National

National


CSIS pledges ‘robust’ review of technologies in response to critical watchdog report

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service says it’s committed to “ongoing review and improvement” of its use of new technologies following a critical spy watchdog report. The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency said in a report made public this week that CSIS lacked “adequate policies and procedures” to manage a confidential technical means of collecting […]

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Interest in Canadian flights out of Lebanon last year waned quickly, documents show

Documents detailing Canada’s effort to help citizens and permanent residents leave Lebanon last year on commercial flights and charters show there was huge interest in the first few days of the effort but uptake dropped off dramatically. In the end, Canada spent nearly three times as much to keep chartered planes on standby on the […]

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‘We need to get them out’: Beluga trainer fired by Marineland speaks out

Marineland’s crumbling infrastructure, staffing shortage and lack of resources have created dangerous conditions for its belugas and they should be moved immediately, a fired beluga trainer says. Kristy Burgess, who worked at the Niagara Falls, Ont., park when a young beluga was put down in February, said Marineland’s threat to euthanize all 30 of its […]

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CSIS lacked proper policies, procedures to manage new secret technology: spy watchdog

A newly released spy watchdog report says the Canadian Security Intelligence Service lacked adequate policies and procedures to manage a secret technology for collecting information. The National Security and Intelligence Review Agency says CSIS mischaracterized a novel technical capability as an extension of existing know-how. The report says this led to CSIS not consulting Public […]

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Death row, detainment and dire geopolitics cause onslaught of Canadian consular cases

Global Affairs Canada says deteriorating stability worldwide is causing a massive expansion in the work required to protect Canadians abroad, with the department warning Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand that Canadians might need to pay more and expect less. That’s according to the briefing binder prepared for Anand when she took on the role in […]

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Shifting global picture disrupted Canada’s national security strategy update: memo

The Liberal government’s efforts to revise Canada’s national security strategy hit a snag when it became clear earlier this year that many of the assumptions underlying the work were “no longer valid,” a newly released memo reveals. John Hannaford, the Privy Council clerk at the time, told Prime Minister Mark Carney in the memo that […]

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PM Carney directed ministers to map out their objectives for coming year

Prime Minister Mark Carney has asked each of his cabinet ministers and secretaries of state to identify three to five “key objectives” that will help the Liberal government achieve its core missions. In a July 8 letter, Carney gave the ministers and secretaries less than three weeks to map out these priorities for action over […]

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Newfoundland and Labrador uprooting unhoused people in rural areas, workers say

Front-line housing workers in central Newfoundland say the province is transporting local homeless people out of their communities to other towns with more services — sometimes buying them bus tickets all the way to the capital, St. John’s. Sherri Chippett in Grand Falls-Windsor says people needing housing in her area used to be able to […]

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B.C. tables new law on closed meetings between First Nations and municipalities

The president of the group representing local governments in British Columbia says she welcomes proposed changes that would make it easier for First Nations and municipalities to meet behind closed doors. Cori Ramsay, president of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, said her group and First Nations requested the changes, saying they give nations “the […]

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B.C. Conservative Leader Rustad confirms search of MLA phones to find leak

British Columbia’s Opposition Leader John Rustad confirms the cellphones of Conservative members were searched during a meeting this week to find a leak from inside his caucus.  Rustad said on Thursday the phones were searched by other members to “make sure that there was nothing that had gone out that was inappropriate.”  The search didn’t […]

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Minister open to changing bill that would give police easier access to personal data

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree says he is open to amending proposed border security legislation that would make it easier for police to obtain access to information about Canadians. Anandasangaree told a House of Commons committee Thursday he hopes that with the “right type of amendments,” the legislation — which has drawn fire from civil […]

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Liberals introduce second border bill as they look to pass some measures quickly

The Liberal government has split its border security bill in two in the hope of seeing some measures pass swiftly while giving Canadians more time to evaluate other, more contentious ones. Bill C-12, introduced Wednesday, includes several measures from a June bill to expand the Coast Guard’s role, tighten the immigration and refugee system, enhance […]

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