Divisions are forming in the Commons about what happened with last week’s attack, with the Liberals now accepting that the shooter was a terrorist as that is what the RCMP have concluded, while the NDP are steadfastly refusing that label, saying that there’s not enough evidence to use it (contrary to what the RCMP Commissioner has said). But before anyone thinks that this is a signal that the Liberals are going to simply follow any anti-terror legislation that the government brings down, it’s important to note that they have also been the sharpest critics on the lack of civilian oversight mechanisms and the need for parliamentary oversight for national security agencies, as have long been recommended by a number of sources. Harper dismissed those calls and said the current oversight is enough (never mind that his government reduced oversight already by eliminating the post of Inspector General at CSIS a couple of years ago), while privacy commissioners around the country sounded the alarm. Of course, in the debate over whether the shooter was a terrorist or mentally ill, there are probably elements of both present, as the Ottawa Citizen editorial points out.
Former Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci warns against overreacting to last week’s attack, and that time needs to be taken before any new legislation is considered, lest it be done in the heat of the moment. Peter MacKay says that they are reviewing the laws that are on the books currently to see if changes are necessary, but at the same time says that changes could include lowering the evidence threshold, cutting judges out of the loop to sign off on orders, and UK-like legislation to criminalise the glorification of terrorism on the web.
As yesterday was also one week from the attack on the Hill, and the first caucus meeting since, Harper apologised to his caucus for surreptitiously ducking into that closet, causing confusion in the room, while across the hall in the NDP caucus, they thanked the guard who had been outside their door trying to keep said doors closed, willing to take a bullet if need be.
Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz is warning that lower oil prices could knock a quarter of a point off of GDP in 2015. So really, let’s not count surplus chickens before they hatch (never mind that the surplus depends on continued austerity).
Documents released by the CRA show that they lost some $220 million last year due to tax fraud – but they only recovered one percent of it. There is also a listing of some of the other lost and stolen items reported by the government. CRA also acknowledges that the letters they send out are terribly indecipherable, costing plenty of money in dealing with a confused public who isn’t sure what those letters mean, and have hired consultants to help them get to the root of the problem.
As our CF-18s in Kuwait await their first mission, likely Saturday, the conversation in the region is about stemming the spread of ISIS and their radicalisation. While Western countries say that stopping them online is the key, the word on the ground is that social media is not the problem in the region, but the mosques and education systems currently in place.
France’s state-owned shipbuilder is looking to get in on the Canadian shipbuilding programme, and are willing to partner with any shipyard in Canada, as the French company has the proven designs already and that their systems are agnostic in terms of platforms, so they can easily integrate any weapons or sensor systems that the Royal Canadian Navy chooses. Given the costs associated with the current plan of designing our own hulls from scratch, well, this may be a far more cost-effective option.
Suggestions from the agriculture minister that they may not extend the mandated minimums on grain shipments by rail, even though the companies haven’t been living up to their mandated obligations, could mean that the government will basically lose all leverage against the rail duopoly, and farmers will continue to be hurt as they still deal with the backlogs of last year’s harvest, never mind this year’s.
Lisa Raitt announced new rail safety measures, including a whole ten new inspectors! Because I’m sure that will do the trick.
And a study shows that the pay gap for women and minorities is closing in the public sector, largely because of regulation and unionization in that environment.
Up today: It looks like Harper and Oliver will announce a scaled-down version of income splitting, with a maximum cap of $2000 in tax savings per couple. Because you know, a lower commitment still lets them say they delivered on their promise while not costing the treasury quite as much.