Taxpayer grants for children’s postsecondary education do not go to families that need it most, says a federal report. Families that claimed the maximum $500 a year subsidy were typically able to save without assistance, wrote auditors: "Almost all parents care about postsecondary education but many for various reasons have not saved for it."
Liberal MP Judy Sgro (Humber River-Black Creek, Ont.) yesterday distributed a Commons motion asking that cabinet “work together with Ukrainian fact-checkers” to monitor internet content. It follows a 2019 proposal by the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress to ban "false attacks" on politicians: "Work together with Ukrainian fact-checkers and disinformation specialists on ways of damage control."
The Parliamentary Budget Office is checking Alberta’s claim to most of the Canada Pension Plan. A report earlier released by Premier Danielle Smith claimed Alberta was entitled to 53 percent of funds worth a third of a trillion: "I am requesting a custom tabulation that includes historical contributions."
Cabinet in a Ministerial Mandate letter says sports including minor leagues in Canada should cut their greenhouse gas emissions. The directive also suggested athletes become spokespeople for climate change: "Involve our athletes in the conversation."
The Department of Health yesterday would not comment on its continued concealment of what taxpayers were charged for Pfizer vaccines. An Access To Information copy of the 2020 Pfizer contract obtained by The Canadian Independent redacted the “price and payment” schedule: "When will the department divulge the costs?"
Newly-declassified records show Prime Minister Brian Mulroney complained to his cabinet that unions ran the post office. Ministers in a 1987 strike feared making a “martyr” of Jean-Claude Parrot, then-president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers: "Everyone knew the post office had been run by the unions for a long time."
Minh Doan, chief federal technology officer, yesterday was threatened with contempt of Parliament over evasive testimony regarding the $54 million ArriveCan app. Doan in two hours of cross-examination at the Commons government operations committee “struggled to give direct answers to simple questions,” said one MP: "Nobody believes you."
Dozens of whistleblowers cited instances of unethical federal contracting in the past year, Procurement Ombudsman Alexander Jeglic said yesterday. The Ombudsman in his Annual Report to Parliament said complaints of sweetheart contracting were now common: "Questionable federal procurement activities have negatively impacted public trust."
A little-used federal debt mediation program benefiting a tiny fraction of farmers is costing taxpayers almost $11,000 per application, records show. Auditors questioned the value of the Farm Debt Mediation Service: "The cost of service delivery is increasing."
Canadians rate media as less trustworthy than politicians or police, new Statistics Canada data showed yesterday. Lack of confidence in journalists’ integrity coincided with a $595 million bailout critics warned would fuel public skepticism: “Trust in Canada’s media has never been lower.”
First-ever federal internet controls will not apply to podcasts or other content uploaded by individual “social media creators,” cabinet said yesterday. Exemptions were spelled out in a legal notice by Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge: 'The CRTC is directed not to impose regulatory requirements on podcasts.'
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland faces questioning by MPs over dealings with a Beijing bank dubbed a Communist Party front. Freeland had promised to suspend work with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank five months ago: "Where is our money?"
The Department of Health has completed more than 20 internal audits and reports on pandemic mismanagement but will not release them, records show. Data “revealed critical weaknesses and gaps,” said a department memo: "We continue to take stock of the lessons learned."
Cabinet will not disclose a confidential federal blacklist of Nazi fugitives. Departments declined to answer questions over release of the confidential list promised by cabinet seven weeks ago: "What could possibly be in it that still needs to be classified?"
Parliament should consider federalizing firefighting after a record year for property losses, the Commons defence committee was told. Army volunteers were insufficient, said Alberta’s deputy premier: "As much as we love our armed forces they have very basic training when it comes to firefighting."
