Blacklock's Reporter

It was Canada’s longest military deployment. On Sunday March 15, 1964 peacekeepers landed in Cyprus and stayed 29 years. The mission cost some $700 million and saw deployment of the nation’s last aircraft carrier, HMCS Bonaventure. There is no library of literature on the Cyprus mission. The island itself was a beach resort for English tourists. No Victoria Crosses were awarded, no wounded veterans came home to parades. For all that, Under the Blue Beret should be required reading for anyone who is thinking of joining the military. In crisp prose author Terry Burke captures the minutiae of army life. It is neither heroic nor desperate. It is nothing like the military caricatured by non-combatants. It is what it is. READ MORE

The Canadian Coast Guard in an internal report says its fleet is so old it now spends a third of a billion a year on maintenance as “30 percent of vessels have less than five years left.” Defence Minister Bill Blair counts Coast Guard spending in claiming Canada is on a path to meeting minimum NATO requirements for military preparedness: "The age, condition and obsolescence of Coast Guard vessels and their electronics and informatics infrastructure represent a key risk." READ MORE

Parks Canada yesterday had no comment over a mistaken historical commemoration. The agency honoured a Saskatchewan athlete as the first Canadian woman Olympic gold medalist in track and field. She wasn’t: "Historic designations illustrate the defining moments in the story of Canada." READ MORE

Immigration Minister Marc Miller is enforcing new regulations to limit in-and-out claims by foreigners gaming immigration rules. Miller's department called the practice “flagpoling.” READ MORE

Parliament should mandate criminal background checks on all marine port employees, a practice already required at airports, says the Commons public safety committee. MPs blamed organized crime for vehicle thefts worth $1.5 billion last year: "We need to take a hard look at the security of our ports." READ MORE

Inflation in apartment rents has cooled but with little improvement in affordability, CMHC said yesterday. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation did not measure what if any impact resulted from Parliament’s GST holiday on new apartment buildings enacted a year ago: "There has been no improvement in affordability." READ MORE

Federal authorities yesterday denied postponing disclosure of financial accounts to avoid embarrassment over growing debt. MPs on the Commons public accounts committee accused the Prime Minister and cabinet of lying to taxpayers: "If the Government of Canada was on the Toronto Stock Exchange we would be de-listed." READ MORE