National

National


Political spin on election interference helps China undermine democracies: Trudeau

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says members of Parliament who put a political spin on foreign election interference are helping China undermine Canadians’ confidence in their democracy. He says playing “political games” to get a partisan advantage will undermine people’s trust in their institutions, and will only assist the efforts of countries like Russia […]

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China, Russia targeting Canada’s artificial intelligence know how, CSIS warns

OTTAWA — Canada’s spy service warns that adversaries will turn to espionage and foreign interference tactics to target the country’s increasingly important artificial-intelligence sector. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service says in a newly released analytical brief that countries including China and Russia can be expected to “pursue Canada’s AI through all available vectors” — from state-sponsored investment […]

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Trudeau government mum on Japan’s invitation to rejoin global timber treaty

OTTAWA — The federal Liberal government has yet to respond to a months-old invitation from Tokyo to have Canada rejoin a global environmental organization that regulates the timber trade. A July 2022 briefing note obtained through an access-to-information request shows that Japan has asked Ottawa to be part of the International Tropical Timber Organization. The group […]

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MPs ask CSIS to help them spot foreign interference

OTTAWA — Some members of Parliament say they have no idea how to spot foreign interference, as Canada’s spy agency warns that all elected officials are targets for hostile states. “There is not clarity, quite frankly, around what MPs and their parties can do to protect themselves,” NDP MP Rachel Blaney told CSIS officials on […]

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From Star Wars to swordfish ‘sensitivities,’ here’s why the government deletes tweets

OTTAWA — When it comes to government information, there is no shortage of sensitive matters. As it turns out, a “fun fact” about ocean critters is on the list. Fisheries and Oceans Canada tweeted about the parasites that plague swordfish last November. Two days later, the tweet was deleted. The reason? “Sensitivities about the parasites,” […]

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‘These are real people’: NDP MP slams Correctional Service Canada over systemic racism

Blake Desjarlais laboured to steady his voice. On Thursday, the NDP MP for Edmonton Griesbach spoke at a public accounts committee meeting after the release of an auditor general’s report on systemic barriers facing prisoners in federal jails. “(Correctional Service Canada) acknowledged in November 2020 that systemic racism is present in the correctional system; it’s […]

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Indigo cyberattack highlights mounting prevalence, sophistication of hackers: Experts

A cybersecurity incident stretched into its fifth day at Indigo Books & Music Inc. on Monday, illuminating the growing risk of cyberattacks on Canadian companies and consumers. The ongoing outage of the bookstore’s website serves as a warning of the mounting dangers facing organizations and individuals online, experts say. “These attacks are becoming more prevalent and more […]

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Indigo latest target in string of cyberattacks on Canadian businesses

A cybersecurity incident that knocked Indigo Books & Music Inc.’s website and electronic payment systems offline is the latest in a string of cyberattacks experts say are increasingly targeting Canadian businesses. “It’s really turned into the Wild West out there and companies are struggling,” Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point Canada, said in an interview […]

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Ottawa spending $2M for international commission to offer advice on unmarked graves

Ottawa is spending $2 million for an international organization to provide Indigenous communities with options for identifying possible human remains buried near former residential school sites. The office of Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said in a statement Tuesday it is signing a technical agreement with the International Commission on Missing Persons. Based at The […]

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Canada under pressure to ban deep sea mining as global ocean summit starts in Vancouver

Canada is under increasing pressure to declare a moratorium on seabed mining just as federal leaders are set to host an international marine conservation summit. More than 700 international scientists and a multitude of environmental organizations are calling on Canada to ban the search for deep-sea minerals in its own waters and show global leadership […]

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Should mandatory minimum sentencing exist? Supreme Court rulings highlight ongoing debate

A trio of Supreme Court decisions Friday overturned one rule on mandatory minimum sentencing but upheld two others, highlighting Canada’s ongoing debate on how to approach the contentious topic. The four-year mandatory minimum sentence for firing a gun at a house was deemed unconstitutional, with the court ruling it amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. […]

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Supreme Court agrees to rule on independence of Canadian military’s judges

OTTAWA — The Supreme Court has agreed to wade into a landmark legal battle over whether Canada’s military judges, who are responsible for overseeing dozens of courts martial every year, are truly independent. The top court announced its decision on Thursday following requests from several service members whose criminal cases have been on hold. As […]

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