Mendicino: foreign-agent registry would need equity lens, could be part of 'tool box'

Mon, February 6, 2023 



OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino says a registry to track foreign agents operating in Canada can only be implemented in lockstep with diverse communities.

"There is a historical context when it comes to some communities within this country and their relationship with [security] agencies and the law-enforcement community," Mendicino told the House committee on Canada-China relations Monday evening.

"We need agencies to be inclusive, diverse, culturally sensitive."

Two months ago, the Liberals said they will eventually consult the public on the possible creation of a foreign agent registry, to prevent outside interference in Canadian affairs.

But the government has yet to formally launch that consultation.

The United States and Australia have public registries that require people advocating for a foreign state to register their activities, under penalty of fines or jail time.

Mendicino told the committee that Ottawa has to be careful to not isolate communities who have felt under the microscope of security agencies. He also told reporters after his testimony that Ottawa is taking the idea to its own advisory panels before soliciting public input.

"I wouldn’t describe it as a hesitation; I think we need to be diligent and thoughtful and inclusive, when it comes to bringing all Canadians along in the modernization of the tools and the arsenal that we create for our national security and intelligence communities," he told the committee.

Mendicino also told MPs a foreign agent registry alone would not drastically alter Canada's ability to detect and confront national-security threats, and would only be launched as part of "a tool box" of other measures.

"While there is attention to looking at each of the examples of tools we might consult on, including the foreign-agent registry, I would discourage the members of this committee from quickly concluding that any one of these in isolation will work by itself," he said.

Conservative public-safety critic Raquel Dancho accused the Liberals of stalling on launching a registry.

"Anything that is stopping it would just be an excuse at this point. I think any government that's operating through legitimate diplomatic relations in Canada should welcome an official registry," she said in an interview between witness testimony.

"That should be sort of the cost of doing business in Canada through diplomatic relations."

Mendicino appeared at the committee based on a request last October from MPs to have senior officials testify on three allegedly illegal police stations operating in the Greater Toronto Area.

Since then, advocates from the Spain-based civil-rights group Safeguard Defenders have alleged China is running two other police stations in Canada, including one in Vancouver.

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki told MPs that Mounties are only aware of four alleged police stations and that officers have attended the Toronto-area locations in uniforms to gather information and be seen.

She believes that has yielded tips from the public, and noted that at least one of the apparent police stations seemed to have operated in the backroom of a commercial business.

But officials declined to answer numerous questions from MPs about these so-called police stations, such as whether Canadians had alleged being harassed or detained by them.

"Anything that we've learned with respect to the alleged police stations themselves is not something I’m going to be able to comment on," RCMP Chief Supt. Matt Peggs testified.

Lucki noted that no one has been charged in connection with the stations, and suggested the public would be informed if that was the case.

Similarly, Mendicino said the public would be made aware if any diplomats had been ordered to leave Canada in relation to the issue.

THE ONLY NON TORY MP IN ALBERTA

Yet NDP foreign-affairs critic Heather McPherson questioned how police are handling tips from communities who allege they're being targeted by foreign countries.

The Edmonton MP said constituents who are Uyghur or originating from Hong Kong have reported being passed between the RCMP, local police and an RCMP-run hotline, and that local police seem unaware how to handle the reports.

"We’re hearing a very different story from people who are living in these communities," McPherson said.

Monday's meeting followed the appearance of a Chinese balloon that drifted over Canadian territory before it was spotted over the skies of Montana, leading opposition parties to ask why Ottawa didn't alert Canadians earlier.

Mendicino and senior officials would not share information about how they first learned about the incident and whether they would inform the public differently if a similar event occurred.

Meanwhile, Conservative foreign-affairs critic Michael Chong pressed the government to ban China state broadcaster CGTN from Canadian airwaves for broadcasting forced confessions.

He noted that the Liberals have directed the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to consider banning Russia Today, which the regulator opted to do shortly after.

"As a government, we endeavour to respect the independence of those bodies rather than to politicize those decisions," Mendicino responded.

Chong argued the entire meeting showed a lack of transparency from the government on matters of national security, and that this sows distrust.

