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Politics

    • Poilievre asks RCMP to 'expand' investigation into ArriveCan app

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    Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is asking the RCMP to "expand" its investigation regarding matters connected to the government's ArriveCan application, in light of new findings from Canada's auditor general.

    On Monday, Auditor General Karen Hogan released a damning report that indicated the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and other federal entities showed a "glaring disregard" for basic management practices or rudimentary financial bookkeeping when it came to the creation of the ArriveCan app during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Central to the report were red flags about a non-competitive process that saw an initial contract granted to small consulting firm "GC Strategies," as well as related alleged mismanagement and misconduct by border agency employees.

    Hogan's report also confirmed previous reports that matters related to "certain employees and contractors" had been referred to the RCMP, to examine potential criminality.

    In a letter to RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme dated Tuesday, Poilievre said Hogan's report "exposed corruption, mismanagement, and misconduct on a massive scale."

    Now, he wants the federal police force to work with Hogan to "get to the bottom" of what he views as "a serious breach of trust by public officials."

    "Millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted by Trudeau government officials who rigged the contracting process for a preferred company," Poilievre alleged in his letter.

    "There were also severe violations of the CBSA Code of Conduct, including failure to disclose whiskey tastings and extravagant dinners paid for by lobbyists and private interests... This is completely unacceptable and reeks of corruption at the highest levels."

    The Official Opposition leader raised his concerns directly with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during question period.

    In response, the prime minister said he encourages the RCMP to "do its work," in examining the traveller contact application and the work done by federal public servants in regards to its development, management, and contracting.

    "There will be consequences for anyone who broke those rules or those laws," Trudeau said.

    "But, it doesn't take politicians, even leaders of the opposition, to tell the RCMP to do their job. They do their job… and they do it well."

    After launching an internal audit of its contracting practices, the CBSA has vowed reforms. The agency affirmed Monday that it intends to work on improving its fiscal management, and going forward will fully document interactions with contractors, and attach clear deliverables to contracts awarded.

    Â鶹´«Ă˝ has asked the RCMP for comment. 

    IN DEPTH

    Opinion

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    opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster

    A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?

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    opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

    When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

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    A Manitoba man convicted of murder 50 years ago has been acquitted. Clarence Woodhouse was found guilty in 1974 of fatally beating and stabbing a restaurant worker in downtown Winnipeg.

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    Canada

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    • Hundreds of Saskatchewan nurses and their supporters rallied outside the legislative building on Thursday calling for action to ongoing staffing shortages and hospital overcrowding around the province.

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    Lifestyle

    • What does New Westminster's tÉ™mÉ™sewĚ“txĘ· Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

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    • Canadian-made Chrysler Grand Caravans have seen sales jump over the third quarter and calendar year. According to FCA Canada, sales were up by 79 per cent this quarter and up 85 per cent for the calendar-year to date.

    Local Spotlight

    The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

    Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

    What does New Westminster's təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

    The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

    New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.

    On Saturday night at her parents’ home in Delaware, Ont. the Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault welcomed everyone who played a role in getting her to the podium in Paris.

    A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

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    A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

    • A new Leger poll suggests the BC Conservatives are now in pole position.

    • Driving down the cost of car insurance is a priority, says BC Conservative Leader John Rustad, who is pledging to eliminate ICBC's monopoly.

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      ANALYSIS

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    • JUST IN

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      A 13-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the stabbing death of a 54-year-old man in Toronto’s west end earlier this week.

    • The mother of a man who was shot and killed in Etobicoke five years ago is pleading for information that could help solve the case as police announce a new $5,000 award.

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    • WATCH

      WATCH

      A car ended up on the lawn of a southeast Calgary home on Thursday after police conducted a takedown of a suspect reportedly driving dangerously.

    • A Calgary police officer has been demoted of seniority in rank for a year after filming and sharing a video of him having sex with a fellow officer without her consent, with other members of the Calgary Police Service.

