Government Accountability

If the two-time former central bank governor had hopes that would be the beginning of a trend, however, the past three months would have made short work of any such unbridled — or even bridled — optimism.

Leaving aside the supply bills required to authorize pre-approved spending, since the House of Commons reopened for business on Sept. 16, the only government-initiated legislation to make it through a third reading vote was its bid to rejig the rules for recognizing the citizenship of the children of Canadians born abroad, which was introduced in response to a 2023 Ontario court ruling that found the current law to be unconstitutional with a court-imposed deadline of Nov. 21 to be in place before the offending sections would be automatically declared null and void.

Even that, it’s worth noting, wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the New Democrats — particularly B.C. MP Jenny Kwan, who, despite her party’s lack of official status, was nevertheless able to work with the government to reverse a series of changes made at committee by the Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois, which cleared the way for the bill to proceed to a third reading vote — and, ultimately, through the Senate. It was signed into law on Nov. 20, just one day before the existing law was set to expire, although by that point, the court had extended the deadline to Jan. 20, 2026, to allow for an orderly transition.

Click image or link to read the article - https://www.ipolitics.ca/2025/12/10/carneys-minority-liberals-opposition-parties-locked-in-existential-impasse-as-sitting-winds-down/

LILLEY: "This is nothing but Trump derangement syndrome on full display."

"Kwan has no problem with these vehicles being sent around the world to be used in an actual war, she’s just against the Americans using them to defend their borders and keep their law enforcement officials safe. She’s against ICE using them because she’s opposed to the Trump administration and their policies around deporting people in their country illegally, in particular criminals and gang members.

For the past several months she’s been speaking up in favour of Kneecap, an Irish musical act known for supporting terrorist groups that was blocked from coming to Canada by the Mark Carney government.

That’s the kind of person Jenny Kwan is, opposed to safety for American law enforcement but in favour of bringing Irish musicians who support terror groups into the country."

"For the past several months she’s been speaking up in favour of Kneecap, an Irish musical act known for supporting terrorist groups that was blocked from coming to Canada by the Mark Carney government.

That’s the kind of person Jenny Kwan is, opposed to safety for American law enforcement but in favour of bringing Irish musicians who support terror groups into the country."

Click image or link to read the opinion article - https://ca.news.yahoo.com/lilley-ndp-mp-shows-radical-225101896.html

OTTAWA — NDP MP Jenny Kwan is dismissing an internal Liberal caucus document as a "fearmongering" attempt to dissuade government MPs from supporting her bill to tighten oversight of defence-related exports.

"I think it's designed to confuse Liberal members, to be honest with you," Kwan said, describing the briefing document as "out-and-out disinformation."

The leaked caucus briefing document claims that the bill put forward by Kwan would "decimate" Canada's defence industry and "dismantle" defence sector trade with the U.S. — and even invite retaliation.

The document, obtained by The Canadian Press and Kwan herself, was circulated weeks ago and arms Liberal MPs with blunt talking points that call the legislation "misguided" and claim it would add red tape that would delay defence exports and "compromise our sovereignty."

The document suggests the legislation would hamper Canada's role in NATO, jeopardize the military's operational efficiency and even delay aid to Ukraine.

Kwan said she can easily rebut those claims when she lobbies MPs from other parties to support her bill — a mammoth task, given the current makeup of Parliament.

With just seven seats in the House of Commons following their dismal spring election results, the vastly outnumbered New Democrats would need sweeping cross-party support to advance the bill.

Kwan argues that her legislation is needed to strengthen arms oversight and keep Canadian-made military hardware out of the hands of governments which would use those weapons against civilian populations.

Her private member's bill C-233, which she's calling the "No More Loopholes Act," would add new oversight requirements to exports of parts and components, end permit-free access to the United States for military goods and require companies to obtain end-use certificates from foreign governments.

Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.timescolonist.com/the-mix/ndp-mp-kwan-accuses-liberals-of-fearmongering-over-defence-export-bill-11585127

A leaked Liberal caucus briefing document obtained by The Maple warned that regulating the flow of Canadian-made military goods to the United States might upset the Americans, resulting in economic blows to Canada and damaging geopolitical alliances.

