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As we go to press, I can’t help thinking about the recent revelation of a controversial, insane, deplorable, inappropriate (pick one) decision by Correctional Service Canada. Terri-Lynne McClintic was caught on surveillance video in 2009 leading little Tori Stafford away to her eventual death. It took police less than a month to catch and charge Michael Rafferty, 28, and Terri-Lynne McClintic, 18, in the horrific abduction, rape, beating and murder of a defenceless 8-year-old girl.

Canada, a founding partner of both NATO and NORAD, is facing an increasingly asymmetrical threat environment that has become more complex because of lawfare and hybrid warfare. This requires Canada to have interlinked policies of defence and security; foreign affairs; economic and international trade; and environment. All of these issues are interconnected and cannot be viewed in isolation by any of Canada’s military, political or policy leaders. 

Ottawa

As students across the U.S. march in solidarity for tougher gun laws in an uprising against the ongoing gun violence seen in their schools, the Government of Canada is introducing new gun legislation.

Democracy Watch released the letter it sent on 25 Sept 2018 to Ontario Auditor General (AG) Bonnie Lysyk calling on her to investigate and issue a ruling on the question of whether public money was spent on ads to produce and promote the Ford Conservatives’ fake news videos posted on social media and whether they violated the Government Advertising Act (GAA).

Statistics Canada wants to collect your individual banking transactions and sensitive personal identification information, but the initial plan has been put on hold after public outrage followed evidence that the data had been requested without consent of the randomly chosen Canadians.

The personal banking and financial transactions being requested include bill payments, cash withdrawals from ATMs, credit card payments, electronic money transfers and even account balances of Canadians across the country.

Thanks to excellent reporting by Andrew Duffy of the Ottawa Citizen, Canadians recently learned of a disturbing decision from Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Smith that acquitted a man of sexual assault against his former wife because the man and his then wife believed that their religion and culture entitled him to have sex with her whether she consented or not.

With the return of Parliament on the near horizon, one of the security issues sure to attract attention (apart from the Omar Khadr $10.5M payoff and the Liberal government’s deer-in-the-headlights approach to the flood of persons illegally entering Canada to claim ‘refugee’ status) is what exactly is in Bill C-59 and how is it different from the Conservative’s much maligned C-51?

The House of Commons committee on the status of women has recommended that all RCMP members and judges receive mandatory training about gender-based violence and sexual assault.

The Government of Canada has repealed the coming into force of the private right of action for violations of Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). The Government has listened to concerns raised by businesses, charities and the not-for-profit sector about the implementation of CASL, which would have permitted individuals to sue for violations of the law.

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On September 7, 2017, Fastenal Canada Ltd., of Kitchener, Ontario, was fined $265,000 after pleading guilty in the Ontario Court of Justice to two counts of contravening the Ozone-Depleting Substances Regulations, 1998 made pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The fine will be directed to the Environmental Damages Fund.

After the body of Inuit artist Annie Pootoogook was found in the Ottawa River, Sgt Chris Hrnchiar of the OPS forensic identification unit made some online remarks that now have him under internal investigation. Still on the job, Hrnchiar could face loss of pay, demotion, suspension or dismissal.

In 2012, CSIS knew exactly where John Maguire was before he left Canada to join ISIS in Syria, where he reportedly died fighting in 2015. Six months later, the RCMP was still trying to trace his movements.

One of the most important issues in policy development is to make sure that the subject being scrutinized is accurately identified so the right questions can be asked to help get the most effective answers. This is critical because the converse is also true; ask the wrong questions and you will get the wrong answers.