Cabinet yesterday adopted an all-party recommendation of the Commons justice committee to blacklist the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group. It did not comment on a committee proposal to immediately “expel the estimated 700 Iranian agents operating in Canada.”
A University of Alberta economist who used his Twitter account to ridicule Conservatives as “idiots” and “sociopaths” received more than $68,000 in sole-sourced federal contracts, records show. Economist Andrew Leach yesterday said he made no secret of his work: "Are we governed by idiots beholden to sociopaths?"
China is “helping” fight climate change by manufacturing solar panels, says Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison. MPs expressed astonishment at his remarks, noting Chinese panels are made by slave labour and prohibited from being imported under Canadian trade law: "They are actually helping; Chinese production is helping countries around the world transition off dirty fuels."
More than 36,000 foreign students have claimed refugee protection in Canada, records show. The figures covering the period from 2018 identified five universities and colleges with the highest number of refugee claims: "That isn’t the sign of a healthy system."
The Senate has passed into law a first-ever federal ban on replacement workers in strikes and lockouts. Senator Frances Lankin (Ont.), a longtime union executive, called it the historic fulfillment of labour rights sought since Confederation: 'I hope you feel the weight of history.'
Federal hiring practices are buried in paperwork, says a Public Service Commission survey of government managers. Nine out of 10 rated it “burdensome.”
Doctors have “huge advantages under our tax system” and can afford to pay more, Health Minister Mark Holland said yesterday. His remarks followed a warning from the Canadian Medical Association that changes to capital gains tax rates would cost most doctors nationwide: "A nurse should not be paying a higher marginal tax rate than a multimillionaire."
Governor General Mary Simon had staff contact Attorney General Arif Virani’s deputy before holding a conference in support of a Liberal bill on internet censorship, records show. “The Governor General is a force for good in this country,” Virani wrote in denying partisan interference.
Interest rate hikes will make many mortgage holders poorer for years to come, a Bank of Canada report said yesterday. Researchers estimated by 2027 disposable incomes for borrowers will be lower on average: "Pressure on consumption from rate hikes could last longer than the rate hike cycle itself."
Marijuana dealers owe more than a quarter billion in unpaid tax, new figures disclose. Tax delinquents include an insolvent cannabis dealer whose paid directors included Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi (Ottawa Centre), parliamentary secretary for health: "The total amount of unpaid cannabis excise duties has continuously been rising since legalization."
An Arctic patrol vessel HMCS Margaret Brooke was on a secret military mission when it docked in Cuba, Defence Minister Bill Blair said yesterday. There was nothing inappropriate in calling on Havana at the same time as the Russian navy, said Blair: "This was a military mission."
The CBC was flooded with a record number of complaints last year over its Mideast coverage with thousands citing anti-Jewish bias, says a report to the board. Audience complaints numbered 4,785 last year, “a 45 percent increase in volume from 2022.”
The Prime Minister’s vote pact with New Democrats has prompted industrial employers to file a formal complaint with a United Nations agency. Employers say cabinet breached a labour rule it ratified more than a decade ago: "The Government of Canada has engaged in conduct that is in clear breach of its obligation to consult."
Witnesses who lie to parliamentary committees face a minimum six months’ jail and threat of a $50,000 fine under a private bill introduced Friday. “It is a mechanism to restore Canadians’ confidence in our democratic institutions,” said Conservative MP Michael Barrett (Leeds-Grenville, Ont.), the sponsor.
Drug-impaired driving is now commonplace since Parliament legalized marijuana six years ago, says in-house Department of Health research. Findings were drawn from questionnaires with daily cannabis users: "Legalization increased social acceptance."
