Ms. Kirsty Duncan (Etobicoke North, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday the Minister of the Environment stated unequivocally that we do not muzzle our scientists. Yesterday, we were told that Environment Canada scientist Dr. Tarasick was available to speak to responsible media, but the minister’s office has denied access to the National Post, Ottawa Citizen and The Gazette.

If Environment Canada’s ozone scientists are not being muzzled, why have these newspapers been denied access? Does the minister not consider these news organizations to be responsible media?

Ms. Michelle Rempel (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, CPC): Mr. Speaker, we certainly are proud of the work of our scientists and the contributions they make to protecting Canada’s environment. Ministers speak for the government. That is why we give answers in question period.

“That is why we give answers in question period“?

I am as cognizant as any here that the current government and Prime Minister are not the first, nor will they be the last, to engage in as much message control as they can achieve. The question I believe we need to ask is how much, from the perspective of “we the people“, of this control is too much?

How far can we trust any partisan government we elect to give us the entire message and let us make up our own minds, as opposed to giving us the message they want us to see?

OTTAWA — A year of attention on multiple sclerosis and a potential treatment for the degenerative disease has been good for patients, the MS Society and a patient advocate agree.

[...]

#2 — CNews | Two families out in cold after Christmas Day fire

SUDBURY, Ont. — Two families are without a home after a Christmas Day fire in this northern Ontario city.

[...]

#3 — CNews | Lotto Max prize still up for grabs

Break out your rabbit's foot, four leaf clover or an alligator tooth if you can find one — the jackpot for the New Year's Eve Lotto Max draw is worth $68 million.

[...]

#4 — Globe | Don Cherry visits troops in Kandahar

Coach's Corner came to Kandahar for Christmas.

Hockey commentator Don Cherry helped spread some seasonal cheer to Canadian soldiers at outposts across southern Afghanistan.

[...]

#5 — Globe | Students rally to defend classmate facing deportation to Mexico

Daniel Garcia was supposed to spend Christmas with his girlfriend and her family, even staying overnight at their home so he wouldn't be alone on the holidays.

[...]

#6 — LFP | Weird interactions between humans and animals in 2010 a sign of what's to come

When RCMP officers busted a marijuana grow op in Christina Lake, B.C., this summer, they were greeted by an unexpected platoon of guards: as many as 14 black bears.

[...]

#7 — FP | Debt advisors flood Canadian market

It’s not just personal debt that has climbed to record levels. The companies offering to help you with massive debt are also proliferating.

[...]

#8 — OC | Border guards halt joint operations with police

OTTAWA — In a shock move, Canada’s Border Service Agency has permanently halted all joint operations with police forces across the country.

[...]

#9 — MG | Queen's first great-grandchild has local roots

With a sense of anticipation befitting the Christmas season, Canadian monarchists are poised to celebrate the imminent birth of Queen Elizabeth's first great-grandchild -a Canadian baby due any day now to Montreal-born Autumn Phillips, the wife of Princess Anne's son, Peter, the Queen's eldest grandchild.

[...]

#10 — Star | Boxing Day madness hits Toronto

Santa Claus has come and gone. The turkey stuffed and carved. But while the spoils of Christmas are just one day old, bargain hunters are already lining up for biggest shopping day of the year.

[...]

OTTAWA – The son of former Newfoundland premier Brian Tobin is being held by Ottawa Police after an Ottawa man was run over by a truck and killed on the top floor of a downtown Ottawa parking garage early Friday morning.

[...]

#2 — CNews | West Coast bracing for severe rainfall

Residents of British Columbia are bracing for a wet and stormy Christmas Eve, as rainfall warnings are in effect Friday for parts of Vancouver Island.

[...]

#3 — CNews | Ship carrying sick crew sails for Montreal

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. – The Liberian-registered German vessel, Hermann Schoening, which had part of its crew hospitalized is again moving through the St. Lawrence Seaway system.

[...]

#4 — Globe | Canadian troops gather for special Christmas Eve mass in Kandahar

They gathered in a simple wooden chapel in a faraway land to do something quintessentially Canadian: sing Christmas songs.

[...]

#5 — Globe | Federal cuts to immigrant services won’t impact B.C., says minister

In stark contrast to the federal cutbacks for immigration services, British Columbia is pitching in additional funds to ensure that new arrivals get the help they need, B.C. minister Ida Chong says.

[...]

#6 — LFP | Police find pipe bomb in Sudbury home

SUDBURY, Ont. – Several homes were evacuated on a residential street in Sudbury, Ont., on Friday while police detonated a pipe bomb.

[...]

