Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree yesterday declined comment when asked if China was a country of laws. “I’m not here as a foreign policy expert,” he told MPs when questioned over the scope of an RCMP cooperation agreement with Chinese police: "There is a need for Canada to expand its trading partners." READ MORE
MPs yesterday were driven to anger after Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight refused to describe the impact of spending cuts on programs. “I am absolutely furious right now,” said one member of the Commons veterans affairs committee as McKnight appeared confused and distracted: "My 14-year old would have understood my question by now." READ MORE
Meeting Prime Minister Mark Carney’s NATO commitments would require a $124 billion increase in annual defence spending, the Budget Office said yesterday. “It is our core responsibility,” Carney said last June 25 in promising to spend 5 percent of GDP on national defence by 2035: "I wished we didn’t have to but we do have to." READ MORE
Cabinet yesterday killed its Trudeau-era electric car mandate eight months after voting to uphold sales quotas on consumers. “Thank you for finally listening,” said one Conservative MP. READ MORE
Housing Minister Gregor Robertson yesterday introduced a bill he called the “next step in addressing Canada’s housing crisis” with creation of a new Crown corporation. Robertson declined to specify how many housing starts would result: "This is just a start." READ MORE
Statistics Canada yesterday suggested updating decade-old estimates on the number of Canadian citizens abroad who are eligible to vote and claim federal benefits. It follows Parliament’s passage of a bill that created 115,000 new citizens: "Definitely we could benefit from updates." READ MORE
Green electricity regulations are “unworkable,” “not achievable,” “unacceptable” and threaten reliable supply, says a report to senators by Canadian utilities. The Department of Environment has acknowledged ratepayers face increasing costs under its Clean Electricity Regulations: "The regulations will create unacceptable reliability and affordability challenges across Canada." READ MORE
As a Sunni Muslim we learned we were on the correct path and everyone else was going to hell. Minorities were suspicious people who harboured questionable loyalties. I immigrated to Canada at 19. I went from being a member of a privileged majority to a visible minority. Sometimes it was a sideways glance or remark: “He’s a Muslim,” “He’s an Arab”. I’ve lived on both sides of prejudice. The insight it’s given me is invaluable. There is no substitute for empathy and courtesy.
