Took Days To Notice Blunder

The Canadian Embassy in Washington admits it displayed large friendship banners that mistakenly proclaimed sovereignty over Greenland. The banners were on display more than a week before the Department of Foreign Affairs noticed, a spokesperson said yesterday: "The banner was removed." READ MORE

Kill Tax Hike, Moe Tells MPs

Cabinet must cancel a planned 23 percent increase in the carbon tax, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe yesterday testified by videoconference at the Commons government operations committee. “We don’t need to accept this,” said Moe, who launched a February 29 carbon tax strike on natural gas for home heating: "We can make changes." READ MORE

Dissidents Pleading For Help

Chinese émigrés yesterday pleaded with the China inquiry to counter harassment campaigns targeting dissidents in Canada. Witnesses testified foreign agents typically tried to bully pro-democracy activists into silence: "The hidden agenda is trying to persuade these organizations to remain, quote, unquote, ‘neutral,’ and not to be, quote, unquote, ‘political.'" READ MORE

See More Dollars Than Sense

It would “be a good idea” for cabinet to calculate how much it costs to collect taxes before introducing any new tax, Budget Officer Yves Giroux said yesterday. His remarks followed data showing the paperwork on an equity tax targeting foreign property owners costs more than it raises in revenue: "I think there will need to be a correction in the budget." READ MORE

Refugee Claims Suspicious

The Department of Immigration documented a suspiciously high rate of refugee claims by Mexican travelers at airports in Montréal and Calgary, new records show. Figures predate cabinet’s February 29 decision to reintroduce mandatory visas for air passengers from Mexico: "They are significant and they have increased dramatically." READ MORE

MPs Hunt ArriveCan Emails

MPs yesterday ordered disclosure of all internal federal investigations into claims an ArriveCan executive tried to destroy 1,700 emails. Minh Doan, now chief federal technology officer, has not publicly answered allegations he attempted to hide documents on his dealings with contractors: "There seems to be a culture of hiding." READ MORE

Agency Disciplined 144 Staff

The Canada Border Services Agency disciplined more than 140 employees in a year for wrongdoing, Vice-President Jonathan Moor yesterday told ArriveCan hearings. The Agency is one of the largest police departments in Canada with 16,000 employees and a $2.7 billion annual budget: "We have a lot to do." READ MORE

Guest Commentary

Will Amos

Summer Camp

The lessons from a great summer camp experience are invaluable. You learn about what’s important in life: family, friendship, honour, standing up for what you believe in, and acceptance of people with different views. You can’t spend a month with a group of eight people and not find yourself in disagreement at times, and you have to work your way through it. You have to reach deep into yourself and ask, what are my values and who do I want to be? It teaches you about life, leadership, integrity and confidence. It inculcates authenticity.