🇨🇦🇨🇳 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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Muslim immigrants threaten Canadians: "Soon we will be in majority because we have many children and we will impose Sharia. We don't want homosexuals in Islam!”

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📉 British Columbia gets third credit downgrade in three years

British Columbia’s credit rating was cut to AA- by S&P Global Ratings with a negative outlook — its third downgrade in three years — after the provincial government decided to ramp up borrowing.

All this against the backdrop of a record $8 billion deficit forecast for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

#BritishColumbia
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NDP, Bloc, Tories unite calling for Trudeau to meet premiers in televised carbon-tax summit

A Conservative motion calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to meet with the premiers for a televised conference on the carbon tax passed with NDP and Bloc support. The Liberals remained opposed.

The motion, while non-binding, demanded Trudeau hold the meeting within five weeks.

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🪖Canadian military to spend $2.5 billion on armed drones

The Canadian military will spend $2.49 billion to acquire 11 remotely piloted aircraft from U.S.-based manufacturer General Atomics.

The combat-capable MQ-9B aircraft, which are roughly the size of a fighter jet, will be stationed at 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S., and 19 Wing Comox, B.C., while the pilots will fly the aircraft from six cockpits at a control centre in Ottawa.

The first drones are slated for delivery in 2028, with the program fully operational by 2033.

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🏠 Entry to housing market feels out of reach for 76% of non-owners

A new poll done for CIBC says 76 per cent of Canadians who don't own a property say entry to the housing market feels out of reach.

🔹70 per cent of non-owners cited overpriced markets as one of the main barriers to achieving their homeownership goal, while 63 per cent cited the inability to save for a down payment.

#housing
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Jagmeet Singh backpedals on consumer carbon levy, distances NDP from support for Justin Trudeau’s policy

With friends like this, who needs enemies, right?

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🏠 Canada to allow 30-year amortization for first-time buyers' mortgages on new homes

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced the federal government will allow 30-year amortization periods on insured mortgages for first-time homebuyers purchasing newly built homes.

The change will take effect Aug. 1.

#housing #Freeland
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Most Canadians don't feel like the economy is doing better, poll finds

Two-thirds of Canadians believe the economy is on the wrong track, Maru Public Opinion found in its March survey, with the negative view widely held across most regions of the country.

Many Canadians don’t expect either the national economy (61 per cent) or their local economy (59 per cent) to improve over the next two months.

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🏠 Alberta premier says she's prepared to take Ottawa to court over housing deals

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith introduced what she called a "stay out of my backyard bill" in the Edmonton legislature. The legislation would require provincial oversight of future housing deals between the federal government and municipalities in the province (and in other areas as well).

Smith said she simply wants to see her province treated in the same way as Quebec, which signed a housing deal with the federal government in October of last year. The deal with the province, rather than individual municipalities, was required by provincial law.

#housing #Alberta #Quebec
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