Last November, the federal Liberals unveiled their Indo-Pacific strategy, which calls for stronger ties with countries other than China to counterbalance Beijing's approach to human rights and trade.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2023.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press

Federal government not protecting Parliament Hill interpreters: tribunal

Mon, February 6, 2023



OTTAWA — The federal government has been found in breach of the labour code for failing to protect Parliament Hill interpreters from workplace injuries.

On Feb. 1, a health and safety officer with the federal Labour Program ruled in favour of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees. The union had argued the Translation Bureau was not adequately protecting employees who are working in hybrid settings.

“The employer did not ensure the protection of its employees with regard to health and safety by not ensuring that, during meetings with simultaneous interpretation, the work of interpretation would be done only when virtual participants wear a microphone that complies with ISO (regulatory) standards,” reads the French-language ruling.

Experts have told Parliament that the staff who translate meetings between English and French are being put at risk of injury because they are straining to hear some voices and are exposed to sudden, loud noises.

Last October, a parliamentary interpreter was sent to the hospital with acoustic shock during a Senate committee meeting in which the chair did not enforce rules requiring remote participants to wear headsets.

So many interpreters were placed on injury leave last year that the department hired contract workers to make up for the staff shortages.

The union filed a formal complaint a year ago, leading to a Jan. 30 inspection of the Translation Bureau’s offices and last week's ruling.

The tribunal gave Public Services and Procurement Canada until Monday to ensure committee witnesses are wearing the correct headset, and to report on steps taken by Feb. 15.

Meanwhile, the department has until March 1 to examine its equipment and report back to the tribunal.

“Random tests must be carried out in a real work situation by a qualified person, and the employer must implement the (resulting) recommendations in order to ensure that the system is safe for the auditory system of its employees,” reads a tribunal order, in French.

The department can appeal those orders within a month, but a spokeswoman suggested it will follow the ruling.

"In collaboration with its partners, the Translation Bureau will follow these instructions, which are in line with efforts already in place to protect interpreters," Stéfanie Hamel wrote in an email.

"The number of health and safety incidents linked to sound quality has increased since the pandemic made virtual and hybrid meetings commonplace."

The department said it's acknowledged the issue and taken steps such as making sure a technician is always present and reducing working hours for virtual sittings without affecting interpreters' pay.

House and Senate committee chairs are supposed to ensure that those attending virtually, including both testifying witnesses and participating parliamentarians, are using a headset with a microphone wand.

Both chambers also reimburse remote witnesses for the purchase of an appropriate headset.

Yet the union's vice-president for translation roles says the issue has persisted because committee chairs are still letting guests, MPs and Senators participate when they ignore the rules.

"We want the health and safety of our members, the interpreters, to be protected, by following the directives," André Picotte said in an interview.

He was concerned by the labour tribunal's decision to order tests during sittings instead of examining the issue without exposing staff to possible risks.

"We are afraid that there will still be incidents where the interpreters will be wounded and their hearing is affected, and that's not acceptable," said Picotte, who has been a Translation Bureau interpreter since 1987.

He said the issue isn't people sitting in the Senate or Commons chambers, and there are generally few problems with MPs or Senators joining the chamber proceedings virtually.

But he said an issue persists with committee meetings when people participate remotely. Some have testified with substandard earbuds or even laptop microphones.

A Translation Bureau statement from March 2022 notes that "interpreters have the directive to interrupt the service if the working conditions endanger their health."

But Picotte said the onus has to be on Translation Bureau officials and not individual interpreters.

"It is intimidating. Those interpreters work with the MPs, so telling them to their face that we'll cease the services can create friction," he said.

"It is embarrassing for the interpreters."

Last week, the House procedure committee issued a report calling for hybrid sittings of Parliament to continue, in part to help MPs balance parliamentary, family and constituency duties.

The report called on House administration to investigate how other parliaments have maintained a lower injury rate among interpreters, examine the safety supports available and find ways to better recruit and retain interpreters.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2023.

Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press

First Nations, B.C. groups launch coalition to save Pacific salmon from extinction

Mon, February 6, 2023 



VANCOUVER — A leader with the First Nations Fisheries Council of B.C. says collaboration, not politics, will be the only thing that saves dwindling Pacific salmon populations.

