Most Canadians questioned in federal focus groups predict the country will fall into recession. The Privy Council had researchers poll the public on fears of rising unemployment and whether Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government was “headed in the right direction.” READ MORE
Liberal MP Randeep Sarai (Surrey Centre, B.C.) has been cited for breach of the Conflict Of Interest Act. He is the 10th current and former member of the government caucus to be found in violation: 'The current regime is naming and shaming.' READ MORE
Cabinet’s proposed regional high speed rail venture faces its first organized opposition since Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon announced a construction date. Thousands of opponents signed a Commons petition asking that Parliament “cease further advancement of the Alto high speed rail project.” READ MORE
Diversity and equity criteria for federal appointees became so onerous the Privy Council required customized software for “applicant tracking,” according to Access To Information documents. Federal executives withheld the fact for 11 months: "Information collected in a tracking system database is used for screening applicants." READ MORE
The Department of Employment yesterday said it is hiring a consultant to teach employees how to write. Federal employees typically email each other up to 100 times a day, by official estimate: "They send and receive too many emails." READ MORE
Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault declined to register an Alberta sovereignty party after staff carefully scrutinized membership rolls for technical disqualification, Access To Information records show. Elections Canada admitted registering other parties that failed to meet the letter of the Elections Act: "I definitely feel they were giving us a hard time." READ MORE
Defence Minister David McGuinty fell billions short of promised spending on military preparedness equivalent to 2 percent of GDP in 2025, new figures confirm. Cabinet has promised to try again this year: 'We are making reliable contributions to our allies.' READ MORE
As kids, we told the legend of Nian, a ferocious beast that came to steal children. We lit firecrackers and hung Chinese red paper couplet decorations to ward off the Nian. That’s how we would bring in the new year with a fresh start. It makes me nostalgic. My parents were born in the mainland province of Guangdong and moved to Hong Kong. I was born in Kowloon in 1965, the youngest of six children. For Chinese, new year is as big as Christmas.
