Hello,
The Defence Department is moving 1,000 employees out of a downtown Ottawa building near the venerable Byward Market over safety concerns raised by staff.
The unusual issue is playing out about a kilometre and a half east of Parliament Hill in the nation’s capital, and comes as Ottawa police are preparing to open a storefront operation in the nearby Rideau Centre to facilitate policing in the area.
“As a result of recent incidents where the safety of personnel was compromised, employees requested mitigating solutions to remedy ongoing incidents affecting staff,” said a statement issued by Kened Sadiku of the department today.
“This matter is taken seriously, and we remain committed to ensuring everyone’s safety by looking into all necessary measures.”
The Ottawa Citizen reports that an employee had been verbally and physically accosted by a resident near the building, and that staff were warned to be vigilant while travelling in the area of the national capital, stay safe by travelling in pairs and avoiding using phones or headphones in the immediate vicinity.
The department said that employees from the Cumberland Street site, will be moved to two other buildings in an exodus that will begin in June, and is expected to be completed by October.
Once the move is concluded, the property will be returned to Public Service and Procurement Canada, the defence department statement said.
The department did not provide any immediate comment to further explain the safety concerns that have prompted their plan regarding the building.
BREAKING NEWS Convicted B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton died Friday after an May 19 assault by another prison inmate, Correctional Services of Canada said in a news release.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
Preliminary figures show Ottawa posted $50.9-billion deficit for 2023-24: But the government cautions that revisions are expected before the final number is booked.
Bets for June rate cut rise after Canadian economy misses first-quarter growth forecast: The economy expanded at a slower-than-expected pace in the first quarter, data showed today, boosting expectations for the first interest rate cut by the Bank of Canada next week.
Incendiary device thrown at Vancouver synagogue, Jewish federation says: The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver says an “incendiary device” was thrown at the front doors of a synagogue in the city and that police are investigating. The Thursday evening incident comes after bullet holes were found at two Jewish schools in Montreal and Toronto in recent days. Meanwhile, Toronto police say 187 alleged hate crimes were reported in Toronto so far in 2024, almost half antisemitic.
Can Donald Trump come to Canada now that he’s a convicted felon?: A Canadian immigration lawyer says Donald Trump is technically barred from crossing into Canada now that he is a convicted felon.
Federal Health Minister criticizes panel’s guidance on mammograms: Mark Holland is “extremely disappointed” by a national task force’s decision not to lower the starting age for routine mammograms to 40 and will speed up an external review of the expert panel, which some critics say should be disbanded. Story here.
Mélanie Joly ‘forward-leaning’ in debate on Ukraine using NATO arms inside Russia: The Foreign Affairs Minister said the issue will be “the core of our conversations” between European foreign ministers this week as they prepare for the July NATO leaders’ summit in Washington, D.C.
Indigenous procurement program vulnerable to abuses, CEO warns: During a meeting of the House of Commons public-accounts committee, which is examining spending on the ArriveCan mobile app, John Bernard, chief executive officer of Donna Cona Inc., took aim at the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business.
Ontario to require high-school students to pass financial literacy test: “Too many young people, notwithstanding valiant effort in our schools, are graduating without those fundamental financial literacy skills,” says Education Minister Stephen Lecce.
Stephen Poloz asks pension funds for ‘actionable ideas’ on how to increase investments in Canada: The former Bank of Canada governor was chosen last month to lead a working group with a mandate to “explore how to catalyze greater domestic investment opportunities for Canadian pension funds.” Story here.
Deputy House Speaker asks Conservative riding association to remove a Facebook post: Chris d’Entremont, also a Conservative MP, was reacting to the post for an event that featured him wearing his Commons uniform. He says he had no involvement in its publication.
TODAY’S POLITICAL QUOTES
“I stick with what I said. We’re tired of lawlessness from anyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re here, you’re new or whatever. It’s very, very clear. My phone is blowing up from every community saying, ‘You’re bang on,’” - Ontario Premier Doug Ford today, according to Global News, responding to criticism over comments linking immigrants to Jewish school shooting without evidence
“Donald Trump would be a disaster for the United States, a disaster for Canada and a disaster for the world if he came back into office.” - MP Anthony Housefather, at the House of Commons today, on U.S. politics.
“Congratulations, Cowabunga.” MP Lisa Hepfner, in member’s statements at the House of Commons today, salutes a venerable pizzeria in her Hamilton riding that recently won the world’s best cheese pizza title at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas.