Jordan Point says salmon runs in B.C. are collapsing and extinction is not an option.

The council is joining with the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance, the Pacific Salmon Foundation, the First Nations Summit and the Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance to find solutions.

The coalition says Pacific salmon populations have declined by more than 90 per cent since the 1970s and warns that if the stock collapses, other species — like southern resident killer whales, whose diet is primarily salmon — are also at risk of extinction.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada has said many salmon stocks are declining to historic lows due to the effects of climate change, habitat loss and other threats.

Mike Meneer, CEO of the Pacific Salmon Foundation, says in a news release that the first step is to create a collaborative plan to rebuild wild stocks and help them adapt to climate change.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2023.

The Canadian Press

$28 billion may not be enough to fix Canada's ailing health-care system: Analyst

Mon, February 6, 2023 

Provinces say the federal government only pays 22 per cent of health care costs, a claim Ottawa rejects. (Chris Young/Canadian Press - image credit)

As Canadian premiers head to Ottawa hoping to secure an additional $28 billion in federal funding to resuscitate Canada's ailing health-care system, one analyst says money alone won't save the system.

"If you don't invest it in change as opposed to temporarily patching the crack, we will find ourselves in the same boat five years from now," said Steven Lewis, a health policy analyst and adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University.

"Is this primarily a money or capacity problem, or are we doing something fundamentally wrong with how we organize health care?"

On Tuesday, Canadian premiers are set to meet with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

They want Ottawa to increase the Canada Health Transfer to provinces by $28 billion, which they say would bring Ottawa's share of heath-care funding to 35 per cent from 22 per cent. Currently Ottawa transfers $45.2 billion to provinces for health care spending.

Ottawa says when tax points transferred to the provinces in 1977 are included, the federal share is closer to 38 per cent.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told reporters prior to departing for Ottawa Sunday that the money is needed to help sustain initiatives in the provincial health-care system aimed at reducing surgery wait times and adding as many as 200 addictions treatment beds.

"I'm hoping to see a deal done, if not today, in the very near future," Moe said.

"I think the expectations that the public can have is that the investments that are being made today in province after province will be sustainable then into the future."

Money alone won't fix it: Lewis

But Lewis said Ottawa has upped its funding contributions for health care in the past with mixed results.

"Everyone agrees something needs to be improved. The question is whether the money is going to improve it a lot and there are some historical reasons to suggest money alone won't."

Ottawa added "enormous amounts of money" to federal health transfers between 2000 and 2004 with little long-term benefit Lewis said.

Government of Canada

Then in 2004, the provinces and Ottawa agreed on an annual six per cent escalator to transfer payments over 10 years, which also failed to fix the system, Lewis said.

"We still find ourselves with five to six million Canadians without a medical home or a regular source of primary care."

Lewis said Canada has more family doctors than ever before, but many have closed their costly practices and are instead working as hospitalists or in walk-in-clinics — which leaves patients without a primary physician.

If Ottawa agrees to the premier's funding request, it should come with conditions aimed at structural changes to the system, Lewis said.

He recommended moving to a "teams approach" for health care, which would bring several doctors and disciplines into one setting and give patients access to a full complement of care.

"Until we start looking at those systemic problems and figuring out how to improve the flow of patients through the system — and particularly how to serve people who are waiting a dangerously long period — then there may not be any long-term fix to this problem."

Nahanni Butte, N.W.T., explores potential for geothermal district heating

Mon, February 6, 2023

Nahɂą Dehé Dene Band Office in Nahanni Butte on June 11, 2022. The community is investigating the potential for geothermal district heating. (Liny Lamberink/CBC - image credit)

The small First Nation in Nahanni Butte, N.W.T., is exploring the potential for a district heating system powered by geothermal energy, thanks to studies that show high potential in the area.

Jason Collard is the CEO of Gonezu Energy. The company has been working with the Nahɂą Dehé Dene since 2020, with support from the Dehcho First Nations. The first phase was securing funding through the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program.

"The role that Gonezu energy is playing in this is to provide information to the Indigenous governments so that they are aware of the resources on their land," said Collard.

