Recent reductions in Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions were a Covid anomaly, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said yesterday. Guilbeault added he didn't know what portion of reductions was due to his climate change program or the recession: "What was a result of the economic slowdown?"
Parliament should regulate telecom companies’ collection and sale of cellphone customers' mobility data, say MPs. Recommendations of the Commons ethics committee followed disclosures the Public Health Agency bought data on millions of telecom clients in the name of monitoring pandemic lockdowns: "I had not seen anything on this scale."
The Opposition yesterday called for Commons finance committee hearings into management of the Canada Revenue Agency. Ted Gallivan, a former assistant commissioner, is named by whistleblowers in allegations he approved a “secretive tax deal” for a wealthy corporate lobbyist: "Ted wants this done."
Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly last night said she had no idea why Canada was the first NATO country to abruptly close its embassy in Kabul. The closure stranded thousands of Canadians and Afghan allies desperate to flee the Taliban: "“I was not privy to that information."
It makes no sense to lift federal mask mandates for air travelers, Dr. Theresa Tam said yesterday. The Department of Transport called the mandate the "least cumbersome" pandemic precautions: "At the height of a sixth wave? No I don’t think we should be lifting mask recommendations."
Marijuana users are now a “major contributor” to fatal road accidents, says a Department of Public Safety report. Data show police charges for drug-impaired driving jumped 43 percent with legalization of cannabis: "Drug-impaired driving is a major contributor to fatal road crashes."
Bitcoin owners in Canada are typically young, affluent speculators who score poorly in financial literacy, says Bank of Canada research. The central bank that monopolizes the printing of banknotes in Canada has to date rejected any direct involvement in cryptocurrency: "The size of this market is not big enough to pose significant risks to the financial system. However this may change quickly."
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board says it is determined to “slow the pace of global warming” but did not explain its million-dollar investment in an Indonesian coal mine. Cabinet has promised to withdraw all federal investments in coal, oil and natural gas: "We do believe climate change is happening."
The Commons health committee by unanimous vote has endorsed Taiwan’s bid for membership in the World Health Organization. MPs passed the motion without notice or debate and quietly tabled it in the Commons: "I’m seeking the unanimous consent."
An Alberta MP’s “I love Canada” button prompted formal protest in the Commons. Conservative MP Martin Shields (Bow River) expressed dismay that the slogan would cause offence: "If people in the House disregard their love for Canada I have a problem with that."
Cabinet will "eradicate" slave-made imports already banned under the Customs Act, says Public Works Minister Filomena Tassi. The pledge follows the Senate’s approval last Thursday of a private bill mandating public reporting on ethical contracting by large Canadian corporations: "What are you doing in ensuring Canada is procuring ethically sourced goods?"
The Laurentian Bank has been fined almost a half million for breach of a 9/11-era disclosure law. Bank management in Montréal was cited for failing to report suspicious cash transactions: "We will be firm. We will take appropriate actions when they are needed."
Wladyslaw Niewinski, a Polish combat veteran of WWII, recalled taking the train all the way from Halifax to Lethbridge and standing outside the depot, a man without a country. “Farmers started arriving to pick up soldiers,” said Niewinski. “They were picking us up like piglets.”
Niewinski was assigned to a farm near Cremona, Alta. where he slept in the barn. Later he moved to Calgary, and served 15 years as treasurer of the Polish Credit Union.
Calgary was home to so many Polish war veterans they formed a club, Polish Combatants’ Association Branch No. 18. Author Aldona Jaworska interviewed the last survivors for Polish War Veterans In Alberta, a haunting account of a little-known corner of Canadiana, the 1947 Polish Resettlement Act.
Claims that cabinet needed emergency powers to save lives during a 2021 strike at the Port of Montréal were fabricated, Access To Information records show. Then-Labour Minister Filomena Tassi claimed the strike was a matter of “life and death.” Documents show the main issue was spoiled fruit: "Fearmongering is not a valid or compelling argument."
Cabinet has evidence justifying emergency powers against the Freedom Convoy, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said yesterday. His remarks came as another allegation of unruly misconduct by truckers, the desecration of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, was disproven: "Canadians are increasingly wondering whether the Liberal government even had the evidence at all."
