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Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for the resignation or firing of Marco Mendicino over how the Minister’s office handled knowledge that Paul Bernardo was being transferred to a medium-security prison as well as other issues.
As he arrived for Wednesday’s meeting of the Conservative caucus, Mr. Poilievre targeted the Public Safety Minister.
At issue is Mr. Mendicino saying he was shocked over a decision by the Correctional Service of Canada to move Mr. Bernardo, a convicted killer and serial rapist, from a maximum-security penitentiary to a medium-security facility when it turns out the Correctional Service informed the Minister’s office twice before the move.
But Mr. Poilievre also raised questions about Mr. Mendicino’s handling of other files, including the use of the Emergencies Act, and statements on gun control, and Chinese-controlled police stations in Canada.
“It’s one lie too many. It is time for Marco Mendicino to resign,” he said.
Mr. Poilievre said Mr. Mendicino should quit or be fired.
During a news conference in Bagotville, Que., Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Mr. Mendicino would be speaking shortly to the issue.
“Obviously, the situation with Paul Bernardo’s transfer is an extraordinarily difficult one for many people,” Mr. Trudeau. “I think this is a really difficult thing to understand. This is why the Minister has been reaching out directly to Corrections Canada to ask some very clear and pertinent questions on how this happened.”
Bill Blair, the Emergency Preparedness Minister and a former Toronto police chief, said he was well aware of the impact of the Bernardo case.
Mr. Blair, arriving for Wednesday’s Liberal caucus meeting, said Mr. Mendicino should not quit.
“Our job is not to quit every time something doesn’t work out exactly right. Our job is to fix it. So I think resignation is the wrong thing, but I think remedy is what’s required. So we have to look at what didn’t work here, what needs to be done better, and we have to fix it.”
There’s a story here on the situation.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
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CSIS SENT BLAIR NOTE ON CHINA TARGETING MP - CSIS director David Vigneault said the spy agency deliberately sent a May, 2021, note warning about China’s targeting of a Conservative MP and his relatives to then-public safety minister Bill Blair’s office and intended for this information to reach the minister because it was considered of high importance. Story here.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RULED OUT FUNDING REQUEST FROM INFORMATION COMMISSIONER - The federal government refused a request last fall from Canada’s Information Commissioner for additional funding, which she was seeking in order to reduce a backlog of complaints about how Ottawa responds to access to information requests. Story here.
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NO DECISION ON POLITICAL FUTURE: NOTLEY - Alberta Opposition Leader Rachel Notley says she has not made a decision on her political future following a second consecutive election loss by her New Democrats. Story here.
POILIEVRE, SINGH ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT PUBLIC INQUIRY - An NDP spokesperson says its leader Jagmeet Singh and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre are about to begin talks on setting terms of reference for a possible public inquiry into foreign interference. Story here from CTV.
CHANGING ROLE OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES - Librarians in public libraries once worried about shushing patrons. Now they have to deal with mental health episodes, the homelessness crisis, and random violence. Librarians say they’re seeing more people with more complex needs than ever before. An exploration here in The Walrus.
THIS AND THAT
TODAY IN THE COMMONS – Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, June 14, accessible here.
IN OTTAWA - Treasury Board president Mona Fortier was scheduled to visit the University of Ottawa to highlight a large-scale research initiative as part of the 2022 Canada First Research Excellence Fund. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser held a media scrum to address recent reports of fraudulent acceptance letters affecting international students and graduates in Canada.
COMMITTEES - Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux was to appear at a meeting of the government operations and estimates meeting. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser was scheduled to appear before the citizenship and immigration committee meeting on an exploitation scheme targeting certain international students.
CABINET SHUFFLE, NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR - Newfoundland and Labrador’s Liberal government will be undergoing a cabinet shuffle Wednesday according to an advisory posted by the office of Premier Andrew Furey.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in Bagotville, Que., received an update on the wildfire situation in Quebec and, accompanied by Saguenay Mayor Julie Dufour, and met with members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Mr. Trudeau held a media scrum. Later, in Chicoutimi, Mr. Trudeau met with local community members who provided support to wildfire evacuees in Saguenay. Back in Ottawa, the Prime Minister delivered remarks to the Rising Up for Sexual Health reception.
LEADERS
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre held a news conference on Parliament Hill ahead of attending the weekly Conservative caucus meeting.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Ottawa, attended the NDP caucus meeting, and took media questions before attending Question Period.
No schedules provided for other party leaders.
THE DECIBEL
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PUBLIC OPINION
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OPINION
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Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on hushing up the fall of a justice of the Supreme Court of Canada: “Something has happened: A justice of the Supreme Court of Canada fell off the bench. Just what happened wasn’t revealed at first. It was then treated as confidential. And now that it’s over, it’s none of your business. We should have some concerns. Justice Russell Brown resigned Monday when he was about to face a public hearing about allegations of improper behaviour while on a trip to Arizona in January. And apparently, the case is closed. Now that Mr. Brown is no longer sitting as a judge, the whole business is over, Chief Justice Richard Wagner told reporters on Tuesday.”
Andrew Coyne (The Globe and Mail) on how making hybrid Parliament permanent will only hasten its decline: “Why should they meet at all? Never mind whether members of Parliament should be permitted to participate by videoconference, rather than in person – a temporary rule change, adopted during the pandemic, the government now wants to make permanent. If MPs can vote, debate, ask questions and attend committee hearings remotely, why should they bother to show up in the flesh?”
Gary Mason (The Globe and Mail) on how many Canadians don’t know the first thing about real sacrifice: “Firefighters are pouring in from around the world to help us get control of the blazes ripping across the country and the Conservatives want to talk about getting rid of planned carbon tax hikes. This is what passes as sombre, serious-minded leadership on behalf of Canada’s Official Opposition. It is beyond dismaying. And it is the same head-in-the-sand approach to the climate crisis that the leaders of Alberta and Saskatchewan are taking. They don’t want to talk about sacrifice. That’s an ugly word to them. This is about here and now and the votes they are looking for. Who cares what the world might look like five or 10 years from now? Who cares about doing our part to tame the climate monster? That’s India’s problem. Or China’s. Or America’s.”
Claudia Hepburn (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how Canada wastes the skills of its immigrants, and the economy suffers as a result: “Bringing skilled immigrants to Canada is critical to our future prosperity. But smoothing their path to professional integration and prosperity is even more important if we want to climb out of last place in the OECD ranking of GDP per capita and preserve our standard of living over the next generation.”
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