Fewer than a third of Canadians have “high trust” in the federal government, says in-house research by the Public Health Agency. Only “large media organizations” and celebrities scored lower on a trust scale: 'Be honest and admit your mistakes.'
Parliament must be recalled to avert a looming mortgage crisis, Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre said yesterday. “The vacation is over,” said Poilievre, who described conditions as a “housing hell.”
Rents for tenants who signed new leases typically run to $1,360 a month on a national average, Statistics Canada said yesterday. A third of Canadians are renters, wrote analysts: "Good luck finding a $1,700 apartment in any urban centre in the country right now."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday said cabinet must sell the Trans Mountain Pipeline but stopped short of repeating earlier promises to turn a profit for taxpayers. The Budget Office has ruled out any profit from the pipeline’s sale: "Do you need to prepare taxpayers for having to take a write-down on this?"
At least 45 percent of Canadians and likely many more contracted Covid, says a Public Health Agency report. The true infection rate was much higher than a federal forecast used to justify lockdowns and other restrictions: "I think they recognize how stupid that is."
Cabinet’s promise of “$15 billion of savings” does not mean federal spending will be cut by $15 billion, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said yesterday. “Savings” meant spending would be redirected from some programs to others, Freeland told reporters: "It is not new savings."
Canadians oppose cabinet’s “safe supply” drug policy, says in-house Privy Council research. The experimental decriminalization of opioids, cocaine and other narcotics for personal use in British Columbia only led to more drug addiction, said federal focus groups: "Many were of the view that rising rates of addiction had contributed to increased crime."
The CBC does not track corrections to its news stories despite a stated commitment to transparency. CBC News in a statement said only corrections considered “notable” are acknowledged under a 2021 policy: "We need the public to feel safe, that we are a beacon for that truth."
Small businesses took an average of more than a quarter million in debt financing last year, says a Department of Industry report. Borrowing occurred as insolvencies rose with the reopening of bankruptcy courts: "How many businesses appear and disappear each year?"
The fine print in Air Passenger Protection Regulations saved WestJet $500 at a British Columbia tribunal. Compensation for poor service by its subsidiary Swoop Inc. was payable at a lesser “small carrier” rate, an arbitrator ruled: "I do not agree an airline having a subsidiary is a ‘malicious loophole.'"
Nearly half of mortgage holders are going deeper in debt to keep up home loan payments after ten interest rate hikes, says a federal agency. “Two thirds of mortgage holders report having trouble meeting their financial commitments,” said the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: "Homeowners with mortgages are stressed."
Liberal MP George Chahal (Calgary Skyview) yesterday did not comment after the Commissioner of Elections confirmed voting irregularities in his riding in the 2021 campaign. Scofflaws casting illegal ballots included a Liberal aide from the Prime Minister’s Office: 'The failure of those involved can contribute to a loss of public confidence in the political class.'
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday said Facebook was “bad for democracy” for refusing to provide free links to Canadian news publishers. Trudeau did not explain why his own Party and members of caucus continue to advertise with Facebook or hold shares in its parent company: "This is not the time."
Recovering nearly $2 billion from job quitters who cheated the Canada Emergency Response Benefit program would create an “undue burden” for investigators, says a federal memo. More than 190,000 claimants quit work to take a “CERB vacation.”
Employment Insurance premiums are at a “historical low” and must rise again to cover pandemic cost overruns, says the Department of Employment. New premium rates are due to be detailed by month’s end: "Rates are expected to continue to increase in 2024."