    • A dead bear, the appearance of more bears and then one of those bears eating the dead bear have led Parks Canada to shut down a sizeable bit of Banff backcountry.

    • A 37-year-old Ottawa business owner is facing charges after a woman was allegedly sexually assaulted while applying for a job, according to police.

    • Transit Services General Manager RenĂ©e Amilcar says the 21-day trial running period for the north-south Trillium Line LRT will begin Oct. 7, meaning the line could open to the public as soon as mid-November.

    • Ottawa police are asking for the public's help in identifying a suspect in an assault over the summer at an O-Train station.

    • The SociĂ©tĂ© de transport de MontrĂ©al (STM) has closed three metro stations on the Blue Line — Saint-Michel, Fabre and D'Iberville — indefinitely as a preventive safety measure after discovering major structural issues.

    • The City of Montreal is promising to keep its property tax increase for 2025 slightly below inflation at 1.8 per cent, following years of steep hikes.

    • A new study out of Montreal's Concordia University found that, if policies and trends remain unchanged, a two-bedroom in Montreal will cost $4,325 per month, a similar unit in Toronto will cost $5,600 and one in Vancouver will be around $7,750 within eight years.

    • An Edmonton hot tub repairman who was the subject of a previous Â鶹´«Ă˝ Edmonton report has been charged with fraud.

    • Police started searching a rural property north of Edmonton on Wednesday as part of an investigation into a suspected drug manufacturing lab.

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    • A man has died in hospital from injuries sustained after being struck by a vehicle on Monday.

    • Hundreds of Saskatchewan nurses and their supporters rallied outside the legislative building on Thursday calling for action to ongoing staffing shortages and hospital overcrowding around the province.

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    • Coun. Sam Trosow admits he can’t be certain if it was a beer or a non-alcohol beer that he can be seen drinking during last week’s council meeting.

    • At least one city councillor has said that she’d like to see the province investigate after a person died following an overdose at London’s safe consumption site Tuesday.

    • The 36th annual Thanksgiving Food Drive kicked off Thursday with the goal of helping young families and children that face food insecurity issues in our community.

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    • The Downtown Mission is looking to raise $50,000 during its annual 24-hour “Bench Talk” fundraiser, happening now outside its Ouellette Avenue location.

    • One person is dead after a floatplane carrying three people crashed Wednesday evening in a remote inlet on British Columbia's central coast.

    • A new Leger poll suggests the BC Conservatives are now in pole position.

    • Driving down the cost of car insurance is a priority, says BC Conservative Leader John Rustad, who is pledging to eliminate ICBC's monopoly.

    • Three young suspects have been arrested in connection with a swarming attack on a teenager in B.C.'s Okanagan last week – and authorities have asked the public to stop circulating disturbing videos of the incident.

    • A father in Kelowna is furious after his 13-year-old daughter was brutally beaten on Gyro Beach. He is calling for criminal charges in the devastating attack, which was caught on video by multiple bystanders.

    • The officer who shot and killed a forcible confinement suspect in Kamloops two years ago was justified in doing so, according to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C.

    • WestJet has changed its operations at the Lethbridge Airport, and it means there's now only a single daily flight from Lethbridge to Calgary, down from three flights a day, as offered previously.

    • Archie's Exotic Pet Rescue has been open about six years and, like many other animal rescues, it has seen a surge in surrenders.

    • It’s almost deadline day for Lethbridge residents interested in becoming members of one of the city’s boards, commissions and committees (BCCs).

    • A man charged with first-degree murder in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., doesn't have to sit in the prisoner's box when his trial begins next month, a judge with the Superior Court of Justice has ruled.

    • After receiving complaints about off-road vehicles, police in Greater Sudbury laid more than a dozen charges in a recent safety blitz.

    • Aiming to bolster public trust and accountability – and help with investigations -- police in Sault Ste. Marie have equipped their vehicles with cameras.

    N.L.

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