulbs in fact contained toxic mercury blamed for poisoning the environment: "There are probably 100 million of these bulbs in Canada."

Liberal MPs will spend the summer talking to voters “about their hopes and dreams,” Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon said yesterday. MacKinnon made the remarks to reporters as the Commons adjourned for a 13-week summer recess: "At what point is it time to change?"

Cabinet yesterday adopted an all-party recommendation of the Commons justice committee to blacklist the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. It did not comment on a committee proposal to immediately “expel the estimated 700 Iranian agents operating in Canada.”

A University of Alberta economist who used his Twitter account to ridicule Conservatives as “idiots” and “sociopaths” received more than $68,000 in sole-sourced federal contracts, records show. Economist Andrew Leach yesterday said he made no secret of his work: "Are we governed by idiots beholden to sociopaths?"

China is “helping” fight climate change by manufacturing solar panels, says Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison. MPs expressed astonishment at his remarks, noting Chinese panels are made by slave labour and prohibited from being imported under Canadian trade law: "They are actually helping; Chinese production is helping countries around the world transition off dirty fuels."

More than 36,000 foreign students have claimed refugee protection in Canada, records show. The figures covering the period from 2018 identified five universities and colleges with the highest number of refugee claims: "That isn’t the sign of a healthy system."

The Senate has passed into law a first-ever federal ban on replacement workers in strikes and lockouts. Senator Frances Lankin (Ont.), a longtime union executive, called it the historic fulfillment of labour rights sought since Confederation: 'I hope you feel the weight of history.'