💸 PM Trudeau is asked if the government plans to raise taxes or introduce new taxes in order to fund new spending commitments.

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🏠💰 Quebec and Ontario reject housing program announced by Trudeau ahead of federal budget

The federal government is launching a multibillion-dollar fund to pay for infrastructure needed to build housing and will bypass any provinces that won't comply with conditions to access the money.

Quebec and Ontario rejected the program as an intrusion into their jurisdiction.

#housing #Quebec #Ontario
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🏠📈 Vancouver is in a ‘full-blown crisis’ for housing affordability

A new RBC report states that it has never been as expensive to own a home anytime, anywhere in Canada as it was in Vancouver in the last quarter of 2023.

At a staggering 106.4 per cent, the share of a median income needed to cover ownership costs means that only a select few high-income earners can afford to buy—or that considerable wealth must be amassed (or received) to put down towards a purchase.

No wonder people are leaving Vancouver and B.C. in general in search of a better life.

#BritishColumbia #housing
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🇨🇦🇵🇸 Canadian man killed providing aid in Gaza was a military veteran with a young son

A Canadian man killed Monday along with six other aid workers in the Gaza Strip was a military veteran from Quebec.

Jacob Flickinger, 33, joined the World Central Kitchen aid organization last fall.

#Palestine #Israel #Quebec
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🚙 Police recover $34.5M worth of stolen vehicles in shipping containers in Montreal

Nearly 600 stolen vehicles have been recovered from shipping containers in the Port of Montreal over the past few months, and 75 per cent of them were stolen in Ontario.

The best way to fight back, according to Toronto police, is to leave the keys outside so that thieves at least don't break into the house.

#Quebec #Ontario
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Quebec man has two healthy fingers amputated to relieve 'body integrity dysphoria'

A 20-year-old patient in Quebec who had been troubled by intrusive thoughts about his fourth and fifth fingers had them amputated by a surgeon.

This is the first described case of digits amputation for body 'integrity dysphoria.'

#Quebec
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📈Canada's unemployment rate rises to 6.1 per cent

Canada's unemployment rate jumped to 6.1 per cent in March, that's up from 5.8 per cent in February.

More people, less jobs.

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🇨🇦🇨🇳 China paid approximately $250,000 to ‘threat actors’ working in Canada, inquiry told

A document presented to the Foreign Interference Commission says Canadian intelligence suggests Chinese officials may have transferred around $250,000 to “threat actors” in Canada in late 2018 or early 2019.

Here's the question that bothers me. All of this was in 2018-2019. Why is the investigation only starting now?

#China
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📈According ot Statistics Canada, Canada's population is growing faster than the economy's ability to create jobs

This could lead to a weaker labor market. For example, in August 2023, the economy added 40,000 jobs, and the population grew by 0.3% (+103,000 people). Thus, the share of the employed population in the total population has decreased.

StatCan estimates that Canada's economy needs to add 50,000 jobs per month to maintain stable employment.

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🇨🇦🇺🇸🇦🇺🇬🇧Canada is exploring the possibility of joining the second phase of AUKUS, a U.S.-led alliance with the UK and Australia.

The initial pillar of the alliance, forged in 2021, was focused on developing nuclear-powered submarines for Australia.

PM Trudeau says Canada will consider whether it needs to purchase nuclear-powered submarines to better ensure it can defend Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic.

#Trudeau #US #UK #Australia
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300 Quebec farmers staged protest, saying it's tough to make a living

More than 300 Quebec farmers drove their tractors through the streets of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Friday to send a message to the provincial government, saying they are facing an existential crisis.

#Quebec
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🪖Canada pledges billions in new defence spending, but doesn't reach NATO's 2% commitment

A new defence policy for Canada was unveiled Monday. The strategy commits to delivering new equipment, including airborne early warning aircraft, long-range surface-to-surface missiles for the army and utility helicopters.

The new policy, entitled Our North, Strong and Free, includes an additional $8.1 billion in new defence spending over the next five years and commits to an additional $73 billion in defence spending over the next two decades.

The Liberal government estimates that the new policy will see military spending rise to 1.76 per cent of GDP by 2029-30.

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🇨🇦🇨🇳 Canada spies found China interfered in last two elections

Spy agency concluded that China interfered in the last two elections, an official probe heard on Monday, the firmest evidence so far of suspected Chinese meddling in Canadian politics.

The commission into foreign interference was shown a slide on Monday containing an extract of a February 2023 briefing from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.

We know that the PRC (Peoples' Republic of China) clandestinely and deceptively interfered in both the 2019 and 2021 elections. In both cases, these FI (foreign interference) activities were pragmatic in nature and focused primarily on supporting those viewed to be either 'pro-PRC' or 'neutral' on issues of interest to the PRC government.

the extract says.

#China
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🏠 Alberta premier takes issue with feds for overstepping jurisdiction on housing initiatives

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called out Trudeau for bypassing meetings with provincial leaders, neglecting local expertise and going directly to municipalities instead.

We have 355 municipalities that all have different degrees of pressure, because of the need for housing, and yet with the federal government choosing who they have political relationships within granting or making grants on that basis, it's very political, and it doesn't meet the needs.

Smith said.

#Alberta #housing
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RBC economists recommend prioritizing the construction skills in new immigrants, as 500,000 more construction workers will be required over the next six years to build all the homes needed.

It seems new population records lie ahead.

#immigration #housing
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Justin Trudeau’s six-day trip, accompanied by his oldest son Xavier, to “strengthen ties” in the Indo-Pacific region in September cost taxpayers nearly $2 million, with nearly $200,000 spent on in-flight catering.

There's nothing so important Trudeau could say that would justify spending 2 million.

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PM Justin Trudeau says its the role of government to “make it more expensive for people who don’t want to think about the future and don’t want to prepare for the future today.”

#Trudeau
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🏦 Bank of Canada holds key interest rate at 5%

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Quebec premier threatens 'referendum' on immigration if Trudeau fails to deliver

Legault told reporters that launching a plebiscite isn't in his government's short-term plans, but he suggested that could change if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau doesn't deliver on Quebec's immigration demands.

#Quebec #immigration
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