He said then those governments could make informed decisions if they decide to tap the resource.

"Based on previous studies there appears to be a high degree of geothermal favourability," said Collard of Nahanni Butte.

For the next phase, the group is working with Terrapin Geothermics Inc. to analyze and confirm the geothermal potential, and to design a district heating system.

Liny Lamberink/CBC

Geothermal energy in this context refers to the high temperatures found deep underground which can be tapped into directly for heat, or converted into energy.

Terrapin discovered that the Government of Northwest Territories was decommissioning and abandoning the oil wells in the Cameron Hills area, which lies southeast of Nahanni Butte. Using these wells would give the group an opportunity to test the geothermal potential.

"In the decommissioning of the wells they'll be going down to a certain depths that will allow them to do temperature logs and gamma logs that will paint a more accurate picture of the geothermal resource in the region," said Collard.

They plan to add temperature and gamma tools to the other logging activities that will be carried out before plugging and abandoning the wells.

'We can still do our part'

Kele Antoine is the chief of Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation (LKFN) which is a part of the Dehcho First Nations. He said he supports his neighbouring community's plan.

"If we are sitting on the largest geothermal anomaly in Canada, we should at least be trying to see what we can do with it," said Antoine.

He said once that data is compiled, they'll decide on whether to proceed to a feasibility study. One of the biggest concerns is the cost of introducing geothermal energy to the region.

But Antoine said cost is a small-picture concern.

It's not just about powering a small community Antoine said, it's about "the opportunities that could come, the industry that can be attracted to something like this."

He said the more they learn about renewable energy and energy efficiency the more impact they can have on the environment, and climate change

"We can still do our part," he said.

Collard said the research study should take about a year to complete but the results of the study will benefit the regional Indigenous and community governments, and Indigenous community members in the region. Once that is done the findings of the research will be open-source and accessible to everyone.

Yukon, N.W.T. MPs say federal climbdown on firearms bill was 'the right thing to do'

Mon, February 6, 2023 

N.W.T. MP Michael McLeod, left, and Yukon MP Brendan Hanley are both members of the Liberal Party who opposed the federal government's proposed amendments to Bill C-21.

 (Jenna Dulewich/CBC, Vincent Bonnay/Radio-Canada - image credit)

Yukon MP Brendan Hanley and N.W.T. MP Michael McLeod say they're happy the federal government has backed down on proposed amendments to a firearms bill that would have banned some rifles commonly used for hunting.

Last week, the federal government announced it was withdrawing the amendments. In interviews with CBC on Monday, the two MPs — both of whom are members of the Liberal Party — each claimed a role in that decision.

"I think that the fact that [Public Safety Minister Marco] Mendicino came to the Yukon, I think that really made a difference — in addition to other comments, of course, but the fact that he could come and hear directly from people, I think, really started to make an impact," Hanley said.

"I think this was the right thing to do."

McLeod said he brought his concerns to the minister's office about the bill.

"I was pretty clear with him. I said, 'Look, my vote is not automatic — there's too many concerns here,'" McLeod said. "Having safer communities is one thing, but the process of getting there is also important."

The bill in question, Bill C-21, was originally meant to address gun smuggling, the sale of handguns and the revocation of licences for domestic abusers. The withdrawn amendments were widely panned by hunters, sport shooters, farmers and other groups as targeting legal and traditional activities many rely on to feed themselves.

On Friday, Mendicino said the government still wants to pursue amendments allowing a ban on firearms "designed for the battlefield" that aren't used in other activities.

Hanley said there needs to be more work done on creating a definition for "assault-style" firearms — a term the government has often used but hasn't defined. He said he also wants to see more consultation with Indigenous groups.

He added it "takes some courage" for the government to back off and admit it made a mistake.

"Clearly, this hasn't gone away, but there definitely is a pause to say, 'OK, we need to do a better job of listening to the concerns,'" Hanley said.

McLeod said he doesn't want to see the bill disappear altogether because he supports red flag laws and cracking down on gun smuggling.

He said his recommendation from the beginning has been to come up with a way to measure what an "assault" weapon is, though his suggestions haven't borne fruit.

"[We'll] have to wait to see what they come back with, and we're going to be watching closely to make sure they don't include guns that affect our hunters," he said.

