Your Corrupt, Inept and Opaque Government and You

They never fail to be sleazy:

A public inquiry into federal COVID-19 pandemic management was rejected by Liberal MPs on the House of Commons Health Committee with cabinet instead seeking a closed-door review by advisers to Minister of Health Mark Holland.

 

(Sidebar: now you know why there is a show trial for the convoy organisers and why the government doesn't want anyone to know that the inquiry was an expensive waste of time. The police do NOT want anyone to have those internal files.) 

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The Commons yesterday by a 205 to 114 vote rejected a private Conservative bill prohibiting any revival of federal Covid-19 vaccine mandates. The last mandates expired October 1, 2022: “The Prime Minister had the temerity to go on television about three months ago and claim he never forced anyone to get vaccinated.”

 

(Sidebar: much to the relief of the coward of the cottage.)

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In an unexpected move, the Liberals shut down a parliamentary committee that was about to hear from top RCMP officials on why it did not pursue a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s actions in relation to the SNC-Lavalin affair.

At the start of the meeting on Monday, Liberal MP Mona Fortier took the floor to complain that members of the parliamentary committee on ethics had only learned late Friday afternoon that it was switching gears from its study on TikTok and would instead hear from the RCMP.

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Federal Housing Advocate Marie-Josée Houle in a report to Parliament suggested MPs consider decriminalizing drug trafficking in tent cities. The proposal was among “potential solutions shared with the Advocate during her engagement so far.”

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The trick is make sure that no one drives anywhere:

A new report by the fiscally-conservative Fraser Institute released Tuesday says the $5,000 federal government subsidy to consumers who buy eligible EV vehicles results in a cost to all Canadians of $355 to lower one tonne of emissions.

That’s more than five times the current federal carbon price of $65 per tonne of emissions and more than double the cost of $170 per tonne scheduled for 2030.

It’s also 36% higher than the Trudeau government’s estimate of the so-called “social cost” of emissions — the predicted economic damage caused by a tonne of emissions in Canada, currently $261 per tonne.

But that’s just for the federal subsidy.

Six of Canada’s 10 provinces also give provincial subsidies to EV buyers —  Quebec, B.C., New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador.

The study says those provincial initiatives increase the cost of reducing one tonne of emissions across Canada to as much as $857 — for example, in Quebec, which gives the highest subsidy of $7,000 for qualifying EV vehicles.

“By essentially paying people to buy electric vehicles, governments across Canada are spending a lot of money despite questionable benefits,” said Jock Finlayson, co-author of the study, “A Review of Electric Vehicle Consumer Subsidies in Canada.”

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Yes, it IS related to veterans, the very people you and the rest of your colleagues hate:

A Conservative motion to study the military’s decision to prevent chaplains from leading prayers during public functions has been rejected by other parties.

“I find this unacceptable,” said Bloc Québécois MP Luc Désilets in response to the motion presented at the Veterans Affairs committee on Oct. 24.

“I have a lot of respect for chaplains, but I’m going to vote against the motion because it’s not related to Veterans Affairs—the Canadian Armed Forces are responsible.”

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Let them fight:

Ottawa wants to pay class action lawyers roughly half the amount they're requesting in legal fees for a multi-billion dollar First Nations child welfare compensation case — the largest settlement agreement in Canadian history.

The federal government argued before Federal Court this past week that it should pay the class action lawyers between $40 million and $50 million, rather than the $80 million they've requested.

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A Federal Court judge has dismissed a challenge to a 2020 order-in-council that outlawed over 1,500 firearm models, ending a three-year court battle led by a coalition of plaintiffs, including Canada’s leading firearms advocacy group.

Filed shortly after the government’s May 1, 2020, directive, a group of applicants including the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights (CCFR,) individuals and firearms-related businesses filed an application in Federal Court challenging the order’s constitutionality and arguing the government lacked the regulatory authority to enact it.

The 2020 directive instantly — without passing legislation in Parliament — reclassified around 1,500 popular firearms to prohibited status, including those described as so-called “military-style” or “assault” firearms.

In a ruling issued Monday, Federal Court Judge Catherine M. Kane said the order-in-council did not exceed the authority of Parliament, nor does it infringe on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Bill of Rights, or portions of the Criminal Code that deal with firearms.

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Justin wasn't chosen because he's smart:

Trudeau believes housing has been commodified by investors and corporations that use “homes as an investment vehicle — rather than families using them as a place to live, grow their lives and build equity for their future.”

The prime minister’s comments, which reflect his understanding of the housing crisis, or lack thereof, should alarm Canadians, especially those facing acute affordability challenges. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC), the federal government’s housing agency, believes 5.8 million homes must be constructed by 2030 to restore housing affordability. CMHC further estimates, rather conservatively, that this construction will require more than $1 trillion.

If it doesn’t come from investors, where will $1-trillion-plus come from in the next eight years?