Arctic Canada now has a total 34 public charging stations for seven electric vehicles, says the Department of Natural Resources. Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut combined are the first region to achieve 100 percent charging capacity: 'This represents a ratio of less than one electric vehicle to charger.'
Poet Shai Ben-Shalom writes: “Canada’s cattle industry receives federal support. Investments in forage improvement, breeding programs, insurance coverage…”
Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have criminal records, typically for drug and property crimes. Many become model citizens. A few even wind up in Parliament. Retired two-term Liberal MP Ivan Grose (Oshawa, Ont.) was a convicted bank robber. The late New Democrat MP Frank Howard (Skeena, B.C.) was jailed for armed robbery as a youth. Ex-Conservative MP Guy Lauzon (Stormont-Dundas, Ont.), a recovered alcoholic, had two convictions for drunk driving.
Yet exceptions don’t make the rule, note authors of After Prison: Navigating Employment And Reintegration. Many parolees are shunned in the workplace long after their debt to society is paid. Authors cite one employers’ survey that found most considered parolees to be weak, lazy or dishonest.
“Gainful employment, in essence, provides the foundational ‘building block’ that former prisoners require to transition successfully into society post-release,” authors write. “Employment, beyond a means to sustain a lifestyle in a free society, is a central source of identity.”
Taxpayers out millions' worth of sweetheart corporate subsidies have a right to expect their money back, Deputy Industry Minister Simon Kennedy said yesterday. Kennedy’s testimony followed an investigation that counted 186 conflicts at the board of Sustainable Development Technology Canada: "Funding was provided and it needs to be recovered."
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault yesterday released data confirming the carbon tax is a net cost for the economy. The figures contradicted repeated claims by cabinet that its tax was revenue neutral and created jobs: "Why did you wait until today to release it?"
MPs yesterday agreed to spend months reviewing Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s proposal to raise capital gains tax revenues by $18 billion. New data show tax filers who report gains from the sale of farms, commercial buildings, vacation homes and other equity typically show profits under $50,000: "The government in an effort to start a class war has made a mistake."
Liberal appointee Senator Donna Dasko (Ont.) yesterday questioned whether foreign agents did any harm in the last two general elections. A judicial inquiry ruled May 3 “it is possible” the outcome in a handful of ridings was influenced by the Chinese Communist Party: "Do you think that happened?"
Anti-trust lawyers seek a Federal Court order for confidential market research by Rogers Communications Inc. The Competition Bureau has targeted Rogers’ claims to sell “infinite” data plans: 'We have reason to believe these representations convey a false or misleading impression.'
Housing Minister Sean Fraser’s "affordability" target is short hundreds of thousands of new homes according to figures released yesterday by cabinet’s own Housing Advocate. Builders have warned even the lower target is farfetched: "We need measurable results."
Liberals seeking a fourth term face tight contests nationwide “including in my riding,” Public Works Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said yesterday. Duclos made his remarks while speaking to reporters about a June 24 byelection in one of the safest Liberal seats in the country: "If it is close, what does it say?"
Liberal appointee Senator Yuen Pau Woo (B.C.) yesterday said he feared Canadians in “regular contact with a foreign state agent” will be targeted under a new security bill. Woo earlier reacted angrily when asked by reporters if he was a Chinese Communist Party agent: "It is deeply insulting."
The cost of living has overtaken years of progress in lowering poverty rates, says a federal report. The Department of Social Development counted almost a half million Canadians who fell into poverty due to inflation: "Inflation coupled with lagging household incomes has led to affordability pressures."
Employers’ groups yesterday said a federal ban on use of replacement workers may lead to more strikes and lockouts in rail, marine shipping and other sectors. Parliament is preparing to pass a replacement worker ban under Bill C-58 An Act To Amend The Canada Labour Code: "Would this bill not bring equilibrium to labour relations?"
The Department of Health is rewriting regulations to permit vitamin D supplements in yogurt similar to fortified milk. Federal data confirm as many as seven percent of Canadians have a vitamin D deficiency due to long, dark winters: "For example, at 52 degrees north in Edmonton, no synthesis of vitamin D occurs in the skin between October and March."
Environmental benefits of an $8 billion subsidy program for industry are unknown, Department of Environment managers yesterday told the Commons public accounts committee. Conservative MP Dan Mazier (Swan River-Dauphin, Man.) expressed outrage: "You are so flippant about it. You don’t even care."