First Nation leaders vow legal fight against Manitoba's plan to auction Crown land

Mon, February 6, 2023 

A coalition of Indigenous leaders said on Monday there will be legal action taken against the province because they say land that should be offered to First Nations will be auctioned off this week instead.

“The process of selling excess Crown lands in options sales goes against the Treaty and the constitutional rights of our First Nations communities,” Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) Grand Chief Garrison Settee said during a Monday morning press conference in Winnipeg.

Settee, along with Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) Grand Chief Cathy Merrick, Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) Grand Chief Jerry Daniels, and Island Lake Tribal Council (ILTC) Grand Chief Scott Harper expressed their anger with the province for their plans to hold an auction of Crown lands that was set to begin on Monday and run until Friday of this week.

The leaders said that they were also giving “notice” that they intend to “initiate legal proceedings to protect the traditional and ancestral lands of First Nations in Manitoba.”

Settee said that under agreements made in the Numbered Treaties, every effort should be made to “return” that land to First Nations people and communities.

“I fail to see the reconciliation act of this process. It is a blatant disregard to our people, their lands, and their territories,” Settee said.

“We cannot let this go on without us standing in direct opposition to this process, because it is an atrocity.”

Merrick said, “First Nations in Manitoba will take legal action to enforce our inherent Treaty rights which are being eroded and infringed by this government’s actions.”

No specific information was given on Monday regarding what legal actions might now be taken by any organizations or communities.

According to Daniels, many First Nations are currently in “crisis” because of the levels of poverty in many of those communities, and he said acquiring land could be valuable in working to better those conditions.

“We see the deteriorating social and economic conditions of our citizens, and we do not see leaders in government willing to rise to the occasion,” Daniels said. “And that reflects negligence and a complete lack of leadership.

“Indigenous people have to be successful, and to be successful we need to have our lands returned to us because it represents a great deal of value to us and wealth to us, and all of those things are part of the solution to changing those social-economic conditions.”

He said First Nations do not plan to continue “waiting” for land to be returned to them under what he said are legal agreements.

“We’re in an era where many of our communities have been waiting a very long time to have lands returned, and we have been side-tracked by all sorts of legal impediments to having our lands returned back to our nations,” Daniels said.

“I’m not sure how long they think we will wait.”

Last week the province denied any accusations that land that is legally available to First Nations was not offered up to them first, as a provincial spokesperson told the Winnipeg Sun on Friday that not all land being put up for sale this week is subject to the Treaty Land Entitlement (TLE) Program, but any that is subject to TLE was already offered to First Nations.

“We can confirm the Treaty Land Entitlement consultation process was followed, noting that less than 50% of the parcels up for auction are subject to the TLE process,” the spokesperson said in an email.

“Per that process, notice was given to First Nations within the TLE community interest zone, 120 days in advance, and 30 days online notice with list of parcels.

“Our government is committed to ongoing dialogue with First Nations leadership regarding resource management and the use and allocation of Crown lands.”

— Dave Baxter is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Winnipeg Sun. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.

Dave Baxter, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Winnipeg Sun

Why the drug poisoning crisis in B.C. won't be addressed by the new decriminalization policy

Samuel Tobias, PhD Student, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia
Mon, February 6, 2023 

On the same day that British Columbia began a new era in drug policy with the decriminalization of simple possession of some drugs, the province’s chief coroner provided a devastating update about the number of lives lost to illicit drugs during the previous year.

On Jan. 31, 2023, B.C. began a three-year pilot project under which simple possession of some drugs (opioids, methamphetamine, cocaine and MDMA) can no longer lead to criminal prosecution or even seizure of the drugs by police. The policy applies to possession of up to 2.5 grams of substance for personal use.

While a major step in the right direction, decriminalization does nothing to tackle what is fuelling the drug-poisoning crisis: the makeup of a toxic and unregulated drug supply.

In fact, imposed carry restrictions of 2.5 grams could theoretically lead to unintended consequences as drugs become more potent to fit within legal limits.

The stated goal of the decriminalization policy change is to remove the stigma associated with drug use to encourage people to seek help when they need it.

