That Number Is Too High

Indeed:

Fewer than half of Canadians have a high degree of trust that federal institutions tell the truth, say Privy Council researchers. A majority put more faith in family, friends and social media than government agencies, said a report: “Why?”  

 

The right number would be zero.

Why should anyone trust this government?

Cases in point:

Multimillion-dollar contracts awarded by the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) to consulting firm McKinsey, coupled with some unusual spending choices — including a decision to fly a private chauffeur to B.C. to drive the Crown corporation's president around — are raising eyebrows within the BDC, sources say.

Current and former BDC employees say they're alarmed at some of the expenses incurred by the BDC under the leadership of president Isabelle Hudon.

Hudon, Canada's former ambassador to France, was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government in 2021 to head the Crown corporation. The BDC provides loans, venture capital and advisory services to small and medium-sized businesses across Canada.

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PBO Yves Giroux sent a letter to Defence Minister Anita Anand on Jan. 16 outlining the data he is requesting from her department. “In order to provide the analysis to parliamentarians in a timely manner, I ask the information be provided to my office no later than February 13, 2023,” Giroux noted in his request.

The request includes the financial risk analysis prepared for the aircraft procurement, planned flying hours for the F-35 fleet, details about the projected operating costs, a copy of the agreement signed with the U.S. government to provide the F-35 and an annual summary of what Canada spent on the F-35 development.

Anand announced Jan. 9 the purchase of the 88 jets valued at $19 billion. That figure includes the aircraft, new infrastructure and some initial maintenance and weapons.

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National Defence officials also confirmed the full life cycle cost for the F-35 project will eventually tally $70 billion.

The announcement marks the end of a decade-long process that first saw the Conservative government commit to buying the F-35 and then back away because of increasing costs and technical problems associated with the stealth jet.

During the 2015 election campaign, Justin Trudeau vowed his government would never purchase the F-35.

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A Canada Revenue Agency office accused of corrupt practices is committed to full transparency, managers wrote in a report to Parliament. MPs have yet to investigate whistleblower complaints senior auditors manipulated sweetheart tax settlements for offshore corporations: “What did (they) get out of this Prestige? A feeling of power? Influence? Future favours? 10M in a Swiss account?”

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The Public Service Alliance of Canada has announced strike votes will begin in February for the 120,000 public servants in its four main bargaining units.

“We need to hold the line on fair wages that will prevent you from falling further behind as the cost of living increases,” PSAC National President Chris Aylward said in announcing the strike votes, which are scheduled to begin Feb. 22 and continue for almost two months.

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Critics worry that any of the four who might have committed crimes in the Middle East – including former British national Jack Letts — will “walk free” and possibly become security risks.

The lawyer who won the landmark ruling counters that the government is well-equipped to prosecute his clients if they feel they’ve done wrong – while the alternative would be leaving them in squalid, rights-abusing conditions in a Kurdish prison.

 

Then, leave them there. 

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Cameroon’s state-affiliated newspaper says the country’s government never authorized Canada to lead peace talks aimed at ending an escalating conflict in the west-central African country.

Ottawa announced last Friday that it has been hosting talks with the government of Cameroon and various factions to come up with a peace process for a political resolution to the crisis.

Yet the country’s state-affiliated newspaper, the Cameroon Tribune, said the government had mandated “no external mediator” for negotiations to end the conflict.

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The newspaper cited a press release signed by the country’s Communication Minister René Sadi, which said Cameroon “has not entrusted any foreign country or external entity with any role of mediator or facilitator to settle the crisis.”

 

 And then there is the economy: 

RATESDOTCA says for every 25 bps increase a homeowner with a variable-rate mortgage can expect to pay about $14 more a month per $100,000 of mortgage.

Thus, a homeowner with a $500,000 mortgage at a rate of 5.25 per cent would see their rate rise to 5.50 per cent and payments increase $74 a month to $3,070, it said.

If this same homeowner had taken out their mortgage before March 2022, they would have seen a total increase to their mortgage payments of $1,129 a month since the Bank began hiking rates.

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Food inflation is so persistent it threatens to reverse gains in the national poverty rate, says the Department of Social Development. The average 11 percent annual increase in checkout prices “could impact poverty rates” for years to come, said a department memo: “Food will be reflected in Canada’s poverty rates.”