CanadaApr 20, 2023
Minister's sister-in-law steps down as ethics watchdog after committee launches probe
The sister-in-law of a Liberal cabinet minister has stepped down as the interim ethics commissioner a day after a House of Commons committee agreed to investigate her appointment.Martine Richard, who has worked in the commissioner's office as a lawyer since 2013, took over the top job last month for a six-month stint.Richard is the sister-in-law of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who was found to have breached conflict-of-interest rules in 2018 for approving a lucrative fishing licence for a family member while he was fisheries minister.A statement from the office of the co
CanadaApr 19, 2023
Over 155,000 federal workers now on strike; here are the services that may be affected
Over 155,000 public service workers are going on strike, the Public Service Agency of Canada (PSAC) announced Tuesday night, after the union failed to reach an agreement with the federal government.With 39,000 Canada Revenue Agency employees, other 120,000 PSAC members include cleaners and cooks on military bases, clerks and maintenance workers, tradespeople, Coast Guard search and rescue teams, teachers, firefighters and workers who process employment insurance, passport applications and immigration documents.Canada Revenue Agency says the strike will mean certain services will be delayed or
CanadaApr 17, 2023
PSAC workers to strike from Wednesday if union doesn’t reach deal with Ottawa
Over 155,000 federal public servants will strike on Wednesday if no deal is reached between the government and the Public Service Alliance of Canada.While talking to the media, National president Chris Aylward told reporters on Monday that despite progress being made on several fronts, there has been little movement on the union’s key priorities.If no deal is reached by 9 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, workers will be on strike as of 12:01 a.m. Eastern Wednesday.It is worth mentioning that the unions have been fighting for increased wages, benefits and remote work.Members include cleaners and cook
CanadaApr 13, 2023
Cyberattack knocks out website and mobile app for Quebec's hydro utility
Quebec's power utility says its website and mobile application have been knocked offline by a cyberattack.Hydro-Québec says it was targeted at around 3 a.m. by a denial-of-service assault when attackers flood an internet server with traffic and overwhelm it.The utility says the attack has shut down its website and cellphone application but says its critical systems are not affected.Hydro also says there was no data breach and personal data was not compromised.In recent days, Canadian websites have been targeted by cyberattacks with pro-Russian groups claiming responsibility.Targets included w
CanadaApr 11, 2023
Union for 911 operators in RCMP calls for recruitment plan to address staff shortages
The union that represents the RCMP's emergency dispatchers and 911 operators is calling for the force to come up with a recruitment plan to fix worsening staff shortages.CUPE Local 104 president Kathleen Hippern says hundreds of people are off on long-term sick leave, but the force has not hired replacements for many of them.Hippern says that few centres are fully staffed, specifying that in Nova Scotia, staffing is only at about 50 per cent.She says morale is "abysmal" and she believes the lack of staff is affecting public safety by leaving callers sometimes waiting for minutes before someone
CanadaApr 11, 2023
About 16,000 Quebec clients remain without power six days after ice storm
Quebec's electric utility says it still can't say with certainty when power will return to all the homes and businesses affected by last week's ice storm.About 16,000 customers are still off the grid, and Hydro-Québec says the majority of them are in the Montreal area.Utility spokesman Francis Labbé says work is particularly complicated in areas where mature trees have damaged power lines and need to be removed before crews can conduct repairs.Hydro-Québec says it has restored power to 99 per cent of the 1.1 million customers who lost electricity after freezing rain sent trees crashing onto
CanadaApr 11, 2023
CEO, board of Trudeau Foundation resign citing recent politicization of their work
The CEO and most members of the board of directions for the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation say they are stepping down because of the political climate that has recently surrounded their work.In a statement posted on its website, the foundation says the politicization of a donation it received seven years ago has put a great deal of pressure on its management, volunteer board of directors and staff.The resignations come after the Globe and Mail newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources, that Chinese billionaire Zhang Bin and another Chinese businessman, Niu Gensheng, donated $200,000 to th
CanadaApr 10, 2023
Prime minister's chief of staff set to testify Friday on foreign interference
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's chief of staff, Katie Telford, will appear before a parliamentary committee on Friday.The Prime Minister's Office says Telford will testify at the procedure and House affairs committee on the issue of foreign interference in Canadian elections.The office says an exact time has not been scheduled.Telford agreed to meet with the committee last month, but not before the Liberals launched a filibuster that spanned several meetings in an attempt to keep her from appearing.At the time, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh had said his party would back a Conservative motion to cal
CanadaApr 10, 2023
Man charged after downtown Montreal mosque break-in caught on video
Montreal police say a 32-year-old man is facing a mischief charge after allegedly smashing his way into a downtown mosque early Sunday morning.Const. Véronique Dubuc says investigators don't believe the incident was a hate crime, adding that the suspect will appear in court at a later date.A national Muslim group posted surveillance videos to social media showing someone using a rock to break into the mosque and to smash into the prayer room.The video by the Canadian Muslim Forum also shows an altercation involving the perpetrator and a handful of worshippers at the Al-Omah Al-Islamiah mosque