What’s up PROC? Committee filibuster over prorogation study passes 40-hour mark
The Procedure and House Affairs Committee has been at a standstill for the last two months, with a filibuster over an attempt to have Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and others, testify as part of its study on the government’s report on prorogation now past the 40-hour mark, a longevity NDP MP Daniel Blaikie says has […]
Constitutional challenge to sex work laws ‘succeeded before’ and will succeed again, says advocacy group
A sex worker advocacy group is pushing for reform to laws that endanger sex workers, using a decriminalization approach that some MPs say has their support. The Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform launched a constitutional challenge against the current sex work laws earlier this spring, seeking to strike down prohibitions against public communication […]
Changes to Radio Canada International come at expense to core mandate, say supporters
The decline of Canada’s international public broadcaster will affect the country’s output on the global stage, say former diplomats and a group opposing cuts to Radio Canada International. Radio Canada International (RCI), the international broadcasting wing of Canada’s public broadcaster, transmitted throughout the world to China, Russia, and the Middle East before its shortwave service […]
Experts question role of data commissioner as feds finally earmark funds
Buried in the 2021 federal budget is little more than a paragraph on creating a new regulator aimed at balancing the interests of personal privacy and companies trying to operate in a big data economy in the next few years. The budget proposed establishing a “data commissioner” with $17.6-million over five years starting in 2021-22, […]
New immigration plan for temporary workers, international students riddled with barriers, says advocate
Just days before Ottawa begins accepting permanent-residency applications from temporary foreign workers and international student graduates to fill 90,000 spots allocated, a national advocacy group is reiterating its calls for the feds to consider tweaking its requirements to boost eligibility. Syed Hussan, executive director of Migrant Rights Network, said Tuesday that requirements under the new […]
Setup of COVID-19 testing program for Centre Block construction ‘important step,’ say Senators, MPs
Senators and MPs overseeing the Parliament Hill rehabilitation say they have confidence in departmental oversight of the project and that work can continue amid increasing restrictions as Ontario weathers a punishing third wave, and after 10 workers tested positive for the virus in April. Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), which is responsible for the […]
Canada ‘long way from herd immunity,’ says expert, predicting figure at 60 to 65 per cent
As COVID-19 vaccination efforts continue, some public health restrictions could be peeled back once up to 65 per cent of Canadians receive a jab—a figure somewhat in line with another Commonwealth nation, says one expert advising the federal government. Dr. Timothy Evans, the executive director of the feds’ COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, told the House […]
Critics say Sajjan or Trudeau should take responsibility for failure to investigate sexual misconduct allegation against Vance in 2018
After months of parliamentary committee testimony revealing the sexual misconduct crisis in Canada’s military, opposition MPs say both Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan as well as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have misled Canadians, and that one of their two offices must take responsibility for their failure to investigate allegations of sexual misconduct made by a military […]
Carney’s potential run for office has Liberals talking
If Mark Carney is going to run anywhere in the next election it will probably be in Ottawa South, say political insiders, but the Liberal MP who represents that riding says he’s going to re-offer. Politicos and journalists have been speculating about the future of the former governor of the Bank of Canada and Bank […]
‘It’s terrible’: Senator slams Canada Revenue Agency for changing rent subsidy without OK from Parliament
It is “common practice” for the Canada Revenue Agency to make changes proposed by government legislation without waiting for Parliament to approve them, an official told a Senate committee last week. The comment prompted one Senator to call her committee’s study of one such change “a complete waste of time.” The Senate Finance Committee met […]
