Liberals amend gun bill to extend background checks to threats of violence, on and offline
The House Public Safety Committee has agreed to amend the government’s gun safety bill to expand background checks for those applying for a gun license to look for a history violence, attempted violence, or threats of violence. The amendment was brought forward by Liberal MP Pam Damoff (Oakville North-Burlington, Ont.) at a meeting of the […]
Journalist’s fake death is troubling
OTTAWA—On May 29, Ukrainian officials announced that Arkady Babchenko had been shot and killed at his apartment. A dramatic photo was released showing Babchenko’s body lying in a pool of blood. Babchenko is a Russian journalist who had been vehemently critical of the Kremlin, and of President Vladimir Putin in particular. Naturally enough, regarding his […]
Liberals drawing up gun bill amendments, cannabis bill enters home stretch
At least one Liberal MP on the House Public Safety Committee is working with Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale’s (Regina-Wascana, Ont.) office to bring forward amendments to the gun safety bill, C-71. ”I think there have been some discussions … between the minister, minister’s staff, and Liberal members, about amendments,” said Liberal MP John McKay […]
Choice of Charlevoix shows Trudeau learned from past global summit mistakes
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau welcomes the world to Charlevoix next week. The charm offensive that has worked so well around the world has a chance to take centre stage at home. But for any leader, the main objective of the G7 is actually to get out of the meeting without watching the place burn down […]
Who’s responsible when natural disaster strikes? You are
OTTAWA—Canada has many great traditions. One of them seems to be emergencies that fall during Emergency Preparedness Week (May 6 to 12). This year, there were floods in New Brunswick and parts of British Columbia, and forest fires in Alberta. In light of such emergencies, do you know who is responsible for your safety when […]
Treatment of Toronto van attack says a lot about our prejudices
OTTAWA—On April 23, a rental van was deliberately driven down a sidewalk in Toronto, mowing down a total of 26 victims. Ten of those pedestrians were killed. Of the 16 injured, many were left in critical condition. When the van came to a halt, Toronto Police Const. Ken Lam bravely confronted the suspect who had […]
Registry, or not? Gun bill’s ‘reference number’ tracking system explained
The government’s controversial gun safety bill will create a new RCMP database to hold information on who has bought and sold guns and when they did so, drawing comparisons from gun control opponents and Conservative politicians to the unpopular gun registry of the 1990s-Chrétien government. The Liberals have strongly, repeatedly denied that Bill C-71 creates […]
Feds ‘not ready’ to roll out cannabis legalization given ‘huge gap’ in police training: critics
Police won’t be ready to properly test Canadians for drug impairment when cannabis is legalized, say critics who point to “terrible” new data showing 665 Canadian police officers as of Feb. 1 are certified to do the additional test if a driver fails the standard sobriety check. That includes 196 RCMP officers, of which 149 […]
Canadian air travel is booming, but advocates say spending on security and border services still needs to go up
A new report by the Canadian Airports Council shows the country’s airports are big engines for economic activity, and prospects are bright as traffic is expected to annually grow by 75 million passengers in the next decade. But the industry’s advocacy group says waiting times for travellers won’t improve if the federal government doesn’t boost […]
The cutting edge of unstoppable terrorism
OTTAWA—In a very funny Monty Python skit, John Cleese plays a drill sergeant who is trying to teach a bunch of skinny recruits to defend themselves against foes wielding fresh fruit (oranges, apples, grapefruit, pomegranates) with typical hilarious results. Cleese gets the underwear-clad students to charge him with fruit while he responds by shooting them, […]
