Kevin Page is none too pleased with what he hears about the “Blueprint 2020” plan to reform the public service, saying it’s a lot of nothing, and that change needs to come from the bottom up rather than being imposed top-down. He’s also critical of the public service for remaining silent in the face of these changes being imposed on them, and that their expert financial and policy advice will suffer as a result.
When she was Minsiter of Public Works, Rona Ambrose approved a list of 29 historical Canadian women to be used when naming future federal buildings. Of course that list has been redacted, so we don’t know exactly which names have been approved.
After a security blitz found vulnerabilities around the transport of data using USB keys, Aboriginal Affairs tried to ban their use – only to soon realise that not having an alternate was doomed to failure. They have since invested in secure USB keys that are being distributed to staff. Similar measures are being undertaken in other departments in order to minimise future data losses as identified by the privacy commissioner.
Immigration minister Chris Alexander is promising lower wait times and fewer backlogs in 2014. Because backlogs are easy to get rid of when you can just legislate them away. He’s also not looking to back down on any refugee changes, despite his ambassadorial experience in war-torn countries like Afghanistan.
Budget cuts are forcing the military to freeze buying parkas for cadets across the country, meaning that they have to recycle and swap used ones.
While Mike Duffy stopped claiming his Ottawa residence for his Senate housing allowance, he did still continue to claim travel between Ottawa and PEI. Normally this travel allowance isn’t allowed for Senators whose primary residence is Ottawa – which Duffy’s was determined to be – but because he still represents PEI, he’s still accessing those allowances (well, until his suspension anyway) – which is one of those confusing parts of Senate spending rules, and remains part of the constitutional question of whether he should still be allowed to represent PEI.
The final tab to close up Senator Brazeau’s office with his suspension was some $50,000. Much of this had to do with severance for staff.
An Illinois man has plead guilty to impersonation the deputy minister of Health Canada as part of a fraud scheme he was perpetuating around a fictional medical device that he was seeking investors for.
In her annual Christmas message, the Queen encourages moments of quiet contemplation and reflection.
In his Christmas message, Stephen Harper encourages people to think of the less fortunate and to think of the men in women in uniform.
In his holiday message to the Canadian Forces, the Governor General – the Commander in Chief – mentioned the recent losses due to suicide and that help was available for the men and women in uniform. He also mentioned relief efforts both at home and abroad that they were engaged in.
The Soup Guy in World Exchange Plaza has finally come up with a Justin Trudeau-inspired soup – Duck á L’Orange with Roasted Veggie and Wild Rice.
And here’s a look at some books that several political figures are reading over the holidays.