The Privacy Commissioner tabled her annual report yesterday, including a separate audit of the Canada Revenue Agency, and it doesn’t have a lot of nice things to say – a record number of complaints, a record number of reported data breaches, and over at the CRA, lax controls allowed employees to access personal tax files for no appropriate reason.
There weren’t a whole lot of new revelations on the ClusterDuff front yesterday, other than the fact that Harper confirmed that the party was likely to have paid for Duffy’s legal fees, as they often do for caucus members who find themselves in a spot of bother. Aside from that, he spent QP on a tear for his new “mad as hell” talking points about how terrible Senator Duffy was. As for the suspension motions in the Senate, they are caught up in procedural wrangling – of the government’s own making by their attempt to rush things through – and likely won’t even make it to a vote until Friday, at which point the Conservative convention will be in full swing. Jordan Press looks through Duffy’s revelations and tries to piece together the February 12th and 13th meetings in Langevin Block, home to the PMO. Glen McGregor turns back to spring to note the careful language that the Conservatives were using around the Duffy repayment and party funds being used. The Conservatives, meanwhile, want their membership to avoid the media over the course of this whole issue. Stephen Maher tries to parse party lawyer Arthur Hamilton’s involvement and obligation to disclose what he knew about the deal. If your head is still spinning from all of the recent revelations, PostMedia walks you through the past ten days in revelations. Brent Rathgeber considers the whole mess and Harper’s refusal to take any measure of responsibility a blow for Responsible Government, and he’s got a very good point.
Stephen Harper tabled the “Technical Summary” of the Canada-EU trade agreement yesterday – complete with Economic Action Plan™ logo. Still not the final text, but it does give a more general overview of what has been negotiated. Of course, for all the fanfare he was hoping for, it barely made a ripple in the sitting day in the Commons. PostMedia gives you the highlights here.
On a related note, Maclean’s has a look at how inter-provincial trade barriers are even tough than the barriers between the various countries of the European Union, and soon we’ll have fewer barriers to those countries than the various provinces.
The Conservatives are closing in on the rights of independent MPs to propose amendments during report stage (as they don’t sit on committees) and Elizabeth May, along with Brucy Hyer and Brent Rathgeber, are threatening to appeal to the Speaker to protect their rights as MPs.
Injured troops are being dismissed before they qualify for an indexed pension – despite promises that nobody would be forced out. But remember, this is the only party in history that stands up for our men and women in uniform, etcetera, etcetera.
Immigration Minister Chris Alexander is promising more permanent residency spots for foreign live-in caregivers and nannies next year, plus another 20,000 parent and grandparent family reunification approvals.
In case you had forgotten about him, Michael Sona – the only person thus far who has been charged in the case of the misleading Guelph robocalls – wants the court publication ban lifted so that everything is out in the open. He maintains his innocence.
Erica Alini gives the five key things to take-away from Governor of the Bank of Canada Stephen Poloz’s appearance before the Commons finance committee.
Nunavut had an election, and the former premier, Eva Aariak, who had previously announced that she would be giving up premiership after the next election, lost her own seat. Because Nunavut has a unique consensus-based system without parties, a new premier will be chosen from the elected members. (And no, you couldn’t import that to the federal parliament because you can’t do with 308 MPs what you can with 22).
And This Hour Has 22 Minutes does a parody of Lorde’s song “Royals,” called “Tories.”