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Despite calls for increased oversight, the federal government has gone years without launching an after-the-fact audit of any of the companies that benefit from an Indigenous procurement program, according to new information obtained by The Globe and Mail.
Since 2016, Indigenous Services Canada has approved four such audits under the program and all of those were launched within the past two years amid heightened scrutiny of federal procurement practices. The value of government contracts awarded under the program has risen sharply to $862-million in the 2022-23 fiscal year, up from $170-million five years prior. Ottawa has also said it awarded $1.6-billion in contracts to Indigenous businesses in the 2022-23 fiscal year through the procurement program and other categories.
Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services, speaks during a news conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, on March 19.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
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Humanitarian aid shipments at risk as talks between Israel, Hamas collapse
Recent ceasefire talks appear to have collapsed, leaving humanitarian aid shipments at risk. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government could not accept Hamas’s terms, which could have included the multistage release of the more than 100 hostages it is believed to still be holding in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal and the end of the war.
Twenty-eight flatbed trucks were allowed to enter on Sunday morning, each laden with giant sacks of Turkish flour. The delivery – the second convoy allowed to pass through the partly reopened Erez Crossing between Israel and Gaza – occurred one day after Cindy McCain, director of the World Food Programme, declared a “full-blown famine” in the north of Gaza, which she warned was spreading to other parts of the densely populated territory.
Read more:
- Israeli army tells Palestinians to temporarily evacuate parts of Rafah ahead of an expected assault
- Netanyahu’s Cabinet votes to close Al-Jazeera offices in Israel after rising tensions
A person uses a rope on a truck with humanitarian aid meant for the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at Erez Crossing in southern Israel, May 5, 2024.Amir Cohen/Reuters
After arrests in Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing, Trudeau addresses fears of Sikh community
In an effort to quell fears among Canada’s Sikh community, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau assured Sikhs living in the country that authorities are working to discover who is responsible for the gunning down of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the parking lot of a temple where he was a spiritual leader.
Sikh activists say criminal charges against three young Indian nationals on Friday are a step forward. But they want Canadian law enforcement to dig deeper into the possibility of Indian government involvement in the slaying and, if there is evidence, that Indian authorities in Canada be held accountable.
Trudeau did not mention the government of India directly when he appeared at a Sikh gala Friday night, hours after the arrests were announced. But he acknowledged the community is feeling “uneasy and perhaps even frightened right now.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the audience during the Sikh Foundation Gala in Toronto on May 4, 2024.Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press
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Also on our radar
Integrity commissioner launches investigation of DFO officials over alleged attempts to silence scientists: The Public Sector Integrity Commissioner is launching an investigation into allegations that senior federal fisheries officials attempted to silence scientists involved in research related to the threat of open-net fish farms to Pacific salmon.
In the Second World War, The Globe’s skirmishes with the censors nearly sent its publisher to jail: In the first global war of a truly mass-media era, The Globe was at the forefront of a new defiance of the government’s censorship machinery. Its outrage grew into a national pushback against overreach by censors, restoring space for important debate of wartime political decisions in the nation’s press.
Slowdown in do-it-yourself home projects weakens lumber markets: A slowdown in home repair and remodelling projects has weakened lumber markets, the latest setback for Canadian sawmills struggling financially with depressed lumber prices.
Fines mounting for violations in Canada’s temporary foreign worker programs: The federal government penalized nearly 200 companies last year for violating the rules of its temporary foreign worker programs, resulting in record fines for infractions such as wage theft and abuse in the workplace.
Wealthsimple experiencing massive growth after two quarters of record asset gains: Two years after its growth stalled, bank challenger Wealthsimple Technologies Inc. has rebounded sharply, delivering a surge in assets under management that one of its largest investors describes as ballistic.
Endless freeze of federal clean-tech agency is crushing Canadian startups: The continuing freeze on funding at Sustainable Development Technology Canada is prompting early stage clean-tech companies to put off their scaleup plans. In other cases, companies are being discredited with bigger players with whom they were partnering, who thought that their seemingly imminent backing from SDTC was strong validation.
Morning markets
Global stocks ticked higher on renewed bets that the Federal Reserve would likely ease interest rates this year, while the yen weakened after a strong surge last week from Tokyo’s suspected currency intervention.
Europe’s broadest stock index rose 0.4 per cent while S&P 500 and Nasdaq futures added 0.2 per cent each. In early trading, Germany’s DAX was up 0.58 per cent while France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.48 per cent.
Markets in Britain and Japan were closed for holidays. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.55 per cent.
The dollar traded at 73.12 U.S. cents
What everyone’s talking about
The Trump-Biden rematch was a sequel no one asked for, and now no one can look away from it
“The U.S. president might be the most powerful person in the world, and, as a dozen or so Spider-Man movies have reminded us, with great power comes great responsibility. Whether someone voted for Donald Trump or for Joe Biden, by the principles of the movie sequel, the current state of America is their candidate’s responsibility.” – Elan Mastai
Today’s editorial cartoon
David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
Living better
How some Canadians are ditching manicured lawns for biodiversity
Canadians are increasingly replacing lawn to support biodiversity, reduce water use and shift to a more modern landscaping aesthetic. But change can be hard and social pressure strong – both factors that might dissuade people from starting. Luckily, there are techniques to make biodiverse gardening more broadly attractive and less challenging for communities to accept.
Moment in time: Dutch immigration to Canada
Dutch settlers clearing light bush preparatory to the breaking up of new land.The Canadian Press
For more than 100 years, photographers and photo editors working for The Globe and Mail have preserved an extraordinary collection of news photography. Every Monday, The Globe features one of these images. This month, we’re showcasing the relationship between Canada and the Netherlands.
It’s estimated that more than one million Canadians can trace their roots to the Netherlands. The Dutch have been coming to Canada for about 400 years, first for the fur trade, then as immigrants. From 1890 to 1914, several thousand Dutch helped settle the West, and from 1920 to 1929 – until the Depression halted everything – more Dutch came to Canada to prepare land for farming, as shown in the photo above. The biggest wave came after the Second World War, when, with the Netherlands’ economy in ruins, the Dutch looked outward for a new life. For two decades thereafter, more than 170,000 Dutch – agricultural workers, tradesmen and professionals – poured into Canada. Every year, to commemorate the day Canadian soldiers liberated the Netherlands from the Nazis, May 5 is designated as Dutch Heritage Day. Known as Liberation Day in the Netherlands, it also celebrates the contributions of Dutch Canadians and the Dutch culture in this country. Philip King.
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Editor’s note: This article has been updated to note that Dutch Heritage Day is also known as Liberation Day in the Netherlands.
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