The briefing was prepared in response to Bill C-233, a private members’ bill sponsored by NDP MP Jenny Kwan, who also obtained a copy of the leaked document ahead of a recent debate in the House of Commons.

Bill C-233, dubbed the “No More Loopholes Act,” proposes amending federal export law to prevent certain countries from being exempt from permitting requirements, and introducing additional regulations and reporting measures for Canadian military exports.

Most military exports to the United States currently do not require permits, and researchers have warned that this serves as a backdoor by which Canadian-made military goods are ending up in Israel, which is committing a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

A recent report, co-authored by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East, Arms Embargo Now and World Beyond War, identified hundreds of shipments of Canadian-made F-35 fighter jet components, other aircraft parts, and explosives and flammable materials to U.S. facilities that supply the Israeli military.

Click image or link to read the story - https://www.readthemaple.com/liberals-fear-closing-arms-export-loophole-would-anger-u-s/

NDP MP Jenny Kwan reacts to Trudeau-era minister Marc Miller back into Liberal cabinet and Joël Lightbound becoming Quebec lieutenant and Julie Dabrusin taking on parks and nature to her portfolio, says ‘no matter how they try to reconfigure their look, you know, it’s the same group of people.’

Click image or link to watch the news video - https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6999290

The Irish hip-hop group Kneecap says it has begun legal action against Vince Gasparro, the Liberal parliamentary secretary who posted a video on social media announcing an apparent ban on the group entering Canada that their lawyer says caused “substantial” harm.

Lawyer Darragh Mackin told Global News that a defamation case is being pursued in Ireland against Gasparro, who Mackin said was served with a notice of claim over the weekend.

“Our clients have been subject to serious and unfounded assertions by way of a public video posted on a personal social media account which has caused substantial reputational harm,” Mackin said in a statement from Belfast human rights law firm Phoenix Law on Saturday.

“The statements made by Mr. Gasparro were wholly inaccurate and defamatory without any reason or justification. … Kneecap, just like every private citizen, are entitled to fairness and the protection of their good name and reputation. These proceedings have been initiated to vindicate those rights.”

In a response tabled last week in the House of Commons to an order paper question by NDP MP Jenny Kwan about the handling of the case, federal officials said they were not involved, and it remains unclear which advice from officials Gasparro was citing in his post.

“It is unprecedented for a government minister without consultation with the prime minister or the respective department to take to matters into their own hands via their own social media channel,” Mackin said. “Such clickbait tactics have no place in a modern democracy.”

In their own written response to Kwan’s request for documents, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said band member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh’s electronic travel authorization (eTA) was cancelled for inadmissibility in August — a month before Gasparro’s announcement — and that he was notified of the decision.

It made no mention of the since-dropped criminal charge against Óg Ó hAnnaidh in the U.K. that accused him of flying a Hezbollah flag during a London concert last year, which Gasparro specifically cited as a reason for the apparent entry ban.

Click image or link to read or watch the news story - https://globalnews.ca/news/11549284/kneecap-entry-ban-legal-action-vince-gasparro/

MPs speak with reporters on Parliament Hill as they convene for the daily question period in the House of Commons. They face questions about Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault’s resignation from cabinet over the federal government’s new energy pact with Alberta, which lays the groundwork for a new bitumen pipeline to the B.C. coast.

Speaking with reporters are Liberal MPs Peter Fragiskatos, Sean Casey, Charles Sousa, and Anthony Housefather and NDP MPs Jenny Kwan and Gord Johns. (no interpretation)

Click image to watch the CPAC video (Jenny's part is at 06:16) - https://www.cpac.ca/scrums/episode/mps-react-to-steven-guilbeaults-cabinet-resignation--november-28-2025?id=7fd303d7-8fd1-4ddd-a9d9-95feac1f9c71

The massacres of civilians in Sudan are being fuelled by Canadian weapons, mining interests, and refugee restrictions. It’s time for Canada to end its complicity.

