Minding Ottawa's Business
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A federal memorial to Afghan War dead will be inscribed with an Algonquin land acknowledgement in the name of “supporting reconciliation,” says an internal memo. Veterans Affairs Minister Jill McKnight’s department would not say how many of the 2,229 Canadian casualties in Afghanistan including 158 killed in action were Algonquin: 'It's to recognize the Indigenous peoples on whose traditional…
The Federal Court yesterday in a rare order suspended all constitutional challenges of an immigration law passed March 12 by Parliament. All plaintiffs were ordered into case management on complaints that repetitive claims were clogging the docket: "New immigration proceedings have increased for a fifth record-breaking year and may exceed 30,000 files in 2026."
Cabinet takes Canadian democracy as it is and will not pursue electoral reform, Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon yesterday wrote the Commons. The remarks followed Justin Trudeau’s lament that dropping a 2016 proposal for a national referendum on reform was his greatest regret: "I do wish we had been able to."
Workers whose jobs require sound judgment, physical contacts or special skills have little to fear from artificial intelligence, the Bank of Canada said yesterday. While AI to date had limited impact on jobs in Canada, analysts warned some occupations were vulnerable: "Exposure is lowest in occupations that rely more heavily on judgment."
A Nova Scotia Court has ordered the eviction of a Halifax tenant over derogatory remarks against his South Asian neighbours. A “good behaviour” clause in tenancy laws of most provinces applies to rudeness, a Small Claims adjudicator ruled: "Good behaviour extends beyond merely refraining from threatening to commit physical or property damage."
Opposition parties yesterday demanded Prime Minister Mark Carney disclose to Parliament the secret terms of a cross-border trade pact. A draft agreement outlined by U.S. authorities would end 61 years of tariff-free Canadian auto exports to the U.S. and grant unprecedented Canadian market access for American farmers: "We have the right to know what concessions are being granted to Donald Trump."
The Privy Council spent $34,291 to poll the public on whether they fear Canada will run out of fresh water due to climate change. It followed earlier research on whether Canadians should be afraid of running out of food, though the country is self-sufficient in both: "Please rate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following statement: Canada will not have enough fresh water to meet…
It may take “up to seven years” to 2033 before cabinet is anywhere near its targets on housing starts, says an internal Department of Finance memo. Delays were due to ordinary lags in planning and permits compounded by inflation and labour shortages, it said: "Homebuilder confidence has remained depressed."
A federal agency, the Canada Energy Regulator, has tightened in-house ethics rules for politically-appointed directors. No specific reason was given, though Access To Information records earlier showed one unnamed staffer was caught trading in energy shares: "Appointees are expected to respect the principles."
Turnout by Indigenous voters was far below the national average in 2025 and as low as 30 percent among Inuit, says new Elections Canada research. Analysts attributed the low turnout to younger demographics in Indigenous communities: "Younger electors tend to vote less."
U.S. President Donald Trump last night taunted Canada’s cabinet with a 72-hour extension of a deadline on $28 billion tariffs and a pledge that the long-cancelled Keystone XL Pipeline “may be awoken from the grave!”
Federal archivists are protecting “safety of individuals” in concealing more than a million pages of records on Nazi collaborators let into Canada after 1945, says a newly-disclosed briefing note. Cabinet years ago had promised to release all Holocaust-related files: "They knew."
Federal programs in a single year paid for more than 280,000 hours of counseling for Indigenous people, says an Access To Information note. The Department of Indigenous Services blamed “colonial sources of trauma.”
Cabinet yesterday was formally named in a federal complaint alleging misleading advertising in breach of an Act of Parliament. New Democrat MP Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway) filed the complaint under the Liberals’ own 2024 law against “greenwashing."
Housing starts remain far short of target with new construction down by double digits in the largest markets, CMHC said yesterday. The figures contradicted repeated claims of success by Housing Minister Gregor Robertson: "Starts were down 19 percent year over year in centres with a population of 10,000 or more."