While the effects that decriminalization may have on the stigma of drug use remain to be seen, what it won’t affect is the toxicity of the drug supply that is killing thousands of Canadians each year.
Inconsistent and unreliable drug supply

Chemical analysis of drugs (such as from drug checking or police investigations) can tell us what is circulating in the supply, but toxicology results from those who have died from overdoses tell us what is actually causing death.

These data sources describe how increases in adulteration of drugs with fentanyl analogues, benzodiazepines and animal tranquilizers like xylazine are driving the drug poisoning crisis.

Fentanyl has been the main opioid sold on the unregulated market for several years. It is typically sold mixed into other powders like caffeine or sugars to make a final product.

Drug supply monitoring has shown that fentanyl concentration in these powders sold on the street can range from zero to nearly 100 per cent, with a standard sample in B.C. being around 10–15 per cent.

Research conducted in Vancouver has described how fentanyl concentration in these samples was somewhat consistent between 2018 and early 2020, with variability between samples even decreasing over that period. What that may speak to is producers of fentanyl reaching a sort of “sweet spot” that satisfies their customers. People who sell drugs have described how they listen to feedback from their regulars and adjust the product to meet their customers’ needs.

However, following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, variation in potency between fentanyl samples rose dramatically, leading to further unpredictability. These changes to the fentanyl supply around the spring of 2020 coincided with rates of drug poisonings previously not seen in the province.

Under B.C.’s decriminalization framework, possession for personal use caps at 2.5 grams of substance. While 2.5 grams may be more than enough MDMA for a night out, it may not be enough heroin to last a single day for someone who has a high opioid tolerance. People who use drugs say that to abide by these limits, they will be forced to make more frequent, smaller purchases. With the drug supply as volatile and unpredictable as it is, every new purchase puts someone at risk.
Legal limit may affect potency

Since we know that the drug supply is dynamic, it raises a question: Will the imposed legal carry limit of 2.5 grams result in increased potency of fentanyl to fit within the new 2.5-gram threshold?

Increases in average potency of fentanyl has been shown to be linked to increased drug poisonings in the same geographic area. If the unregulated fentanyl market adjusts to fit more active ingredient into a smaller package, there will be downstream effects on people lives.

An advocate holds a sign at a demonstration in Victoria in April 2022. Decriminalization alone may have little effect on drug deaths without changes to the addiction treatment system. 

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

The provincial and federal governments have committed to a data-driven approach to decriminalization. Ongoing drug supply monitoring will help public health professionals characterize what changes occur to the unregulated drug supply as a result of the policy change. Yet the act of decriminalizing drugs for personal use does not have any direct effect on the cause of the ongoing poisoning crisis.

The consensus among experts has consistently pointed to unpredictable drugs from an unregulated supply and the absence of a functioning addiction treatment system. For those who want to seek treatment, the lack of available space leaves people waiting, once again left to rely on the toxic drug supply.

If B.C. is serious about confronting the leading cause of unnatural death in the province, it is going to take far more than decriminalizing simple drug possession. People who use drugs require an alternative to the toxic unregulated supply to not be risking their lives every time they use drugs.

Increasing access to a safer supply of drugs through a variety of formats and providing meaningful funding for accessible treatment options are some examples of ways the province can take immediate steps to make an impact.

In the meantime, six more people will die today from a drug poisoning in B.C. And another six will die tomorrow. How many more days can this go on?

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. 

It was written by: Samuel Tobias, University of British Columbia.

Read more:

Decriminalizing hard drugs in B.C. follows decades of public health advocacy

Decriminalizing drug use is a necessary step, but it won’t end the opioid overdose crisis

We're looking at the ways out of addiction in Alberta. Read what we've discovered so far

Mon, February 6, 2023 

The Calgary Police Service tests drugs to see what is circulating in the community. This package shows the presence of fentanyl. (James Young/CBC - image credit)

CBC

CBC Calgary launched a week-long series Monday exploring the people and the policymakers searching for The Way Out of Addiction in Alberta.

It explores recovery, harm reduction and access to safe supply. It also tells the stories of the people impacted.

If there was something that touched you, or an angle the team missed or you have another story to share relating to addictions, we're listening.

