WE was ‘at no point’ creating a program for feds, says top bureaucrat
The development of the student-grant program was a collaborative process involving numerous people, including political staff, says Privy Council Clerk Ian Shugart, who testified before a parliamentary committee Tuesday. Mr. Shugart, who oversees the federal bureaucracy, pushed back at suggestions that WE Charity, a group that has ties to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) […]
‘Prudent, gradual, and phased-in’: public servant return-to-worksite plan slowly unfolding seven weeks in, but ‘no single date’ yet pinned down
Nearly seven weeks after the federal government first addressed how and when Canada’s federal public servants will return to physical worksites, the Treasury Board Secretariat says the government’s approach will be “prudent, gradual, and phased-in,” with “no single date for a return to worksites across the government.” The government’s approach will follow guidance on workplace safety […]
Job losses in July highest among racialized communities, StatsCan data shows
Statistics Canada’s latest report on the workforce shows racialized Canadians bore the brunt of the job losses in July, with their unemployment rate higher than those who identify as white. According to the agency’s Labour Force Survey released Friday, South Asian, Arab, and Black Canadians were among those who had the highest unemployment rates, compared […]
Introduction of remote voting in the House could come without unanimous support
The House Affairs Committee recently recommended the Lower Chamber adopt a system of remote electronic voting for use in exceptional circumstances, requiring changes to the Standing Orders, but enduring Conservative opposition could see the government move ahead without unanimous support this fall. While it’s seen as good form and tradition for amendments to the Standing […]
Deepening COVID-19 impact raises the stakes for Canada’s future choices
OTTAWA—It’s kind of ironically amusing now to think back to March, when people were wondering if the warmer summer weather might do away with the coronavirus. Or to think about how, just several months ago, there was a speculative feel to predictions that COVID-19 would change everything. Given that there’s been nothing quite like this […]
Migrant workers have paid their dues and should be given a path to permanent residency
Canada has expanded its temporary migration system to bring in a steady supply of exploitable and interchangeable migrant workers who are coerced into accepting low wages and miserable working conditions below standards that Canadians would accept. Now, exposure to COVID-19 has been added to the terms of the bargain. As scholars, researchers, and teachers of […]
Potential privacy threat to Android owners using COVID exposure notification app won’t be fixed until ‘later in the third quarter’
Despite its Canadian launch, Google says it still doesn’t have a fix ready for a national COVID-19 exposure notification app that could force some Android phone users to reveal their location data to the company and other third-party apps. However, the company says its updated Android 11 operating system, set for release sometime before the […]
‘No preferential treatment’: Trudeau says government did its ‘due diligence’ in assessing WE
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there was a delay in rolling out the student-grant program over his concerns that “due diligence” was necessary before proceeding with WE Charity as its partner. In a rare appearance before the House Finance Committee on Thursday, Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) said he “pushed back” against the recommendation that WE […]
Funding pledged by feds for child care ‘woefully inadequate,’ say experts, as costs expected to rise
Even as some families remain on the fence over whether to send their children to daycare, experts say governments need to spend more money on child care to help centres adapt to public health regulations. In a crowdsourced study released by Statistics Canada on Wednesday, almost one-quarter of respondents indicated they would not be sending […]
Trudeau should make ‘special effort’ to rebuild ties with U.S. after election, says Mulroney
Former prime minister Brian Mulroney says the Trudeau government should make a “special effort to re-establish” the “position of priority” Canada once had with the United States, regardless of who wins the presidential election in November. “Justin Trudeau has a much more difficult job than I had in dealing with this bilateral relationship, but I […]
