OTTAWA – Closing the celebrations for the 25th Italian Language Week in the World, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Francis Scarpaleggia, and the President of the Canada-Italy Parliamentary Friendship Group, Angelo Iacono, organized a meeting of MPs and Senators with the Italian Ambassador to Canada, Alessandro Cattaneo, in the House of Commons in Ottawa, a few days ago. The meeting was attended by several dozen MPs from across the political spectrum and representing various Canadian provinces, including the Deputy Speaker of the House, Alexandra Mendes, and Senators Tony Loffreda, Toni Varone and Sandra Pupatello. →
TORONTO – We are all aware that this year is the year of Jubilee, big celebration in Italy which I plan to attend. “I think that mean we all have to think hard about how hope actually happens. Christian hope isn’t standing around wishing of something to happen. And it’s not unsubstantiated rumour that everything is going to be okay. Christian hope is a call to action, a mandate to work, as they say.
OTTAWA – A crackdown on bail is coming: today, the Liberal government led by Mark Carney tabled a bill that will make it more difficult to obtain bail for a variety of crimes, including vehicle theft, extortion, and home invasion. It would introduce for these offenses what is already in place for more serious crimes like murder: the reverse onus. That is, the burden of proof would shift from the prosecutor to the accused, meaning the accused would have to prove that bail is justified. →
TORONTO – The federal government of Canada will establish a “Financial Crimes Agency” modeled after the Italian “Guardia di Finanza”, “because the Italians are world-class when it comes to fighting this type of crime and we must learn from them” said Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, today, during a press briefing to announce a series of extraordinary measures against financial crimes, scams, and online banking fraud. →
TORONTO – Toronto’s budget opens with a $1 billion pressure on the operating budget and an $18 billion infrastructure need over the next decade, said a few days ago Councillor Shelley Carroll, chair of the City’s Budget Committee. Mayor Olivia Chow then doubled down, stating that “times are tough” implying that this year, as in the previous two of Chow’s administration, property taxes will increase. →