CBC Calgary wants that feedback. We're asking if you might put it in this form so we don't lose any of it.

Meantime, if you missed any part of our series, please find the links to each article below.

Why an Alberta lawyer is pushing back on part of the province's new addictions strategy

Sam Martin/CBC

The provincial government has changed the rules around who can prescribe high-potency, short-acting opioids like hydromorphone.

So 21-year-old Ophelia Black has sued the province. Her lawyer is Avnish Nanda.

Once homeless and addicted to drugs, the premier's chief of staff leads the province's opioid response

Alberta wants to become the Canadian epicentre of the treatment and recovery movement. And the man behind the movement is Marshall Smith.

Once addicted to drugs and homeless, he now has the ear of politicians across the country.

Calgary woman sues province to maintain access to drug she says has saved her from overdose

Judy Aldous/CBC

A 21-year-old Calgary woman is suing the Alberta government to maintain access to her prescription for a high-potency opioid, which she says has saved her from overdosing on street drugs.

Share your thoughts regarding The Way Out: Addiction in Alberta

CBC

We've documented the fundamental shift that Alberta is taking in the way addictions are treated in this province.

Will it help or hurt?

As we continue to tell these stories, we want to hear from you. Tell us what you think of the stories you read or heard. And do you have an experience of your own to share?

‘We’re in hell’: Horrified critics share video of Marjorie Taylor Greene presiding over the House

Gustaf Kilander
Tue, February 7, 2023 



Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene briefly presided over the House to the horror of her critics.

A video of Ms Greene wielding the speaker’s gavel went viral on Monday night as she momentarily replaced Kevin McCarthy, taking on the role of speaker pro tempore.

“I could get used to this…” the far-right lawmaker declared on Twitter.

Her critics, however, expressed the opposite sentiment, summed up with one comment: “We’re in hell.”

Speaker pro tempore is a temporary position and often changes hands as representatives do certain tasks when the speaker isn’t on the floor of the House.

It is a position of no real power and can be done by any member of the majority in the House, but Ms Greene’s appearance in the speaker’s chair reveals that the Republican Party might be moving in her direction, making her less of a fringe politician and more of a mainstream member of the party.

Last month, after helping Mr McCarthy become speaker on the 15th vote, Ms Greene was placed on the Oversight and Accountability and the Homeland Security committees.

This came two years after she was removed from her committees as a reaction to her extreme posts on social media.

Footage shared on Twitter of Ms Greene wielding the gavel has been viewed more than a million times.

“This makes me physically ill,” comedian Kiki Melendez tweeted.

”From 9-11 truther, Sandy Hook false flag conspiracy theorist, Jewish Space Laser anti-semitism, Q-anon kookery, pro-insurrectionist, election denier, MAGA extremist quack to now presiding over House proceedings. Marjorie Taylor Greene IS the mainstream GOP. We WARNED you,” Tara Setmayer, a Lincoln Project adviser, wrote.

The comedy duo The Good Liars shared a clip of Ms Greene “saying she believes Ruth Bader Ginsberg was replaced with a body double”.

Progressive political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen tweeted “Marjorie Taylor Greene is now presiding over the United States House of Representatives. This is who Republicans put in charge”.

Responding to Ms Greene’s “I could get used to this”–tweet, Mr Cohen added that “Marjorie Taylor Greene is relishing in presiding over Congress and suggests she wants to be Speaker full-time”.

“If this doesn’t chill your blood to the core and wake Americans TF up, I honestly don’t know what will,” Ryan Wiggins of the Lincoln Project wrote.

David Rothkopf said it was time to “weep for the republic”.

Gun safety advocate Fred Guttenberg said, “this would be a great time for a ‘Jew-ish’ space laser”.

Columnist Tom Eblen said the “inmates” are “now running the asylum”.

“This is the QAnon-embracing, insurrectionist-sympathizing face of the Republican Party. Nice job, guys,” Rex Huppke added.

“My god. It’s really difficult to imagine how we can sink any lower. This is GOP leadership. School shooting denier. Jewish space lasers. Q believer,” Nathan Quarry said.

