Blacklock's Reporter

Poet Shai Ben-Shalom writes: “My neighbour bought two palm trees to decorate his pool. I couldn’t hide my admiration. ‘These can grow 20-feet high,’ I said, ‘and live for decades!’”

Governors general, let’s see: Ed Schreyer was “unskilled,” Roméo LeBlanc “colourless,” Michaëlle Jean’s appointment was “bizarre.” In a book livelier than its title, author D. Michael Jackson ridicules Canada’s version of a constitutional monarchy while making the case for retaining it. He was director of protocol for Saskatchewan for 25 years. His logic is succinct: Of course there have been low-water marks, but the Crown is who we are.

“One should not assume that replacing a monarch and vice-regal representatives by a president, elected or not, will reduce costs or cut back on pomp and circumstance,” he explains. The result is the sub-Arctic aristocracy of Rideau Hall.

An example: Michaëlle Jean, the Québec TV personality who adopted the habit of calling herself our “head of state.” Jean’s one indelible moment came when she nibbled seal flesh on a Northern tour. It was like a “personality cult,” writes Jackson.

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board yesterday said it is “keenly interested” in seeing more toll roads in Canada. The Board is a majority owner of the costliest toll road in the country, Toronto’s 407 Express Toll Route that costs drivers an average $15 per day: 'It stands out.'

The number of refugee claimants and illegal immigrants attempting to enter Canada has fallen sharply since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, federal data show. The Canada Border Services Agency had feared a surge of cross-border claimants fleeing American enforcement of immigration laws: "We’re implementing it every day."

Removal of federal barriers to interprovincial trade will have little impact on new housing construction, CMHC said yesterday. The admission followed Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland's recommendation that Canadians lower expectations of Bill C-5 An Act To Enact The Free Trade And Labour Mobility Act: "This legislation by itself won’t do the job.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday said he is “not yet at the ‘what’ stage” of selecting new, nation-building industrial projects for fast-tracked permits. Speaking to reporters at a meeting with First Nations, Carney predicted many proposals “will fall by the wayside.”

Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald yesterday acknowledged Canada must make “policy changes” to dairy quotas under terms of a costly trade settlement with New Zealand. The concession came exactly a month after Parliament passed a bill prohibiting any changes to dairy quotas: "Canada has committed to change."

Canadians are so accustomed to gas price fluctuations they’ll never notice a significant increase under new fuel regulations, says a federal briefing note. The agriculture department predicted the Clean Fuel Standard by 2030 will add about 13¢ to a litre of gasoline and 16¢ for diesel: 'Increases in fuel costs may not be noticeable by most consumers.'

Record immigration accounts for 11 to 21 percent of inflation in housing prices, says new Department of Immigration research. The report contradicted claims of racism by legislators who dismissed any connection between rising shelter costs and immigration levels: 'We're playing into that kind of racist attitude.'

Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday expanded tariffs on Chinese steel to “protect our market,” he said. Carney did not discuss ongoing Chinese retaliation against billions’ worth of Canadian farm and seafood exports: "We must focus on what we can control."

It would be unthinkable for Parliament to renege on trade protection for dairy farmers, Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet said yesterday. Blanchet blamed media for unfairly criticizing the quota system, calling it "a matter of policy."

The April 28 general election cost more than half a billion, says Elections Canada. Expenses included the hiring of 250,000 poll workers nationwide: 'That's $19.79 for each registered elector.'

A federal immigration museum faces recurring deficits amid rising costs and a “shift in Canadian attitudes towards immigration,” say managers. The Canadian Museum of Immigration noted public opinion had changed since nearly a million 20th century transatlantic immigrants landed at Pier 21 in Halifax: "Economic concerns as well as the housing crisis have contributed to an increase in the number of Canadians who think immigration levels are too high."

Postal workers are asking a federal judge to quash a directive by Labour Minister Patty Hajdu as a breach of their constitutional rights. Hajdu yesterday had no comment: "How dare she."

A federal labour board in a judgment it said will have wide-ranging impact has ruled government managers must honour any “guarantee of a reasonable job offer” for employees affected by cutbacks. The ruling comes ahead of a cabinet proposal to reduce spending on 445,000 federal employees: "I am mindful of the impact this case could have throughout the public service."