The foreign interference inquiry concluded its core public hearings phase on April 12 and a clearer picture has emerged of the threat Canada faces and what the government is doing about it.
The Liberal government had initially resisted holding the inquiry but eventually folded amid political pressure following a steady stream of intelligence leaks in the media about interference from the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
GC Strategies partner Kristian Firth testified in the House of Commons on Wednesday that the RCMP has raided one of his properties, but said it was not related to the ArriveCan app.
Firth’s two-person Ottawa IT firm is the main contractor behind the controversial pandemic-era program.
The goal of Budget 2024(opens in a new tab) was simple enough: Put out the raging fire in the dumpster this government has become.
Will it work before the election? Probably not.
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set.
It’s clear the Liberal budget, brought down on Tuesday by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, is all about trying to get voters to love them again.
However, the highest-spending budget in Canadian history — one that dishes out some $ 37.1 billion in added goodies for several key voting groups — could easily put voters off the governing Liberals, rather than buying them love.
Chrystia Freeland is so averse to private enterprise, she’s now trying to put satirists out of business.
Fairness demands more investment in housing and making life cost less, the finance minister said in the opening statement of budget 2024 on Tuesday. But “it would be irresponsible and unfair to pass on more debt to the next generations,” so the rich must pay their “fair share.”
The CBC is gaining $42-million in the budget to help support its programming after declining advertising and subscription revenues, and warnings last year of looming job cuts.
The public broadcaster signalled last December that it may have to cut 800 jobs to address a $125-million projected shortfall for the fiscal year.
Catherine Tait, chief executive officer and president of CBC/Radio-Canada, prompted an outcry when, on the day the broadcaster announced the possible job cuts, she told its newscast that it was too early to say if executive bonuses would be cut.
Ontario is going to see a big jump at the pumps later this week as gas prices in the province hit levels not seen in nearly two years, according to one industry analyst.
Dan McTeague, the president of Canadians for Affordable Energy, told CP24 Wednesday that both Ontario and Quebec will see a 14 cent per litre increase overnight Thursday.
The opening lines of the Liberal government’s new budget accurately sum up the situation Canadians are facing:
“A fair chance to build a good middle class life–to do as well as your parents, or better–that’s the promise of Canada. For too many, especially for young Canadians, that promise is at risk.”
A lot of Canadians reading that line, particularly younger ones, would nod in agreement. It’s the line that follows, though, that will have them do a double take.
One big thing has changed between the 2024 budget and the one Justin Trudeau’s government delivered last year — and it all revolves around an air of inevitability.
No matter who one wants to win the next election, there is a sense that this current government is winding down to some kind of conclusion. It is impossible to view this eighth budget from Trudeau’s government through any other lens. Granted, this may not be the last budget before a 2025 election, but it begs the question: what, if anything, will last?
As Canadians deal with a crushing housing shortage(opens in a new tab), high rental prices and inflationary price pressures(opens in a new tab), now Equifax Canada is warning that Canadian consumers are increasingly “under stress” from the surging cost of living.
“Our data says about 50 per cent of Canadians are living paycheque-to-paycheque(opens in a new tab),” Sue Hutchinson, the president of Equifax Canada, told CTV News Channel on Tuesday.
The Liberals have already announced a bevy of measures to help put a dent in Canada’s housing crisis, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau(opens in a new tab) pledging to “meet the moment” as younger generations increasingly feel “middle-class stability” is out of reach.
As part of a routine rollout of pre-budget announcements, last week the Trudeau government casually announced that it was going to solve the housing crisis.
In a Friday press release headlined simply “Canada’s Housing Plan,” the Prime Minister’s Office laid out a plan to “unlock 3.87 million new homes by 2031.”
“Canada can and will solve the housing crisis,” read an attached quote by Housing Minister Sean Fraser.
The federal government says it plans to explore new measures to expand access to “alternative financing products, like halal mortgages.”
According to the federal budget, the Liberal government has already begun consultations with financial services providers and diverse communities “to understand how federal policies can better support the needs of all Canadians seeking to become homeowners.”
The Islamic faith considers the charging of interest to be a form of usury, and considers gains made through interest to be unjust.
h/t Patti Jo
There will be money set aside in today’s federal budget for the Department of National Defence (DND) — much of it linked to the implementation of the new defence policy released with great fanfare last week by the Liberal government after more than two years of study.
It remains to be seen how quickly the funding will be rolled out, whether it will be affected by internal budget cuts and whether it can meet the needs of the military and placate Canada’s anxious allies.
Skeptical Conservative MPs ripped into the defence plan Monday and demanded action over words.
The Liberal government delivered a federal budget on Tuesday geared towards young Canadians, proposing a spending plan that promises to do everything from make it easier to buy a first home to crack down on costly concert ticket fees.
“We are acting today to ensure fairness for every generation,” Finance Minister and Deputy Prime MInister Chrystia Freeland said in the House of Commons Tuesday as she tabled the Liberals’ 2024 budget.
CBC – Freeland’s new federal budget hikes taxes on the rich to cover billions in new spending
NATPO – Canada’s budget 2024: Freeland’s budget targets rich Canadians for new spending
CTV – Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
Globe – Federal Budget 2024: Ottawa targets capital gains for billions in new revenue
Star – Trudeau government targets Canada’s richest to help pay for spending in $480.5B budget
John’s doctor just told him that he has high blood pressure, is seriously overweight and is on the verge of becoming a diabetic. This was not his first warning.
In response, John finally decided to do something. He promised to stop smoking. He promised to cut out junk food. He promised to eat more vegetables. And he drew up an exercise program, with a schedule of workouts mapped out to 2030.