THIS AND THAT
Today in the Commons: Projected Order of Business at the House of Commons, May. 31, accessible here.
Deputy Prime Minister’s Day: Private meetings in Toronto.
Ministers on the Road: Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree, in Saskatoon, highlighted federal support for research at the University of Saskatchewan. Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, in Edmonton, made an announcement at the University of Alberta. At the Burnaby, B.C., campus of Simon Fraser University, Citizens’ Services Minister Terry Beech announced funding for two clean-economy projects. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Immigration Minister Marc Miller, in Montreal, reaffirmed the government’s budget commitment of $80-million over four years for the Brain Canada Foundation (Brain Canada). In Niagara-on-the Lake, Ont., Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez and Filomena Tassi, the minister for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, announced support for Niagara region tourism businesses and organizations. Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez announced $51.2-million for 19 digital infrastructure projects under the National Trade Corridors Fund.
Meanwhile, outside Canada: Defence Minister Bill Blair, with the Chief of the Defence Staff, General Wayne Eyre, and other officials are in Singapore through Sunday attending the Shangri-La Dialogue – the annual conference on Indo-Pacific security. And Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is in Prague for an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers ahead of NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington, D.C., from July 9 to 11.
Governor-General headed for New Brunswick: Mary Simon and her partner Whit Fraser will be visiting New Brunswick next week from June 4-7, her office says. The visit includes stops in Fredericton, Moncton and the town of Caraquet.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
No public events for Justin Trudeau.
LEADERS
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre attends a fundraising event at a condo in Mississauga.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attended the House of Commons virtually, and delivered the eulogy at the funeral, in Vancouver, of former Commons speaker John Fraser.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Vancouver, held a news conference on dental-care coverage.
No schedule released for Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet.
THE DECIBEL
On today’s podcast, Globe personal finance reporter, Salmaan Farooqui, breaks down the inner workings of open banking – its benefits and concerns, why it doesn’t exist in Canada yet, and how this new development will affect the way Canadians manage their finances in the future. The Decibel is here.
TRIBUTE
Barry Armstrong: The Armed Forces surgeon who blew the whistle on abuses committed by Canadian soldiers serving in Somalia in the 1990s and helped touch off a scandal that rocked Canada’s military establishment, has died at age 72.
OPINION
Parliament needs to act now to protect the next election from foreign meddling
“If you thought you heard a strange sound on Tuesday when the Conservatives offered to help the minority Liberal government fast-track its foreign interference bill through Parliament, it may have come from the collective thud of thousands of Canadian jaws hitting the floor. Bipartisanship has not exactly been a hallmark of the current Parliament, so the offer of cooperation from Conservative foreign affairs critic Michael Chong to Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc was a shocker.” - The Globe and Mail Editorial Board.
Missing cheers for a pipeline that’s delivering on the bargain
“When a tanker called the Dubai Angel steamed away from Burnaby, B.C., with the first shipment of crude pumped through the expanded Trans Mountain pipeline, it marked a milestone. Alberta’s oil is now less landlocked. The discount on each barrel is shrinking. There will be a noticeable bump in Canada’s GDP. You’d think there’d be some cheering.” - Campbell Clark.
A Senate reshaped in Trudeau’s image makes a showdown with a future Conservative government a near certainty
“The increasing likelihood of a majority Conservative government following the next election has led to escalating speculation over how the Senate might respond. Will the unelected Senate, stuffed to the rafters as it is with the current Prime Minister’s appointees, have the nerve to defeat bills passed by the elected House of Commons, or to use the threat of defeat to force amendments upon it? Are we headed for some sort of constitutional crisis? Answer: if history is any guide, yes of course.” - Andrew Coyne.
Ontario’s legislature takes a small, smart step toward reconciliation
“Typically, monumental changes in government happen incrementally, over time. But occasionally, they happen quickly, the result of a chance conversation.” - Tanya Talaga.
Blaine Higgs is livid about teens learning about sex. Does he know they listen to rock, too?
“A moment, please, for the pure souls in New Brunswick high schools whose innocence has been siphoned away by the apparent smut-peddlers operating under the guise of sexual-education instructors. Those delicate flowers, you must understand, were probably still playing with Barbies and Pokémon cards (despite what their parents were probably doing when they were in high school) until they were poisoned by talk of sex at school.”- Robyn Urback.
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