Foreign Minister Anita Anand’s department billed taxpayers millions to give away free motorbikes in Ghana but failed to provide funding for parts or fuel. There were “several areas of relative weakness” in the $135 million program, said a consultants’ report released yesterday through Access To Information: 'Funding was unavailable to fuel our motorbikes.' READ MORE
Canadians are eating less meat and skipping meals altogether due to rising food prices, says in-house research by the Department of Agriculture. Data follow figures showing the typical household is no longer able to meet the Canada Food Guide: "During the last six months, have you skipped meals?" READ MORE
Immigration Minister Lena Diab’s department in an internal report questioned the point of a program that allowed thousands of jobless foreign actors, comedians and artists to enter Canada in the name of cultural enrichment. “The program’s purpose is ambiguous,” said the report: "Its intent remains unclear." READ MORE
Parliament must maintain secret subsidies for the Toronto Star to “promote ethical governance,” its publisher has written MPs. Payroll rebates worth $29,750 per newsroom employee are set to roll back to pre-Covid rates of $13,750 this winter: "Priority should be given to maintaining the journalism labour tax credit at current rates." READ MORE
Parliament would fund a permanent, keyword searchable database of every historic building nationwide under a Commons petition tabled yesterday by Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi (Ottawa Centre). Parks Canada has threatened to delete its online record of 13,554 properties dating from 2004: 'Historic places deserve to be preserved.' READ MORE
The Department of National Defence polled Canadians on whether they were afraid of U.S. President Donald Trump. The in-house research followed repeated statements by cabinet that Trump sought to “break us so America can own us.” READ MORE
Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson will not say how much taxpayers stand to lose under toll concessions at the Gordie Howe International Bridge. A symbolic opening of the Bridge Friday in Windsor, Ont. was disrupted by a fresh demand for more tolls by U.S. President Donald Trump: "Can you outline how much money Canada expects to give the United States?" READ MORE
My mother and my grandmother made most of our clothes when we were growing up. It was a normal day to get up and go out and get your water and cut your wood and go hunting or fishing. People might consider it to be a hard life, but for us it was not a hard life, it was a normal life. And the contentment to be able to go out and get what you need from the land, there’s a certain tranquility about that. As soon as I started going to school, I realized there were a lot of changes happening in our community.