“This is right up there with rioter’s feces as the greatest desecration in history of this hallowed seat of democracy,” Professor Michael Mann tweeted.

Conservatives want auditor general to probe McKinsey contracts

Mon, February 6, 2023

Conservative Treasury Board critic Stephanie Kusie looks on as Conservative international development critic Garnett Genuis speaks with media in the foyer of the House of Commons on February 6, 2023 in Ottawa. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press - image credit)

The federal Conservatives are calling on the auditor general to probe the government's use of consulting firm McKinsey for outside advice — a company the Tories say deserves close scrutiny because of its past ties to China and the opioid crisis.

McKinsey has received more than $100 million in government contracts over the last seven years — much more than the firm received when former prime minister Stephen Harper was in office.

The public service has been relying more on outsider advisers as it navigates policy challenges, such as the mounting immigration backlog.

McKinsey was retained to help on this file and others, but some public servants have questioned the value of their work.

The company's past ties to Dominic Barton, the firm's former global managing director and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's former ambassador to China, has also been a source of controversy.

The government procurement process is carried out by civil servants, not politicians, but the Conservatives maintain something is amiss.

Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, Conservative MP Garnett Genuis said McKinsey has been involved in "so many scandals around the world." He pointed to its past work with Purdue Pharma, a company that aggressively sold opioids, and authoritarian regimes like China and Saudi Arabia.

"So far, the Liberals have disclosed at least $120 million in contracts to McKinsey, an enormous amount of money that keeps rising. Yet despite this huge price tag, media reports have quoted senior public servants who say they have no idea what McKinsey did in return for these contracts," Genuis said.

"Canadians deserve answers. They deserve answers not simply on how much of their money was spent, but what exactly their money was spent on and what value they got from these contracts."

While Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has tried to depict Barton as a close personal friend of the prime minister, Barton told a Commons committee probing the contracts last week that the two men are merely acquaintances and have no meaningful relationship.

Barton also insisted he had no involvement in any contracts granted to McKinsey over the past few decades.

"I had no involvement whatsoever in any awarding of paid work to McKinsey by the federal government since I relocated to Asia in 1996," he told the committee.

Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek has said the government is doing a "full review" of the McKinsey contracts to ensure they align with all Treasury Board policies and directives.

Genuis said that isn't good enough.

"We don't believe Liberals can be trusted to investigate other Liberals," he said. "We're asking the auditor general to come in and do this investigation."

Auditor General Karen Hogan ultimately will decide whether to probe the contracts. While parliamentarians can request an investigation, it's Hogan who makes the final call.

Asked why the AG should focus on McKinsey when other firms get a lot more federal money for similar work, Genuis said Barton's past connections to the government — he also also served on former finance minister Bill Morneau's advisory council on economic growth — demand a closer look.

The NDP is interested in reviewing the government's increasing reliance on outside firms — not just McKinsey.

The party says it also wants to review all contracts handed to Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Accenture, KPMG and Ernst & Young.

"Canadians are really upset to see that the Liberal government has given hundreds of millions of dollars to a private company instead of letting Canada's public service do the jobs we hired them to do," said Gord Johns, the party's procurement critic.

"We have a competent public service that could be doing this work, but the federal Liberals would rather fund his wealthy consultant friends. We need to get to the bottom of how much money has been spent in contracting with private companies, outside of McKinsey, under both the Liberals and Conservatives."

McKinsey doesn't meet criteria for banning company from federal contracts: bureaucrat




OTTAWA — The deputy minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada says the federal government's ethics rules do not disqualify consulting firm McKinsey & Company from doing business with the federal government despite scrutiny of the firm's global track record.

Paul Thompson is answering questions about the firm's government contracts at a House of Commons committee this afternoon.

He says a Canadian company would be barred from federal contracts if one of its affiliates has been convicted of a crime which is not the case for McKinsey.

The company has faced scrutiny for its work around the world, including its alleged involvement in the opioid crisis in the U.S. and its work with authoritarian governments.

The House of Commons government operations committee is digging into contracts awarded to McKinsey since 2011 following media reports showing a rapid increase in the company's federal contracts under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government.

The government says McKinsey has received at least $116.8 million in federal contracts since 2015.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 6, 2023.