National

National


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,” […]

Read More


‘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 […]

Read More


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 […]

Read More


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 […]

Read More


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 […]

Read More


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 […]

Read More


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. […]

Read More


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 […]

Read More


Assault Style Firearm Buyback Program Still Hazy At The Edges

The assault style firearms ban that came into effect in Canada on May 1, 2020, has been highly controversial since its inception and implementation. Proponents of the ban say that it is a necessary step in protecting Canadians from gun violence, whereas those opposed to the ban insist that it has been an overly heavy-handed […]

Read More


First Nations say Alberta’s oilsands mine security reform unlikely to fix problems

EDMONTON — Alberta is preparing to change how it ensures oilsands companies are able to pay for the mammoth job of cleaning up their operations, but critics fear a year of consultations hasn’t been enough to avoid repeating past mistakes. “There’s no signal to me from this government that they are going to hold industry […]

Read More


Home Depot gave personal data to Meta without valid customer consent: watchdog

OTTAWA — Retailer Home Depot shared details from electronic receipts with Meta, which owns the social media platform Facebook, without the knowledge or consent of customers, the federal privacy watchdog has found. In a report released Thursday, privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne said the data included encoded email addresses and in-store purchase information. The commissioner’s investigation […]

Read More


Impersonators posing as homeowners linked to 32 fraud cases in Ontario and B.C.

Mortgage and title fraudsters who impersonate homeowners and tenants have targeted at least 32 properties in Ontario and British Columbia, investigators and official warnings suggest. Insurance investigator Brian King, president and CEO of King International Advisory Group, said his firm had received 30 such claims in Ontario. They include six instances of “total title fraud” […]

Read More