Four-thirty on a Friday afternoon – the perfect time for a government press release that they want to bury. And lo and behold, on schedule comes the news that the government will be carrying on with the Sikorsky helicopter contract and begin decommissioning the Sea Kings next year. Err, except that those Sikorsky Cyclones won’t be fully operational until, oh, 2018 or so, and the current models that they expect our Forces to train on don’t have shielded electronics, meaning that a ship’s radar can knock them out. Oops. There was no explanation in the release as to how Sikorsky plans to get over this hurdle (as the shielding will add a lot more weight to the choppers), only that it would come at no extra cost – in fact, they already owe millions in late penalties for the ridiculous botched job that this whole procurement has already turned out to be. The best part of this drama, however? Diane Finley’s press secretary left the office immediately after sending the release, and nobody would give out his cell phone number, meaning that reporters couldn’t get a statement from the minister about this pretty big deal of a release. Because that’s the kind of professionalism we’ve come to expect from this government.
On the subject of botched procurement processes, the independent review panel working on evaluating options for the fighter jet procurement has about finished their work, and it’ll be up to the government to decide whether or not to go into a full-blown tendering process that might get them the best possible price on a new series of jets, or to continue with the sole-source contract for the F-35s. Because the options analysis doesn’t appear to have the total financial data, just working estimates, it puts the ball in the government’s court as to whether or not they feel it’s worthwhile to engage in the lengthy tendering process.
A lack of qualified pilots has the RCAF scrambling, and looking to bend some rules around minimum medical standards with vision and hearing. It also looks like they’re investigating the option of recruiting British pilots who are being let go as part of downsizing of the RAF, even though they’re not Canadian citizens. Between the procurement process for new fighters and a lack of experienced pilots, things are looking pretty dire for the RCAF these days, no?
Remember how the government kept insisting that it wasn’t going to cut auditor positions at the CRA? Well, the briefing materials prepared for Kerry-Lynne Findlay as she took on the portfolio says that they are. Oops. Also, there are some ongoing systemic issues that they are trying to solve, like people being declared deceased on their tax records when they aren’t.
It seems that in the changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers programme, the government dropped provisions that would bar criminal employers from the programme. And no, they wouldn’t provide anyone to explain those changes either.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has thus far determined that more than four thousand First Nations children died in residential schools, and that many of the facilities refused to do simple things like make improvements for fire safety – negligence which cost lives as children locked in dormitories couldn’t escape fires.
A Health Canada memo warned that developing the Ring of Fire in Northern Ontario would also strain the social services being provided to First Nations in the area, especially around mental health issues. Some of those communities have had suicide crises already, which are complex problems to deal with.
Charlie Angus broke elections rules in 2011 by re-using a bank account that he shouldn’t have. But don’t worry – Angus is quick to blame the volunteer for doing the wrong thing and said he’s still better than Peter Penashue. And yes, this is the same ethics critic who demands that everyone else take personal responsibility for things, but not himself, apparently.
ATIPing the Auditor General’s emails shows that he may have received a couple of tips from the public related to his audit of the Senate.
John Geddes talks to some very smart people about the Senate reference at the Supreme Court, and how it will change the way we look at reforming our political institutions in this country.
Immigration lawyers are baffled as to why US senator Ted Cruz is having problems renouncing his Canadian citizenship, considering that it’s a very straightforward process. Bonus quotes from Conrad Black, who says that Cruz is at the height of his success so it’s a mistake to renounce the citizenship.
Stephen Maher pens a rather bizarre column that says that all of Harper’s plans have been handcuffed by the ghost of Pierre Trudeau and the Constitution and the Charter. Because apparently he imposed them on the country in some kind of political vacuum and didn’t have the input of the Commons, the Senate, and every provincial premier in the country?
And Andrew Coyne looks at the government’s sliding polls, unusual for any government in a period of relative economic stability, and wonders if it’s not their own fault for being so incoherently nasty to their own detriment.