Dec 10 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — When Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus O’Regan left journalism, it was, he said, “a shock to his system” — a painful time in his life. And that — he told a roomful of soldiers and civil servants Monday — has given him insight into how members of the Canadian military feel as they take off their […]
Dec 6 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — A junior procurement official named in the criminal case against the military’s former second-in-command has been suspended from his federal government position, a House of Commons committee has been told. Matthew Matchett was identified in court documents filed by the lawyers defending Vice-Admiral Mark Norman, who has been charged with a single count of breach […]
Dec 4 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — The Liberal government has budgeted up to $20 million in this fiscal year to rejoin NATO’s Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) program, reversing a Conservative-era budget cut in the name of alliance utility and solidarity. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and other senior officials recently appeared before a House of Commons committee to talk […]
Dec 3 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — Canada is being asked to renew its military training mission to Ukraine — a proposal that’s taking on a whole new level of urgency as border tension ramps up with Russia. Canada’s deployment of 200 soldiers is up for renewal in March. The recent clash in the Sea of Azov involving three Ukrainian navy patrol […]
Nov 28 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — The federal government’s plan to award a group of companies led by Lockheed Martin Canada the contract to design and support the construction of the navy’s new frigates was dealt another setback late Tuesday by the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, CBC News has learned. The agency said it intends to investigate a complaint by one […]
Nov 20 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — Canada’s auditor general has shot down the Liberal government’s handling of the air force’s aging CF-18s in a blistering report that raises questions about national security, and even long-term safety, regarding the viability of the country’s frontline fighter jets. Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s fall report, tabled Tuesday, methodically picks apart the recent policy change at […]
Nov 19 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — Former soldiers in crisis are being sent regularly to outside agencies for emergency assistance by case managers at Veterans Affairs Canada — even though the Liberal government has its own, modest relief fund. Both Veterans Emergency Transition Services Canada (VETS Canada) and the Royal Canadian Legion report an increase in the number of cases being […]
Nov 5 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — More than 270,000 ex-soldiers were short-changed by Veterans Affairs Canada for over eight years because of an accounting error worth at least $165 million, CBC News has learned. The mistake was uncovered by the veterans ombudsman’s office, which has worked with the federal department for over a year to get it to confirm the mistake […]
Nov 2 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — Irving Shipbuilding wants a say in deciding which documents the federal government discloses in the criminal case against the country’s former second-highest military commander. Lawyers for Vice-Admiral Mark Norman told court today that lawyers for the powerful company are seeking standing in an upcoming hearing that will decide which confidential and secret cabinet records are […]
Oct 30 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — The father of Jack Letts, a young British-Canadian man dubbed “Jihadi Jack” by British media, said information exists that proves his son was not a supporter of the Islamic State — but that information is sealed as part of a court case against himself and his wife. The extraordinary claim was made by John Letts […]
Oct 29 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — The effort to replace the air force’s aging fleet of CF-18 fighters took a small step forward Monday when Public Services and Procurement Canada released a draft tender and asked for feedback from the makers of new jets. There are five companies in the running: France’s Dassault Aviation; Saab of Sweden; Airbus Defence and Space […]
Oct 28 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — As Maysoon al-Masri struck out for the Israeli border with Syria on a pitch-black night last summer, she struggled with second thoughts — and with the kind of homesick remorse that is impossible to shake. The former journalist and her husband slipped through the dark, ruined streets of Daraa in southwestern Syria toward a pre-arranged […]
Oct 18 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — The parents of a young British-Canadian man accused of being a member of ISIS have written an open letter to members of Parliament challenging what they claim are “lies” about their son being repeated by Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer. The letter was circulated Thursday by John Letts, the Canadian-born father of Jack Letts — known […]
Oct 17 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — The Conservative opposition beat its head against a brick wall Wednesday after two days of successfully hammering cracks into the Liberal government’s stony silence over the handling of the criminal case involving the military’s former second-in-command. It should be understood, as the old political saying goes, that question period should never be confused with answer […]
Oct 16 2018 — Murray Brewster — CBC — A senior Liberal cabinet minister denied Tuesday lobbying on behalf of one of the country’s leading shipbuilders, which has been swept up in the court fight surrounding the military’s former second-in-command. Treasury Board President Scott Brison faced a second day of questions in the House of Commons over what contacts he had with Irving Shipbuilding […]