Two Montreal conferences racked up more than $1 million in federal spending

https://www.rebelnews.com/two_montreal_conferences_racked_up_more_than_1_million_in_federal_spending

The CTF is slamming the “extravagant” hospitality bills, musical spoons and $750-a-night hotels.

Canadian taxpayers were billed over $1 million for two high-end conferences hosted in Montreal last year, complete with luxury hotels, pricey buffets, and even a $1,340 musical spoons performance.

The spending details, uncovered in federal expense disclosures reviewed by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, show a government that, as CTF Federal Director Franco Terrazzano put it, “goes out of its way to spend taxpayers’ money as extravagantly as possible.” Continue…

Ontario Premier Ford quietly drops millions on U.S. lawyers while cheering 'Team Canada'

https://www.rebelnews.com/ontario_premier_ford_quietly_drops_millions_on_u_s_lawyers_while_cheering_team_canada

It’s the latest step from a premier who has already meddled in foreign affairs, pouring millions in public funds into propaganda campaigns targeting U.S. consumers.

The premier of Ontario has been quietly funnelling over one million dollars per month to a powerhouse Washington law firm with deep ties to U.S. political circles for advice on how to handle the trade war.

Premier Doug Ford hired Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP for “advice on U.S. and international law, regulations and policies concerning Canada-U.S. trade issues including U.S. legal and regulatory advice involving public relations matters,” as reported by Blacklock’s.

As a global giant with 2,800 lawyers, the firm has essentially been hired to shape how Canada is seen in the U.S. as the trade dispute heats up.

Documents shared by Blacklock’s reveal that the Ontario government, in just the first partial month, was billed US$762,779 — roughly $1.06 million Canadian — for this “advice” on October 25.

And that’s only the legal tab. Continue…

Calls to Temporary Foreign Worker abuse line nearly doubled last year

https://www.rebelnews.com/calls_to_temporary_foreign_worker_abuse_line_nearly_doubled_last_year

Government figures show there are currently over half a million temporary foreign workers in Canada, dwarfing historical averages.

According to data tabled in Parliament and first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, complaints to the federal Temporary Foreign Worker Program tip line surged by 85% in 2024, rising from 7,593 calls in 2023 to a record 14,021 calls last year.

The government provided no explanation for the sharp increase. In a written Inquiry of Ministry response tabled at the request of Conservative MP Andrew Lawton (Elgin–St. Thomas, Ont.), Employment and Social Development Canada stated that every tip is reviewed within two business days using a triage system that evaluates urgency, credibility, risk to workers, and relevance.

Of the 14,021 tips received in 2024, 4,160 (about 30%) triggered compliance actions, such as launching a new on-site inspection or expanding an existing one.

As complaints about the Temporary Foreign Worker Program have risen over the years, so has enforcement. A 2020 follow-up audit by the Auditor General, building on a highly critical 2017 report, revealed that 41% of inspected employers hiring temporary foreign workers were found non-compliant, resulting in warnings, monetary penalties, or temporary bans from the program.

The Liberal government has repeatedly acknowledged over-reliance on the program despite presiding over an unprecedented surge in immigration. As then-Immigration Minister Marc Miller told the Senate on October 8, 2024: “The country has gotten addicted to temporary workers… Businesses have taken advantage.” Continue…

Indigenous man gets 'extremely lenient' penalty for breaching sex assault sentence

https://www.rebelnews.com/indigenous_man_gets_extremely_lenient_penalty_for_breaching_sex_assault_sentence

Judge Louise Charbonneau opted not to jail Nelson Lesage, calling his outcome driven by exceptional circumstances.

An Indigenous man who received house arrest for sexually assaulting a sleeping woman has been given another break despite breaching his sentence conditions, twice.

Nelson Lesage was handed a two-year conditional sentence in July 2024 for assaulting a woman who was staying at his Fort Providence, N.W.T., home.

Northwest Territories Supreme Court Justice Louise Charbonneau noted at the time that avoiding jail was already “a huge break,” and that the sentence fell outside the usual range even after accounting for his guilty plea and personal history.

