Hill reno update: House BOIE approves design for main entrance to new welcome centre complex
Plans for renovations to Parliament Hill are inching ahead with the House of Commons’ recent approval of a design for the entrance to the new, underground visitors’ welcome centre complex being built in the shadow of the Centre Block building. Plus, a recent update from Deputy House Speaker and Conservative MP Bruce Stanton (Simcoe North, […]
Ongoing fed support ‘essential’ as pandemic has laid bare cracks in ‘outdated’ municipal financing system, say experts
The COVID-19 pandemic that has wreaked havoc on government finances has exposed existing cracks in how cities across the country are financed, according to experts, with Federation of Canadian Municipalities president Garth Frizzell calling the system “outdated” as the federal government continues to come to the rescue of cash-strapped cities across the country. “If we […]
Threat assessments up to date for 90 per cent of missions, with the rest ‘on track’ to be done by March, says Global Affairs
Global Affairs Canada says 90 per cent of Canada’s missions abroad have up-to-date threat assessments, two years after a federal audit found the department failed to keep pace with evolving security threats, leaving embassy staff abroad more vulnerable. That figure is based on efforts carried out as of September 2020. The department plans to complete […]
Vaccine panel’s advice on AstraZeneca use for seniors to evolve as new data comes, say public health officials
The federal vaccine advisory committee’s guidance advising against giving the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to seniors, despite Health Canada’s approval for its use by adults of all ages, should not be read as “static,” say public health officials, dismissing concerns that the conflicting advice puts provinces and territories in a bind. “As they see more and more […]
Pandemic supports surpass losses for lower-income households, suggests new data
As many coped with the impact of economic closures and lost wages, Ottawa’s pandemic relief measures “more than compensated” for the losses lower-income households experienced, and instead, led to an uptick in disposable income, according to new data. The “unprecedented increases in transfers to households” during the first three quarters of 2020 helped drive that […]
After Scheer’s expenses controversy, Conservatives want party to stop spending donor dollars on personal expenses
In the aftermath of outgoing Conservative leader Andrew Scheer’s expenses controversy in 2019, members of an Edmonton Conservative riding association have proposed a constitutional amendment demanding that the party not use donor money to subsidize personal expenses of any party member, and use it only to promote the party’s political and electoral interests. “All expenditures […]
Liberals introduce bills to close sickness benefit loophole, allow pandemic-friendly court proceedings
After a month-long standoff in Parliament, the Liberal government has introduced a bill that will fix a legal loophole in the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit. Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough (Delta, B.C.) introduced Bill C-24 into the House on Feb. 25. The full title of the bill is An Act to amend the Employment Insurance Act […]
MPs, experts reeling following Vance allegations, McDonald’s voluntary departure from top military post
The probe into the explosive allegations against the country’s former top soldier of an inappropriate sexual relationship with a female subordinate may finally address the sexist culture in Canada’s military, say experts, but some say the culture change won’t happen overnight and one says the rank-and-file of the Canadian Armed Forces “expect to have leaders […]
Majority support drug decriminalization, but that doesn’t make it a political winner, says pollster Shachi Kurl
More than half of Canadians support the decriminalization of all drugs, but that doesn’t mean it would be a winning policy for the Liberal government in important suburban ridings, says Shachi Kurl, the president of the Angus Reid Institute polling shop. “This is a tricky issue, and not one that I think you’re going to […]
NACI’s call to prioritize at-risk racialized Canadians reflects ‘deliberate attempt’ to recognize inequities, says expert
The feds’ immunization task force’s recent recommendation to prioritize racialized adults in the second stage of Canada’s vaccination campaign is a “deliberate attempt” to acknowledge the barriers faced by those disproportionately affected by the pandemic, but it will need to be adopted on a wide scale to be effective, says one expert. Carl James, a […]
