Hackers, allegedly from China, have hit the National Research Council’s systems and have compromised them, leading to them being shut down. While we don’t know what kind of damage there is or what has been accessed, this is the country’s premier research institution, which has more recently been billing itself as a partner for businesses around the country to help them develop and get to market new technologies. It’s suspected that employee personal information and client data may have been compromised. It’s no wonder that it would be a prime target for industrial espionage. China denies that they were involved, but CSE seems to believe that the hackers originated from there. It may be a year before NRC has a more secure platform for their data, though curiously, they have been working on quantum communications, which promise to be unhackable and secure. Not soon enough, however, it would seem.

First Nations across the country were supposed to have their spending posted on the government website by end of day yesterday, or face court orders mandating disclosure and possibly having their funding transfers affected. Only 20 of more than 600 First Nations bands have complied, with the AFN saying that they are in favour of transparency but that these new requirements go above and beyond the same disclosure rules for other levels of government.

A Labrador couple is taking the government to court over the changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers programme, saying they were blacklisted in one case without due process, and that the government’s retroactive changes were unfair.

National Defence is looking for an air defence system for their VIP aircraft, such as the planes that transport the PM and other key figures across the country and around the world. No wonder that this would be an increased priority after the incident in Ukraine.

The Canadian retired general who led the NATO mission in Libya is disappointed at the lack of progress in that country, where the violence between rebel groups is now escalating.

NDP MP Libby Davies has been slightly more supportive of Palestinians in Gaza over social media than Thomas Mulcair. CRISIS OF LEADERSHIP! EVERYBODY PANIC!

Kady O’Malley looks at fundraising numbers among riding associations, and finds a precipitious drop in donations in Jason Kenney’s riding, largely from all of the out-of-riding donations no longer pouring in. While correlation is not necessarily causation, but Kenney is no longer in his citizenship and multiculturalism role to the same extent that he used to be, and is no longer visiting every single ethnocultural buffet dinner across the country, so they may no longer be sending donations to his riding as a result? Just a theory in any case.

Paul Wells writes about the shifting views on marijuana legalization, and how Harper could soon be on the wrong side of public opinion on this, as his party wound up being with regards to same-sex marriage.

And my column this week looks at the roles of backbenchers, and cautions about them being co-opted when they start making announcements “on behalf” of ministers, which is completely opposite to their role.