Sentencing is guided by Gladue principles, requiring judges to consider the systemic disadvantages of Indigenous offenders, including the effects of colonial policies like residential schools. The Supreme Court of Canada established these rules to address the continued over-representation of Indigenous people in prisons.

Lesage has since violated his conditions twice. On Oct. 12, 2025, he was found “passed out” at a home in Fort Providence. Charbonneau wrote that none of the exceptions allowing him to leave his residence applied and that he was arrested on the spot. In May, he had also been seen at a house party where alcohol was present, another breach of his conditions.

Despite these violations, Charbonneau ruled on Nov. 4 that Lesage would not be sent to jail, calling the decision “highly exceptional.” She warned that any further breach would “very likely” lead to incarceration.

Court evidence revealed that the victim and her fiancé went to bed after people had been drinking at Lesage's home.

Charbonneau found that Lesage entered their room during the night and sexually assaulted the woman while she slept. She awoke on the floor with her pants and underwear pulled down. DNA testing later identified Lesage as the attacker, despite his claim that someone else was responsible. Continue…

Disabled Canadians petition Parliament to reverse MAiD for non-terminal conditions

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/disabled-canadians-petition-parliament-to-reverse-maid-for-non-terminal-conditions/

Canadians with disabilities have demanded that legislators stop treating their lives as ‘dispensable’ by banning non-terminal ‘Track 2’ assisted suicide.

Conservative Member of Parliament Garnett Genuis has presented a petition from Canadians with disabilities warning against euthanasia expansion.

During a November 19 session in the House of Commons, Genuis delivered a petition to end Track 2 Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) request, which allow doctors to end the lives of those who are not terminally ill but have lost the will to live due to their having chronic health problems.

“The petitioners state that it is unacceptable for Canadians to choose medical assistance in dying due to a lack of available services or treatments,” Genuis told the House of Commons. “This is not a real choice. They point out that allowing MAiD for people with disabilities or chronic non-terminal illnesses devalues their lives. It sends the dangerous message that life with a disability is optional.”

Genuis cited a recent article in Le Soleil which recounted the troubling case of a sick Canadian man who was essentially encouraged by a social worker to stop fighting and opt for death by lethal injection. Continue…

Health Canada Pauses Plan to Remove Labels on Cloned Meat After Public Outcry

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/health-canada-pauses-plan-to-remove-labels-on-cloned-meat-after-public-outcry-5947583?ea_src=ca-frontpage&ea_med=health-canada-pauses-plan-to-remove-labels-on-cloned-meat-after-public-outcry-0

Health Canada has indefinitely suspended plans to eliminate mandatory labelling of foods that come from cloned cattle and swine following considerable public pushback.

The decision follows a wave of objections from activists and the public that Canadians could soon be eating cloned beef and pork products without knowing it.

“The Government of Canada has received significant input from both consumers and industry about the implications of this potential policy update,” a Health Canada spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “The Department has therefore indefinitely paused the policy update to provide time for further discussions and consideration.”

Health Canada did not say what type of discussions are planned or who would be involved, but told The Epoch Times there are currently no approved foods from cloned products on the market in Canada. Continue…

Carney Signs Investment Deal With UAE, Launches Trade Talks

https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/carney-signs-investment-deal-with-uae-launches-trade-talks-5947543?ea_src=ca-frontpage&ea_med=medium-3

Prime Minister Mark Carney signed an investment pact with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during his trip to the country this week, and began talks about establishing a new trade pact between the two nations.

Carney met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 20, which was the first in-person bilateral meeting between Canadian and Emirati leaders since 1983. The leaders signed the Canada-UAE Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA), which “establishes clearer rules and protections for investors and creates a more predictable environment for two-way investment,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

FIPA is meant to support long-term partnerships between investors in Canada and the UAE, and create a “more predictable environment” for two-way investment, the PMO said. The goal is to support partnerships between industries in the two countries and attract capital to nation-building projects in Canada, in turn creating jobs for workers.

The two leaders also began negotiations toward a Canada-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) that would reduce tariffs, remove trade barriers, and expand market access for Canadian exporters. The PMO said businesses related to engineering, construction, aerospace, and agriculture will be able to expand into the UAE, and that country will make investments into Canadian mines, ports, data centres, critical minerals, and liquid natural gas. Continue…