LeBlanc accuses Tories of theatrics as they push for names of MPs in meddling report
By: Jim Bronskill
OTTAWA (CP) – Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc accused Conservative MPs of theatrics Thursday as they pressed the government to release the names of MPs allegedly engaged in foreign interference.
An intelligence watchdog said in a public report this week that some MPs wittingly assisted the efforts of foreign states to meddle in Canadian politics.
The blunt report has prompted concern that members knowingly involved in interference might still be active in politics, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called Wednesday for the Liberal government to disclose their names.
Tory members of the House of Commons public safety and national security committee challenged LeBlanc on Thursday on the government’s refusal to reveal their identities.
“Do you think Canadians have a right to know, yes or no?” asked Conservative MP Frank Caputo.
LeBlanc told the committee that intelligence reports can contain unverified information that fails to provide a complete picture.
“One particular piece of the puzzle, an intelligence source or information, may not have a context, may be discredited or altered by subsequent information,” he said. “So the idea that there’s a perfect list of names, that is entirely reliable that should be released to the public is simply irresponsible.”
It is up to the RCMP to investigate and lay charges if warranted, as that’s how things work in a rule-of-law democracy, said LeBlanc, adding there’s a “certain disingenuous element” to Caputo’s theatrics.
The testy exchanges took place as committee members met to hear from LeBlanc and other witnesses on a sweeping government bill to counter foreign interference.
New fee for streaming companies serves Canadian interests at Americans’ expense: U.S.
By: Mickey Djuric
OTTAWA (CP) – American streaming companies are being unfairly targeted by a new Canadian fee that “disproportionately” serves interests north of the border, the United States is charging.
This week, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission directed foreign streaming companies such as Netflix and Spotify to put five per cent of their Canadian revenues toward local news and Canadian content.
Members of the U.S. Congress and trade organizations have raised concerns over the mandate, saying it discriminates against American companies.
Some organizations are floating the idea of retaliation.
The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa said it is watching developments around the Online Streaming Act closely. The new fee was ushered in as part of a regulatory process to implement the Liberal government legislation.
“The United States shares Canada’s interests in robust audiovisual and news industries, but (the Online Streaming Act) appears to target U.S. companies to disproportionately serve the interests of large Canadian companies,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
“We encourage Canada to consider U.S. stakeholder input as it implements this bill.”
The legislation passed in Parliament a little over a year ago seeks to level the playing field between tech giants and traditional broadcasters, which already contribute large amounts towards Canadian content.
The new fee is expected to inject about $200 million into Canada’s broadcasting system every year.
But the federal regulator is underestimating the amount of investment U.S. production companies for TV and film already spend in Canada, said Tiffany Smith, vice-president for America’s National Foreign Trade Council.
Key points from report into RCMP response to Saskatchewan mass killing
By: Jeremy Simes
REGINA (CP) – RCMP released a report Thursday into how Mounties responded to a mass stabbing in Saskatchewan. Myles Sanderson killed 11 people and injured 17 others on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon on Sept. 4, 2022. He died of a cocaine overdose three days later, shortly after he was taken into police custody.
Here are some of key points from the report:
On a broad level, the report didn’t identify any “common underlying circumstance” that significantly impeded the RCMP’s ability to manage its response. It did, however, find areas where the RCMP can make improvements.
The report says it took 37 minutes for officers to arrive at the scene after the initial 911 call. One officer had to wait for his partner to arrive at the Melfort RCMP detachment, which the report says was the correct course of action, before they drove 40 kilometres to the First Nation. The response time was appropriate, the report says, and the call for dispatch “could not have been streamlined more than it already was.”
The report says RCMP should look at whether the two officers who first arrived at James Smith should have taken two vehicles instead of one. It says an additional car may have been helpful, as they decided to split up after getting there. The report says deploying the most members and vehicles possible to a scene is ideal but not always possible in rural areas.
At times it was unclear who was in charge of overall command, the report says. During a pursuit of the stolen truck Sanderson was in, two lead commanders made the call to force the vehicle off the road. But they didn’t loop in another commander who was in charge of overseeing tactics.
There was a lapse in communication when pilots with the police air unit didn’t know who they should be taking direction from. Aircrews were inundated with requests, which had them flying “with little purpose.” The report says the RCMP needs to have one flight co-ordinator. Mounties say they have since changed procedures and will assign an “air boss.”
Liberal government tables bill that seeks to streamline, secure health data
OTTAWA (CP) – The federal Liberals are moving to streamline and secure health data across jurisdictions with a new bill that imposes new rules on technology vendors.
Health Minister Mark Holland tabled the legislation in the House of Commons this morning.
The bill would require vendors to ensure that health information tech they license, sell or supply as a service is interoperable.
That means patients and health-care providers would be able to completely and securely access the data and exchange it with other systems — for example, those being used in another hospital or jurisdiction.
The bill is designed to fill gaps in provinces and territories where similar provisions don’t already exist.
It would also prohibit data blocking, or any practice that would prevent, discourage or interfere with a user’s access to their own health data or their ability to transfer it to another system.
Liberal government launches $1.5B program to build more co-op housing
By: Nojoud Al Mallees
OTTAWA (CP) – Housing Minister Sean Fraser has announced the launch of a $1.5-billion co-operative housing development program that the federal government promised in its 2022 budget.
Fraser was in Winnipeg on Thursday to announce the program, which is expected to build thousands of new homes by 2028.
The federal government said the program was co-designed with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada — which represents more than 900 co-ops across the country — as well as other leaders in the sector.
Co-op housing is managed by residents with no outside landlord and typically operates on a break-even basis.
The program is one element of a plan released this spring outlining the federal government’s plans to tackle housing affordability.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has been trying to reinvigorate younger voters by trying to address key economic issues, such as housing, that polling suggests are causing many of them to turn away from the Liberals.
Fraser touted the program as the largest federal investment in co-op housing in 30 years.
“By focusing on people over profits, co-operative housing is able to keep housing affordable for the long term,” he said in a news release.
The federal government says co-op providers will be able to apply for the first round of funding between July 15 and September 15.
The program, which will offer $1 billion in loans and $500 million in grants, will be administered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
MPs calling out hate while disparaging Israel criticism ‘duplicitous’: Muslim groups
OTTAWA (CP) – Muslim groups say all political parties need to work harder to stamp out Islamophobia in Canada, and allow more space for people to criticize Israel without being painted as antisemitic.
The CEO of the National Council of Canadian Muslims says he feels MPs have been “duplicitous” in calling out discrimination while vilifying people for attending peaceful pro-Palestinian protests.
Stephen Brown testified today as part of a parliamentary study into Islamophobia and antisemitism in Canada.
His group is calling on MPs to pass a motion to denounce anti-Palestinian racism and urge that civil liberties be protected, “including the ability to critique foreign governments.”
Police have reported an increase in crimes targeting Jews and Muslims across Canada since the Israel-Hamas war started last October.
The Council of Agencies Serving South Asians says politicians have mischaracterized or smeared people who oppose Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
A representative of the group also says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should have spoken out after Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested last week that immigrants were behind shots being fired at a Jewish girls’ elementary school in Toronto.
