Nov 19 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — The federal government needs to conduct an external, independent and in-depth review of the future of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, says a former Supreme Court of Canada justice tasked with dealing with the fallout from the force’s historic sexual assault settlement. “What I learned led me to conclude that a toxic culture prevails in […]
Nov 18 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — CSE says China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are the greatest state-sponsored threats. State-sponsored actors are “very likely” trying to shore up their cyber capabilities to attack Canada’s critical infrastructure — such as the electricity supply — to intimidate or to prepare for future online assaults, a new intelligence assessment warns. “As physical infrastructure and […]
Nov 17 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — The federal government is threatening to impose fines that could run to millions of dollars on private companies that violate Canadians’ privacy. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains introduced the Digital Charter Implementation Act today — one of the biggest shakeups in Canada’s privacy law in decades. If the bill passes, companies would face fines of up […]
Nov 16 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — As the number of high-profile online consumer security breaches continues to grow, the federal government is expected to introduce a bill to shake up Canada’s privacy laws — possibly as soon as today. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains signalled plans to introduce the legislation late last week on the House of Commons notice paper. The bill […]
Nov 8 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — The head of the RCMP has promised to “double down” on efforts to boost diversity among its officers — but newly available statistics show those efforts haven’t borne fruit over the past decade. The recently released diversity statistics come as the national police force grapples with a fierce debate over systemic racism in the ranks […]
Nov 6 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — As health professionals warn that the pandemic is taking a heavy toll on many Canadians’ mental health, a Conservative MP is calling on the federal government to set up a national hotline for suicide prevention. Todd Doherty, MP for Cariboo-Prince George, recently tabled a motion in Parliament to bring together existing suicide prevention services under […]
Nov 4 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remained tight-lipped about the uncertainty clouding the U.S. election this morning, saying his government will watch the results “carefully”. “As everyone knows, there is an electoral process underway in the United States,” Trudeau told reporters gathered outside West Block Wednesday morning. “We, of course, are following it carefully and we’ll continue […]
Nov 3 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — The Public Health Agency of Canada is now recommending Canadians choose three-layer non-medical masks with a filter layer to prevent the spread of COVID-19 as they prepare to spend more time indoors over the winter. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam made the recommendation during her bi-weekly pandemic briefing in Ottawa Tuesday. “To improve […]
Nov 2 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki says the force is looking to update its de-escalation training and will soon introduce new mandatory anti-racism training — measures that came in the wake of mounting scrutiny of the national police force’s actions in recent months. “I’ve been listening. I’ve been learning,” Lucki told the standing committee on public safety […]
Oct 25 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — Failing to address questions about intelligence-sharing in courtrooms could put a number of national security court cases at risk and undermine Ottawa’s national security efforts, warns a grim briefing note prepared for the public safety minister. At its crux, the issue pits the efforts of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service to safeguard its operational information […]
Oct 19 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said today that Mi’kmaw fishermen in Nova Scotia have been “let down by police” following incidents of violence in the province’s southwest over the Sipekne’katik band’s lobster fishery. “We must also recognize that once again, as evidenced by the scenes of violence, Indigenous people have been let down by the […]
Oct 15 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — Marc Miller calls on RCMP to keep the peace as Nova Scotia fishery dispute escalates. Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller today called this week’s raid on fishing facilities in southwest Nova Scotia an “assault” on the Mi’kmaw people and urged police in the region to keep the peace. His comments came as tensions mount over […]
Oct 15 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — After a series of pandemic-related delays, the head of the union representing Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers says salary negotiations are back in full swing — a process that could see policing costs swell across much of the country. The original plan was to kick off bargaining talks in March, but the pandemic delayed many […]
Oct 13 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — Canada’s top public doctor says there’s no need to cancel Halloween this year — as long as trick-or-treaters respect the new realities of the pandemic. “I think finding that balance of trying to provide some degree of normality, even though it is actually different from any other year, most public health leaders think that that […]
Oct 1 2020 — Catharine Tunney — CBC — The federal government is offering to send the Canadian Red Cross into COVID-19 hotspots as case numbers rise and parts of the country slip into a second wave, according to sources. A senior government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the government has been reaching out to hard-hit regions recently experiencing outbreaks and […]