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The federal government is facing a barrage of legal cases related to its backlog of immigration applications, which has led to slower processing times and plenty of frustration for those waiting years on a decision.
Ottawa is ramping up its intake of immigrants, which it says is crucial to fuelling economic growth and alleviating labour shortages. However, some of its moves to boost immigration have led to significant processing delays, affecting applicants that include skilled workers who are highly sought after by employers.
In search of resolutions, more people are turning to the courts. Slightly more than 800 mandamus applications against Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada were filed in the 2021-22 fiscal year, an increase of 465 per cent from 143 applications in 2019-20.
In this 2017 file photo, immigrants attend a citizenship ceremony in Vancouver.Rafal Gerszak/The Globe and Mail
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Danielle Smith unveils sovereignty act in attempt to shield Alberta from federal laws
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith introduced her proposed sovereignty act yesterday, a bill that would give her cabinet far greater powers than she promised, including the ability to rewrite laws and order government agencies, police, cities and universities to disregard federal legislation.
Passing the act would fulfill a pledge Smith made during her leadership bid, when she campaigned on defending Alberta’s interests against a meddling Ottawa.
The bill would allow the legislature to identify federal measures – including proposals that have not yet been enacted – that are unconstitutional or “harmful” to Alberta. The act does not define what constitutes harm.
- Kelly Cryderman: Danielle Smith’s sovereignty act has come bigger and more undemocratic than advertised
- Opinion: Danielle Smith’s walk has not matched her talk as Alberta’s premier
- Former Alberta premier Jason Kenney resigns legislature seat
RBC to buy HSBC’s Canadian operations for $13.5-billion in biggest domestic banking deal on record
Royal Bank of Canada is buying HSBC Bank Canada for $13.5-billion, bolstering RBC’s position as the country’s largest bank with a deal that could reshape its competitive position against rivals as it looks to grab a greater share of new customers.
The transaction, which was announced yesterday, is one Canadian banks have been eyeing for years. HSBC Canada, a subsidiary of Britain-based giant HSBC Holdings PLC, has strengths in commercial lending and mortgages and has been consistently profitable. As the seventh-largest bank in the country by assets, it is the last domestic acquisition target for the Big Six banks that has enough market share in deposits and loans to make a real competitive difference.
If approved, the deal would extend RBC’s lead over competitor banks by tens of billions of dollars in both loans and deposits. And, by winning the bidding for HSBC Canada, RBC has snatched from its smaller rivals one of the few remaining chances for them to catch up in assets and scale through an acquisition.
- Analysis: How RBC pulled off its highly-coveted $13.5-billion deal for HSBC Canada — with some unintended help from Ottawa
- Royal Bank of Canada deal for HSBC Canada faces high regulatory, political hurdles
Why Quebec’s family doctor crisis is the worst in Canada
Lucie Deschamps and her husband, Gaëtan Vallée, had suspected for a while that their family doctor might stop working because he was in his 70s, though he smiled and remained vague whenever they asked him.
Finally, during an appointment with Deschamps in 2021, the doctor confirmed that he was retiring. And his news came with a second blow: The two other physicians in his office, on the top floor of a medical building south of Montreal, already had full caseloads and wouldn’t take the couple.
Quebec has long had the highest rate of people in Canada without a regular physician. Part of the reason for the scarcity is that for nearly 30 years now, younger general practitioners have had to do compulsory shifts in short-staffed hospitals and other public facilities.
- For these Canadians without family doctors, long waits for lower-quality care are a test of patience
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Also on our radar
Ontario court strikes down Bill 124: An Ontario court has struck down the province’s wage cap law, ruling it in violation of collective bargaining rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and opening the door for unions to seek billions of dollars in back pay to make up for lost wages.
Trudeau says he has no knowledge of China funding federal candidates: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he’s never received any intelligence that China clandestinely funded federal candidates in the 2019 and 2021 elections but dodged repeated questions about whether he was ever informed of efforts by Beijing to interfere in Canadian elections or domestic politics.
- Trudeau backs right to protest in China as anti-government demonstrations sweep across country
- Chinese riot police clash with protesters in Guangzhou
- Jiang Zemin, former president who connected China with the world, dead at 96
- Opinion: The Tiananmen Square protests were built on hope. China’s current protests are built on anger
NATO seeks to reassure Russia’s neighbours as Moscow attacks Ukraine on multiple fronts: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces were trying to advance in the northeast and east and “planning something” in the south, while NATO sought on Wednesday to reassure other countries that fear destabilization from Moscow.
Canadian economy’s third-quarter growth tops forecasts: The Canadian economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter, although weakening housing investment and consumer spending suggests rising interest rates are beginning to bite and the economy is starting to sputter.
One out of every five assessed species found to be at risk: One in five assessed native species in Canada face some degree of threat to their continued viability, a multi-jurisdictional report has revealed. The numbers offer a stark confirmation that continued destruction of habitat, over-harvesting, pollution and climate change, among other factors, is taking a toll on Canadian wildlife.
Cold and snowy winter ahead, forecast suggests: Canadians enjoying a brief relief from the onset of winter-like conditions may want to enjoy the temperatures while they can because the Weather Network is forecasting a colder than normal start to winter across most of the country.
Morning markets
Global stocks upbeat: World equity markets rallied on Wednesday and focus turned to Jerome Powell, who speaks later in the day in what will be the U.S. Federal Reserve chief’s last opportunity to steer sentiment ahead of the Fed’s December meeting. Around 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 0.48 per cent. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.43 per cent and 0.57 per cent. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei slid 0.21 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng jumped 2.16 per cent. New York futures were positive. The Canadian dollar was higher at 73.83 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
Goran Calic: “It’s important to keep two things in mind while following the Twitter drama: The company was already in serious trouble and Mr. Musk’s style, though volatile, is well-matched to the problems at hand.”
Cathal Kelly: “No country can expect one person to carry an entire sports program, but that’s what Davies is being asked to do. Wherever the senior men’s team is at when a home World Cup rolls around in four years time, that will be down to Davies. If he thrives, it will too. If he fades, then good luck. So, you know, no pressure or anything.”
Today’s editorial cartoon
Brian Gable/The Globe and Mail
Living better
How to buy consciously and ethically amid rising costs
While we might be planning to spend less, there is also evidence that Canadians want to spend their hard-earned money smarter. Conscious consumerism – which means engaging in the economy with more awareness of how your consumption impacts society at large – is on the rise.
Moment in time: Nov. 30, 1872
Promotional poster for the first association football international, England v. Scotland, played at Hamilton Crescent on November 30, 1872.Courtesy of FA
The first international soccer game is played
Almost 60 years before soccer’s first World Cup, the first officially recognized international soccer game took place on this day on the rain-soaked cricket grounds of Hamilton Crescent in Glasgow. The English wore white; the Scots wore blue. The two countries, while both part of the United Kingdom, had an animus toward each other dating back almost 600 years. Would a soccer game settle the score? No. The 4,000 spectators paid a shilling each (about a day’s wages for the average worker) to watch a match that ended in a 0-0 draw. Scotland was the better side in the first half, but England was stronger in the second. It was the first meeting in what would become one of the greatest rivalries in sport. For about 100 years the match was part of the British Home Championship, an annual tournament that also included Wales and Ireland or Northern Ireland. In the 115 times the original two teams have met, England has won 48 games and Scotland 41, with 26 ties. They’re scheduled to meet again in a friendly match next September. Philip King
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