government
Government business on pause as Conservatives demand documents on defunct green tech foundation
The government has been unable to put any of its own business before the House of Commons for a full week, and the Conservatives on Thursday said that’s the result of Liberal “corruption.” Conservative House leader Andrew Scheer said the governing party would rather see the House bogged down in debate than produce documents related to misspent government dollars in a program his party has dubbed the “green slush fund.” House Speaker Greg Fergus ruled last Thursday that the government “clearly did not fully comply” with an order from theRead more
Ottawa is spending $1.7M for 10 new jobs at a pasta plant. Are such loans and government aid worth it?
When the federal government said earlier this week its $1.7 million loan to a Brampton, Ont., pasta plant would create 10 jobs, some questioned whether that taxpayer money was being put to good use. One economics professor tweeted he was “legit astonished” by the investment in Italpasta. “Do they not understand just how insane this is? That spending north of $170k for *one job* is an embarrassment, not an achievement?” wrote Stephen Gordon of Laval University. And that was just a fraction of the billions of dollars in subsidies that were announced recently for theRead more
Immigrant workers say future in limbo as government ranking system scores soar
Kanika Maheshwari moved to Brampton from India in 2020 to study business management. Her dream, she says, was to open a jewelry business one day. Since graduating, she has been working with a logistics company as a sales executive. The 29-year-old has built a life in Canada with her husband, who works as a trader — both are saving to open her jewelry store. But Maheshwari says her dream is now at risk because her Canadian work permit expires in August, and she hasn’t heard back about her permanent residencyRead more
U.S. government agrees to $138.7M settlement over FBI’s botching of Larry Nassar allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a $138.7-million US settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest. When combined with other settlements, roughly $1 billion now has been set aside by various organizations to compensate hundreds of women who said Nassar assaulted them under the guise of treatment for sports injuries. Nassar worked at Michigan StateRead more
Doug Ford government introduces Get It Done Act. Here’s what’s in it
New legislation would shorten environmental assessments for highways, allow quicker expropriations Premier Doug Ford’s government introduced a major new piece of legislation on Tuesday designed to speed up construction of new highways in Ontario by shortening their environmental assessments. The bill, the Get It Done Act, directly echoes the slogan that Ford’s Progressive Conservatives campaigned on during the 2022 election. Hinted at in three successive announcements over the past week, the bill is a grab bag of legislation, including measures completely unrelated to Ontario’s environmental laws, such as freezing the fee for renewing a driving licence. The bill’s heftiest provisions wouldRead more
Government submits new offer to striking federal union
PSAC says it hopes to bargain through the weekend The federal government presented a counter-offer Friday afternoon to striking Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members. Details of the offer have not been released but it covers the larger Treasury Board group of about 120,000 workers. Talks are ongoing for the Canada Revenue Agency group of more than 35,000 workers, the union said in an email. In a statement, the office of Treasury Board President Mona Fortier called the offer “comprehensive.” A union spokesperson told CBC the two sides are talking FridayRead more
RCMP arrest 2 Canadian women after repatriation from camps in northeastern Syria
14 women and children arrived in Canada on Thursday The RCMP have arrested two Canadian women in Montreal after the government repatriated them from a camp in northeastern Syria for ISIS suspects and their families. The national police force said it’s seeking a terrorism peace bond as the women had their first court appearance on Thursday. Their lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon, said the peace bond would mean the women would have to live under certain conditions for up to a year. “What it demonstrates is that Canada has the ability to repatriate these women and childrenRead more