Poilievre is the sole party leader forgoing access to classified report on foreign interference

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is the only federal party leader foregoing access to a classified national security and intelligence watchdog’s report that says the country’s intelligence services believe some parliamentarians are “semi-witting or witting” participants in foreign-interference efforts.

Initially, Mr. Poilievre and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet both rejected offers for the access to classified reports because they said it would muzzle their public efforts to hold the government to account. However, in the last week, top intelligence officials have said that secrecy rules would not prevent leaders from acting on the information they receive.

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🇨🇦🇮🇳Canada shares more information with India on Sikh murder case

Canada and India have increased their security exchanges in recent months over the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, including visits to India by senior Canadian officials to share a robust set of evidence on the case, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

But diplomatic relations between the two countries remain in a deep freeze ahead of the Group of Seven leaders summit in Italy this week, where both Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in attendance.

#India
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🎯Canadian media a target for foreign interference: national security committee chair

All forms of media, including mainstream media, are being subjected to interference by bad actors, Liberal MP David McGuinty said.

The media was singled out in a recent report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, which McGuinty chairs. The document highlights how China and India are interfering with Canadian media content through direct engagement with journalists and media executives.

#China #India
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Damage done by 2024 wildfire season well below average so far, federal officials say

Canada's wildfire season is off to a slow start, with the number of hectares burned so far this year still below the ten-year average, senior government officials and ministers said in Ottawa Wednesday.

Last year at this time, almost three million hectares of forest had been destroyed by wildfires. Canada has lost just 500,000 hectares to fire so far this year.

#wildfires
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🇨🇦🇺🇦 Canada to send around 2,000 decommissioned CRV7 rocket motors to Ukraine

The Liberal government says it will start shipping decommissioned CRV7 rocket motors to Ukraine. National Defence said in a press release Thursday Canada will send an “initial tranche” of around 2,000 rocket motors.

Canada will also donate 29 surplus Nanuk remote weapons systems and more than 130,000 rounds of surplus small-arms ammunition.

How much of it will be wasted?

#Ukraine
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🇨🇦🇺🇦🇷🇺 Canada contributing $5 billion to new G7 deal being finalized to help Ukraine using frozen Russian assets

I can never get enough hugs from you.

- Trudeau told Zelenskyy at G7.

#Ukraine #Russia
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💰The U.S., with Canada's support, has proposed using the interest on roughly 200 billion euros in frozen Russian assets held mostly in Europe to secure a $50 billion US bank loan for ongoing support for Ukraine.

Trudeau first made the pitch to use seized Russian Central Bank assets in February during a G7 call, the government said. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland last month encouraged G7 finance ministers in Italy to use the assets to help pay for Ukraine's recovery.

#Ukraine #Russia
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📈Canada moves into top 5 countries in refugee claims

Canada was the fifth largest recipient country of asylum seekers last year.

According to the latest global trends report, Canada received 146,800 new claims in 2023, up from 94,000 the year before. Only four countries were ahead: the U.S. (1.2 million), Germany (329,100), Egypt (183,100) and Spain (163,200).

It was the first time Canada made it into the top five in at least six years.

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Judge rejects 'necessity defence' from B.C. climate activists charged in disruptive protests

Two climate activists charged in a series of disruptive protests on Vancouver Island cannot use a "necessity defence" to avoid punishment, a B.C. judge has ruled.

Protesters Howard Breen and Melanie Murray argued in provincial court that the increasingly urgent threat of catastrophic consequences related to climate change should make their alleged criminal behaviour excusable.

It's so uplifting when climate activists get punished for their actions.

#BritishColumbia
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💸Trudeau government to invest $110 million into “anti-racism strategy”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be spending $110 million in taxpayer funding on anti-racism and DEI consultants to fight what the Liberals consider the endemic problem of racism at the heart of Canadian society.

The Trudeau government announced the spending as part of its renewed anti-racism and discrimination strategy, with money being doled out to “hundreds” of projects across Canada.

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🌱💰Carbon tax will cost $25B in GDP in 2030, Liberals' own data show

The federal carbon tax will have a negative economic impact on Canada’s real gross domestic product (GDP) of $25 billion, or approximately one per cent, in 2030 according to the government’s own internal data it released on Thursday.

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🏠 Every new home built requires $100,000 in infrastructure spending

The report, funded by the Canada Infrastructure Bank, estimated the average cost of infrastructure needed to support housing likely exceeds $100,000 for each newly built home. That includes funding for resources such as public transit, roads, water lines, schools, fire halls or recreational facilities.

