Cabinet yesterday proposed major reforms to federal deposit insurance for the first time since extending coverage to foreign currency accounts eight years ago. Insurance limits currently are among the lowest in the G7: "There have been significant changes."
A Charter challenge of vaccine mandates imposed by then-Chief of Defence Staff General Wayne Eyre has been dismissed by a federal judge. Incomplete figures show nearly 1,600 soldiers, sailors and air crew resigned, were discharged or faced discipline for defying Covid orders: "This may seem to be a harsh outcome."
Housing policy should reflect “the rich cultural mosaic of Canadian society” with Sharia loans, says a CMHC consultants' report. Financing according to Muslim law “sets a precedent for inclusivity,” said the censored Access To information study: "The introduction of an element of Sharia law into the Canadian legislative regime would be a serious precedent."
Foreigners in Canada on temporary permits are the equivalent of 18.5 percent of the private sector workforce, newly released figures show. Immigration Minister Lena Diab’s department in a briefing note counted 3,049,277 temporary residents including more than 129,000 now in Canada illegally due to expired permits: "Will she admit they broke the system and it’s out of control?"
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly yesterday announced $1.9 million in federal aid to a production company currently in bankruptcy proceedings. “Congratulations,” Joly said in announcing the subsidy for her hometown Just For Laughs Festival that owes creditors millions.
Canadians fear job losses with a recession likely by 2026, says in-house Bank of Canada research. The new data released yesterday followed Governor Tiff Macklem’s forecast that another interest rate cut was likely: "Consumers, especially young people, continued to report a higher-than-average chance of losing their job."
Any resumption of a postal strike would have a “significant and immediate impact” on millions of Canadians, says a Department of Public Works briefing note. The department released the document yesterday as the Canadian Union of Postal Workers voted on a final offer from management: "Like so many other businesses, Canada Post needs to adapt."
New rental construction remains slow despite a multi-billion dollar tax holiday for builders enacted two years ago, new CMHC data show. Then-Housing Minister Sean Fraser had predicted the tax break would “have a major impact.”
Federal consultants have been hired at an undisclosed cost to centralize all public requests for federal documents into one digital ID system, says the Department of Social Development. The proposal is so complex it required “expertise we don’t have in-house,” said a department briefing note: "We are moving to next steps."
Payouts of $400 million or more are now commonplace under a federal disaster relief program, according to Department of Public Safety figures. The department has proposed to “rethink” its aid program due to rising costs: "It was created in 1970. Our life has changed since 1970."
Canadians “expect a solution” to troubles at Canada Post, says Labour Minister Patty Hajdu’s office. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers today holds a forced vote on management’s final contract offer under what one Union executive called “a deliberate and calculated strategy to divide us.”
Few Canadians are aware of earthquake risks though millions live in two major fault zones, says Department of Public Safety research. In one region at risk, only 22 percent of residents surveyed said they knew damaging quakes had occurred in the past: "The government will help us if anything happens."
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.'
