Belarusian opposition leader urges Western nations to keep sanctioning and isolating Lukashenko regime
As fighting rages in Ukraine, the situation in its northern neighbour, Belarus, has taken a backseat in the headlines. However, a breeze of future change may be blowing in modern Europe’s oldest dictatorship. According to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the country’s exiled opposition leader, Belarusian society is turning away from Russia, ready to chart its own course […]
Delayed federal handgun freeze could mean summer sales spike
By announcing a freeze on almost all handgun sales and transfers in Canada, but delaying the implementation of that freeze, the federal government has given gun enthusiasts and stores a powerful incentive to buy and sell as many handguns as they can before the deadline, say the head of a firearm lobby group and a […]
Delivery timelines for vital defence procurements haven’t changed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The federal government has spotlighted a need to increasingly focus on Canada’s defence, but there hasn’t been any changes to when consequential purchases will be delivered to the military. In response to an Order Paper question from Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay (South Surrey-White Rock, B.C.), the Department of National Defence said it had “not accelerated […]
PSAC declares impasse in negotiations with feds over wages, as unions, feds navigate inflation, ‘hybrid work’ model
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the country’s largest federal public service union, has declared an impasse in collective bargaining negotiations with the government on behalf of 120,000 workers, with national president Chris Aylward honing in on the government’s wage offer as the “tipping point” leading to the standoff. The government’s offer was an […]
MPs and Senators resume ‘far more influential’ in-person outreach with U.S. counterparts after COVID break
For the first time in more than three years, the parliamentary group tasked with keeping its eyes on the Canada-U.S. relationship travelled south to Capitol Hill last week, looking to heat up a relationship that has been left to “cool” over the course of the pandemic. The six-person Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG) delegation of […]
‘It’s only right’: Senate weighs options to support mental health of committee witnesses
The Senate is weighing options to formalize a system to provide committee witnesses with mental health and counselling support, a move Senate Human Rights Committee chair Salma Ataullahjan says is “only right” for witnesses being asked to bare their personal stories. “It’s only right that we cover that cost [of any needed mental health or […]
In a pitch to supporters, Charest lays out his plan for the Canadian economy
Conservative leadership candidate Jean Charest promised to make the country’s taxation regime more practical, to reduce barriers for both Canadian and international professionals who are trying to find work in different provinces, and to modernize the work of government, in a public webinar pitched to small business owners on Tuesday, and organized by his campaign. […]
Bloc on full offensive over Liberal challenges to Bill 96, as feds keep eye on implementation
The Bloc Québécois is accusing Liberal MPs of “encouraging the anglicization of Quebec,” in response to criticisms of Bill 96, the province’s language bill overhauling the Charter of the French Language. During Question Period on May 30, quoting previous comments made by Quebec Premier François Legault, Bloc Québécois House Leader Alain Therrien (La Prairie, Que.) […]
A ‘sobering, disturbing crisis within our prisons’: audit questions CSC security assessment that continues to mark Indigenous, Black inmates as higher risk
The Correctional Service Canada has not addressed longstanding systemic barriers, including how the service classifies the “persistently disadvantaged” Black and Indigenous inmate population, leading to systemic racism in some cases, according to Auditor General Karen Hogan. The audit, released May 31 in the House of Commons, found the CSC’s classification system and corrections officers disproportionately […]
Feds table bill to limit handguns, meanwhile, most Conservative leadership candidates say they would scrap Firearms Act and start over
Prompted by the recent mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, the federal Liberals introduced a new gun control bill on Monday that would limit handguns in Canada. The new bill, C-21, will effectively prohibit any further circulation of handguns across the country. “We’re introducing legislation to implement a national freeze on handgun ownership. […]