Now the question. Where to get the money when the budget deficit is off the charts and there is a housing crisis already?

#housing
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📉🇨🇳🇮🇳Most Canadians have a negative view of China and India

New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians offering strongly negative assessments of two of the countries accused of meddling in Canadian elections.

🔹Four-in-five (79%) Canadians say they have an unfavourable view of China as favourability towards that country remains at a historic nadir.

🔹Further, positive appraisal of India has declined by 11-points in Canada since March 2023; a minority of one-third (33%) who say they view the country favourably are outnumbered by the majority (54%) who do not.

#China #India
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🇨🇦🇺🇸Migrants using Canada’s border to illegally enter U.S. is concerning, says Immigration minister

Immigration Minister Marc Miller says migrants illegally using Canada’s border as a route to the United States is very concerning, and he has spoken to his U.S. counterpart about the issue.

The number of encounters with U.S. officers at the U.S.-Canada border increased sharply in 2022, including ones involving nationals from India, Mexico and China.

Mr. Miller, asked about Indian nationals using Canada as a route to illegally cross the border into the U.S., said he had spoken to Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, about the issue.

#immigration #US
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🎓🏠More than 1,300 students at University of Guelph can’t find a place to live

Some first-year students attending the University of Guelph may have trouble finding a place to stay during the semester.

The university recently announced that over 7,000 high school students across Ontario who had applied for programs at U of G have accepted offers of admission. U of G will accommodate 85 per cent of all students who applied for residence and of those accommodated, 95 per cent are Ontario students.

They go on to say that higher-than-anticipated acceptances means the university won’t be able to accommodate everyone who applied for housing.

#housing
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Singh 'more alarmed' after reading report, but won't break from Liberal-NDP agreement

Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he is “even more alarmed than before” after reading the un-redacted report alleging there are MPs and senators who are participating to some degree in foreign interference efforts.

The conclusions that were drawn by the report are that there were serious examples where parliamentarians engaged in activity that undermined our country.

Some of that reported activity, Singh adds, is illegal and it is all unethical.

Singh could not detail the names or number of MPs listed in the report, due to the provisions associated with his top security clearance, but stressed there are unresolved issues that must be dealt with.

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🇨🇦🇺🇦Air defence system promised to Ukraine 18 months ago still hasn't arrived

Canada announced plans in January 2023 to donate a $406-million surface-to-air missile defence system, but there's still no delivery date.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the air defence system, known by the acronym NASAMS, is currently being built by the United States, and the delivery date is out of Canada's control.

You see, making loud promises is much easier than actually delivering on them. The only winner here is the military-industrial complex.

#Ukraine #US #Trudeau
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🏠Homelessness in Canada up 20% since federal strategy launched in 2018

The number of homeless people in Canada increased by 20 per cent since the federal Liberals launched their national housing strategy in 2018 to decrease homelessness by 2028, according to a new report released from the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).

Canada’s most recent point-in-time homeless count shows the 20 per cent increase amounts to a current total population of 34,270 unhoused people. More than 24,000 were considered chronically homeless.

#housing
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🇨🇦❌🇨🇳Canada blocks Chinese rare earths deal in Trudeau-led crackdown

Canada’s government will buy stockpiled rare earth materials from Vital Metals Ltd. in a deal that prevents the company from selling its production to a Chinese buyer.

The small Australian firm, which mines rare earths in Canada’s Northwest Territories, will sell its stockpiled rare earth material to the Saskatchewan Research Council for C$3 million ($2.2 million). The arrangement, facilitated by Canada’s federal government, keeps Vital from moving forward on a plan it started in December to sell that same stockpile to China’s Shenghe Resources Holding Co. for C$2.4 million ($1.7 million).

#China
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🇨🇦🇺🇸🇯🇵🇵🇭Canada, U.S., Japan and Philippines conduct exercises in South China Sea

The United States, Canada, Japan, and the Philippines conducted a two-day joint maritime exercise in Manila's exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said on its website on Monday.

The maritime cooperative activity was aimed at "upholding freedom of navigation and overflight, reaffirming the four nations' commitment to bolstering regional security and stability," the U.S. Pacific Fleet said.

It involved four warships and a series of maritime maneuvers.

#US #Japan #Philippines
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📢Man films a large crowd of muslims in Toronto praying in a park

And the government thinks your religion offends others, unless it's basically any religion other than Christianity.

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