OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does not appear willing to budge on his plan to send a $250 rebate to “hardworking Canadians,” despite pressure from the opposition to give the money to seniors and people who are not able to work.
The rebate is one of two affordability measures the Liberals announced this month, along with a plan to temporarily cut the federal sales tax on a list of items that are popular over the holidays.
It’s official. Starting Dec. 14, the federal government’s two-month GST/HST holiday will temporarily reduce the tax to 0%, offering Canadians a reprieve until Feb. 15.
While this initiative appears to be a gift for consumers during the holiday season, it comes with unintended consequences that could harm consumers, retailers, and the broader economy.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s willingness to cut a trade deal with the U.S. alone came as a betrayal, says Mexico’s lead trade negotiator, adding that it has already proven to be a mistake.
Any desire by Canada to divert blame toward Mexico for U.S. problems with illegal immigration and imported narcotics was “erroneous,” Luis Rosendo Gutiérrez Romano said in an interview this week.
In-house research by the Department of Immigration says 47% of Canadians feel there are too many immigrants coming into Canada, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
The 2024 IRCC Online Tracking Survey, conducted over a two-week period in November 2023 that coincided with street protests and antisemitic crimes following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, found the anti-immigration stance as high as 58% in Saskatchewan, 56% in Prince Edward Island, 52% in Ontario and 48% in Alberta.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller was admonished in the House of Commons during question period Thursday when he told Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to “grow a pair” and get his security clearance.
Miller withdrew the comment but has yet to apologize for the language.
I CAN’T believe that Marc Miller just told Pierre Poilievre to ‘grow a pair’ in response to the Liberals being questioned on their failed border security! The audacity. Marc Miller better be kicked the F out. NOW. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/dFKY1MKy7k
— That Curious Cat (@ThatCurious_Cat) November 28, 2024
It was in a high school gymnasium in Missouri that Winston Churchill first warned of an “iron curtain” descending across Europe. If peace were to prevail, he said, the Western alliance must be strong and the newly-founded United Nations must be “a force for action and not merely a frothing of words.”
Sitting in a well-appointed hotel ballroom in Halifax last weekend, chess grandmaster and Russian dissident Garry Kasparov quoted Churchill’s prescient warning. Russia has prosecuted a nearly three-year-long war against its neighbour, he said, and the U.N. has only frothed words. “So,” Kasparov said. “Forget the United Nations.”
It was then that Canada’s foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, interrupted. “We must never forget the United Nations,” she said. I cringed. “We need the United Nations,” Joly insisted.
One residential construction worker would have to produce nearly three-quarters of a home each year to meet the federal government’s 2031 housing goal, a number of homes-per-worker nearly two-times higher than today’s average, given major challenges around innovation and supply chains.
Last April, the Trudeau government announced its new housing plan, which included the promise of 3.87 million new homes by 2031.
Canada didn’t live up to its values on immigration over the last few years as it allowed more people into the country than it could absorb, said former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Carney, who is a special adviser to the Liberal party, made the comments at an event on Wednesday in Ottawa held by Cardus, a Christian think tank.
“I think what happened in the last few years is we didn’t live up to our values on immigration,” Carney said.
What a crock. He’s only sorry they got caught.
OTTAWA — Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said Wednesday that the looming threat of a 25-per-cent tariff on all Canadian exports to the United States won’t dissuade him from pursuing an ambitious climate action plan, anchored by the federal carbon tax.
Support for Canada’s record-high immigration levels has plummeted, according to new polling by the Department of Immigration.
Blacklock’s Reporter says the decline in approval comes as Canadians express concerns over the strain on housing, social services, and societal integration, coinciding with heightened tensions following anti-Israel protests and incidents of antisemitic violence.
The Department of Foreign Affairs spent over $523,000 on furniture in a single day as the fiscal year came to a close on March 31, records reveal.
Blacklock’s Reporter says the rush purchases, which included 73 separate orders for office and residential furniture, have reignited concerns about the federal government’s so-called “March Madness” spending habits.
OTTAWA—Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says his party will vote against the Liberals’ temporary GST cut in a vote expected Thursday.
Poilievre said the Liberal proposal is a political stunt and his party can’t support it.
“This isn’t a tax cut. This is an inflationary two-month temporary tax trick that will drive up the cost of living,” he said.
OTTAWA — The Canadian military’s infrastructure in the Arctic is “limited and deteriorating” and will soon reach a “rust-out” stage unless action is taken to stop it from getting worse, according to a new first-of-its-kind evaluation of the armed forces’ operations in the region.
The report from the Department of National Defence raises concerns about a lack of strategic direction for the military in the Arctic that could hamper future planning. It describes shortages of personnel and resources that require the Canadian Armed Forces to rely heavily on contractors for planes and over-the-snow vehicles for its largest annual exercise in the region. It also highlights how aging northern radar stations leave gaps for detecting potential threats that aren’t set to be addressed until new infrastructure is ready in the early 2030s.
There was a time when sneering at international law would not have been a good look for someone aspiring to be Prime Minister of Canada.
But, charting new territory, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre contemptuously called Justin Trudeau “woke” for indicating Canada would abide by a ruling of the International Criminal Court (ICC) — a court that Canada helped establish to punish war criminals.
Link fixed
Members of Parliament are set to vote on a Liberal bill proposing a temporary “tax holiday” for Canadians that is expected to pass with the support from the New Democratic Party.
The legislation, which was tabled on Wednesday, calls for a two-month break on the goods and services tax or harmonized sales tax on dozens of items, including certain groceries, alcoholic beverages and children’s clothing.
Hey @cafreeland! I suspected you were the dumbest Finance Minister in Canadian history, but thanks for proving it. Groceries have never had GST on them. Carbon Tax yes, but GST no.#LiberalFools #ElectionNow #Pierre4PM https://t.co/IA9z7j2aUB
— Jon Fraser (@JonFraserTF) November 27, 2024
h/t Patti Jo