As Nicholas Coghlan, Canada’s former ambassador to Sudan noted, “If the squeeze had really been put on the UAE a year ago—before they had ramped up all of the arms sales—we would not have had the genocide that is, I would say, indisputably underway in Darfur.”
The UAE is not the only foreign power fuelling this war—on the other side of the battlefield, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey are supplying weapons to the SAF. But the UAE is a major actor in the conflict, and a trade partner that Prime Minister Mark Carney is keenly courting.
To ensure that Canadian arms are not being used to commit genocide in Sudan, Gaza, and elsewhere, Canada must adopt Bill C-233, a bill proposed by NDP MP Jenny Kwan that is being debated in Parliament. The bill would close the loophole that allows arms exports to the U.S. to bypass review and enables the U.S. to divert Canadian weapons to the UAE.
To avoid fuelling the trade in conflict gold, Canada should restrict the import of gold from the UAE. With no gold mines of its own, the UAE’s gold comes largely from Africa—including Sudan, where the RSF provides the precious metal in exchange for arms and support.

Click link to read the article - https://breachmedia.ca/in-the-genocide-in-sudan-canada-has-a-hand-in-the-violence/

Marilyn Slett, President of the Coastal First Nations-Great Bear Initiative and elected Chief of the Heiltsuk Nation, reiterated her group’s position on Thursday, which is that it will never consent to oil tankers on that stretch of the B.C. coast.

“A tanker ban is not a ban if it includes exemptions or carve outs,” she said.

She previously voiced concerns that Alberta’s ambitious timeline for the pipeline project might not allow enough time for meaningful consultations.

Section 35 challenge?

The MOU states that, if the pipeline project earns a ‘national interest’ designation under the Building Canada Act, then the federal government is ready to make “an appropriate adjustment” to the oil tanker ban off the B.C. coast.

The Building Canada Act allows for projects with that designation to bypass existing regulations, including in this case the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, but the Indian Act and constitutionally protected rights under Section 35 cannot be sidestepped.

Section 35 of the Constitution Act was central to the legal challenges against Northern Gateway, a northwest B.C. pipeline proposal that faced intense court battles before being cancelled in 2016.

Within the Liberal caucus, the pipeline discussion has created tensions, with Canadian Identity Minister Steven Guilbeault resigning from cabinet late Thursday to protest the MOU.

Liberal B.C. MPs also told iPolitics they had concerns the political fallout could cost them their seats.

All opposition parties had a bone to pick with the Carney government following the announcement, with the Conservatives saying it doesn’t go far enough to actually build a pipeline, and the NDP’s Jenny Kwan saying the project will go nowhere but the courts.

Click image or link to read the news story - https://www.ipolitics.ca/2025/11/27/proposal-ottawa-carney-memorandum-understanding-energy-pipeline-first-nations-coast/

The Alberta-Ottawa pipeline agreement sparked the resignation of high-profile climate activist turned-politician, Steven Guilbeault, but — for the moment — BC Liberal MPs are staying quiet and out of sight.

MPs Patrick Weiler and Will Greaves, who previously expressed reservations about the Alberta-Ottawa pipeline agreement, were among at least 11 BC Liberal MPs not present for Question Period on Thursday.

Greaves told Canada’s National Observer that he will reserve his comments until Friday. Greaves previously said he and his constituents are opposed to an agreement involving a pipeline through BC and oil tanker ban exemptions, which are included in the memorandum of understanding (MOU).

A handful of Trudeau-era climate-minded Liberals were also absent from Question Period, including Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Karina Gould and Guilbeault, who hours later issued a statement saying his resignation is a direct response to the MOU.

The day before the MOU was signed, Erskine-Smith said he was “a little skeptical” of grand bargains, having already lived through one — referring to the Trans Mountain pipeline — and he would have “lots to say” once MOU details were public. At the time of publication he had not weighed in.

It remains to be seen whether BC Liberal MPs and progressive Liberals will be emboldened to speak their mind following Guilbeault’s resignation. At least one BC Liberal is backing Carney’s MOU.

After Question Period, Liberal MP for Coquitlam–Port Coquitlam Ron McKinnon called the MOU “a positive step forward for British Columbia and for First Nations.”

“This cannot proceed without First Nations' prior informed consent, and British Columbia would not stand for this,” NDP MP for Vancouver East Jenny Kwan said when asked about the newly inked MOU. The prime minister is “creating a lot of noise about a pipeline that will go nowhere but to the courts,” Kwan told reporters after Question Period.

Click link to read the news story - https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/11/27/news/liberal-mps-silent-ottawa-carney-deal