An anonymous veteran federal public servant was identified today as the source for a series of internationally embarrassing disclosures about foreign interference in Canadian affairs and about seeming government indifference or reluctance to act over the years. Acknowledging the prospect of eventual prosecution if identified, the whistleblower explains the reasons for sharing concerns about an evolving threat.
Canada’s Veterans Ombud is challenging Veterans Affairs Canada’s arbitrary reduction in the pensions of some retired RCMP officers and civilian employees because they received a one-time lump sum compensation for many years of “horrific” on-the-job abuse and harassment which drove many into early retirement.
ALEXANDER LANDRY and CONNOR HUNERFAUTH
All future activities in the Northwest Passage should be assessed through an Environmental, Social, and Governance lens, advise Hunerfauth and Landry as they provide an overview of key considerations.
(National Post)
As the Army officer who oversaw Canada’s refugee verification mission in Kosovo some three decades, retired Lieutenant-General J.O. Michel Maisonneuve is asking why the internationally-respected Disaster Assistance Response Team hasn’t been deployed to help in the aftermath of the earthquakes that have killed more than 25,000 persons in Turkey and Syria. “In truth,” Maisonneuve says, the CAF have “very little capability to help” due to shrinking ranks and mostly outdated equipment.
(National Post)
As the Army officer who oversaw Canada’s refugee verification mission in Kosovo some three decades, retired Lieutenant-General J.O. Michel Maisonneuve is asking why the internationally-respected Disaster Assistance Response Team hasn’t been deployed to help in the aftermath of the earthquakes that have killed more than 25,000 persons in Turkey and Syria. “In truth,” Maisonneuve says, the CAF have “very little capability to help” due to shrinking ranks and mostly outdated equipment.
Mar 27
(CTV)
The multi-billion-dollar renovation of the Centre Block on Parliament Hill, which is not expected to be finished until at least the end of this decade, is being managed effectively, Auditor General Karen Hogan said today. However, she cautioned, “rigorous” cost management will be needed “as the program moves more into the construction phase, where making changes to elements that are built or in the process of being built becomes more difficult.”
Mar 27
(National Post)
Auditor General Karen Hogan reported today that 1.4 million Canadian households in rural and remote areas do not have access to the level of Internet services promised by the federal government. “When services are of poor quality, unaffordable or unavailable, people are effectively excluded from participating fully and equally in the digital economy, accessing online education, banking, medical care and government services or working remotely,” she said.
Mar 25
(CTV)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden used a day of talks in Ottawa March 24 to tackle a range of shared issues, including defence and security, third-country refugees, Haiti, clean energy and trade in what Trudeau said was a demonstration of how their countries’ interests are “interwoven.” Biden, on his first visit to Canada as President, agreed, saying, “I can't think of a challenge we haven’t met together.”
Mar 23
(CP)
The Transportation Safety Board says that the capsize of a Nova Scotia fishing boat with the loss of six crewmembers during a gale in December 2020 can be linked to federal inaction on recommended stability standards. Modifications by the vessel’s owners, Yarmouth Sea Products, had raised its centre of gravity but the TSB said in its March 22 report that Transport Canada inspectors had had not told the company about the heightened risk of instability.
 Polar Knowledge Canada |
 Accenture |
 DRDC Valcartier Research |
Aug 18 –
Interference is typically an extremely valid and indisputable concern, but in the case of the NS shooting spree, that argument is being used to obfuscate the real issue of communication negligence which resulted in deaths that could have been avoided.
Aug 10 –
Alberta awarded third prize of “Her Vision Inspires” contest to an essayist who argues that women should pick babies over careers, writing that importing "foreigners to replace ourselves is a sickly mentality that amounts to a drive for cultural suicide.”
Jun 27 –
Keeping Russia "at bay" is not a solution to the carnage happening in Ukraine. With Russia firing 10 times the amount of ammunition than Ukraine, Putin knows he will win, unless something changes.
Jun 20 –
It is now 11 years since I served in Afghanistan, and almost a year since those who helped us were abandoned to the increasing brutality of Taliban rule, it's time the govt cut the red tape and made good on its promises.
TBD July/Aug 2023
St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
29 March 2016
The Canadian Institute of Marine Engineers is seeking nominations for its 2016 Medal of Excellence, an award that recognizes outstanding contribution to marine engineering in Canada, including technical innovation, sea-going service, substantial leadership in the industry or the teaching of marine engineering.
10 March 2016
The Government of Canada has introduced legislation to create a new labour relations regime for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police members and reservists.
9 March 2016
The Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), Michel Coulombe, has issued a statement after he appeared this week before the Senate Committee on National Security and Defence to discuss the current security environment, and the evolving threat to Canada posed by terrorism.
25 February 2016
Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale has issued a statement on the review of workplace harassment within the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
18 February 2016
This past weekend, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) “If You See Something, Say Something™” public awareness campaign materials were on display for the 2016 NBA All-Star Game in Toronto, through a new partnership with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
18 February 2016
Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Minister of Justice and Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, met with their counterparts from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States during the Five Country Ministerial Meeting and Quintet of Attorneys General.
16 February 2016
The Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, has offered condolences on behalf of the Government of Canada following the death of police officer Thierry Leroux in the community of Lac-Simon, on Saturday February 13, 2016.
9 February 2016
Senator Bob Runciman is pushing the federal government to institute a scholarship fund for the families of federal public safety officers killed in the line of duty.
4 February 2016
Turkish Embassy spokesperson responds to questions on the Open Skies Treaty Observation Flight over Turkey that could not be conducted by the Russian Federation and on Statements of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov concerning the violation of Turkish airspace by the Russian aircraft.
4 February 2016
Senator Bob Runciman has introduced an important new Bill in the Senate to ensure judges have all the facts before they release violent or habitual criminals on bail.
31 January 2016
The conduct of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Canadian Security Establishment (CSE), and the effectiveness of the independent review agencies overseeing them, was front and centre in the news last week, and that's a good thing. Scott Newark puts context to the issues.
19 January 2016
Tomorrow, the defence ministers from six nations will meet in Paris to discuss an acceleration and intensification of the coalition's efforts against the Islamic State. Canada will not be present. What does this absence mean?