#7 — NP | Warrant issued for Italian man allegedly linked to Mafia

An arrest warrant has been issued by Canada’s border agency against an Italian citizen visiting Toronto who is accused of being a part of a powerful and violent Mafia organization operating in Italy and in Canada.

[...]

#8 — OC | Boy seized after witnessing dad’s drug deal: police

EDMONTON — Edmonton police removed a seven-year-old boy from his father’s care after the man was charged with selling drugs from his vehicle while his son was in the car.

[...]

#9 — MG | Most Canadians opt for artificial Christmas tree: poll

VANCOUVER — When it comes to picking a Christmas tree, convenience trumps tradition.

That’s the finding of an Angus Reid poll which shows that 58 per cent of Canadians prefer an artificial evergreen to the real thing.

[...]

#10 — Star | Woman has ‘critical brain injury’ after bizarre hospital crash

A mother of three young children is recovering from an unusual car crash that happened in a Newmarket hospital parking lot, leaving her in critical condition on Christmas Eve.

[...]

OTTAWA – The federal government will be able to balance the budget and refinance health care at the same time, according to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty.

[...]

#2 — CNews | Bogus money ring busted at Pearson

TORONTO – The RCMP and Canadian border agents at Pearson Airport smashed a counterfeit money ring that was allegedly smuggling fake U.S. money from Peru for resale in Canada.

[...]

#3 — CNews | Mr. Claus delivers $284K tax bill to gangster

Notorious Quebec street gang leader Ducarme Joseph has received an early and rather unusual Christmas present – a $283,743 tax bill from Revenue Quebec, QMI Agency has learned.

[...]

#4 — Globe | RCMP needs open leadership, new deputy says

Rod Knecht sounds like the toughest RCMP critic out there, calling the national police force arrogant, stilted, self-centred and afflicted by a culture of entitlement.

[...]

#5 — Globe | Refit of Canadian navy sub faces new delay

There's been yet another delay in the completion date for the refit of Canadian navy submarine HMCS Victoria, one of four subs bought from Britain 12 years ago.

[...]

#6 — LFP | Flash mob video sets a record

WELLAND, Ont. — Chorus Niagara's famous flash mob has set a record.

The video production of the Nov. 13 flash mob performance of Handel's Messiah at Seaway Mall's food court has 25.4 million hits on YouTube.

[...]

#7 — NP | Kenney defends immigration funding changes

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says the reason the federal government is cutting millions of dollars from immigration settlement programs is because more new Canadians are choosing to live in some not-so traditional locations.

[...]

#8 — OC | Soldiers’ safe homecoming ‘the perfect Christmas gift’

CFB PETAWAW — CFB Petawawa’s Afghan war finally came to a fitting end Friday in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve.

[...]

#9 — MG | SNC-Lavalin to helm construction of Muskrat Falls hydro project

MONTREAL – Montreal-based engineers SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. will manage construction of the generating station planned for the 824MW Muskrat Falls hydro development on the Lower Churchill river in Labrador, under a letter-of-intent signed with prime contractor Nalcor Energy, the Newfoundland and Labrador crown corporation.

[...]

#10 — Star | Washington used aggressive sales pitch to sell F-35 jets: Memos

OTTAWA—Canada may have been the target of a high-pressure sales job to buy the controversial F-35 fighter by a U.S. administration known to use “forceful” diplomacy to cement a deal, leaked diplomatic cables suggest.

[...]

It's going to be a Christmas to remember for The Queen – on the heels of two big 2011 royal wedding announcements, she's about to become a great-grandmother for the first time.

[...]

#2 — CNews | Flaherty worries about our ability to pay the mortgage

OTTAWA – As Canadians spend the final days before Christmas adding more charges to their credit cards, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is concerned about the impact rising interest rates will have on Canadian family budgets in 2011.

[...]

#3 — CNews | Take down decorations: Canada Post

MONTREAL – Canada Post is threatening to suspend mail delivery to those with Christmas garlands adorning handrails leading to their homes.

[...]

#4 — Globe | Native leaders reject new child-welfare agency

The B.C. government has delegated authority for aboriginal child protection in the Fraser Valley to an agency that does not have the support of prominent native leaders in the area.

[...]

#5 — Globe | Canada’s little-known spy agency comes out into the open

At a time when most government agencies are cutting and slashing, a little-known spy agency led by a Rhodes Scholar is the envy of Ottawa for its planned billion-dollar headquarters.

[...]

#6 — LFP | Forces to hit recruitment target ahead of schedule

OTTAWA — Recruitment for the Canadian Forces slowed down this year but is on track to hit its key target two years ahead of schedule.

[...]

#7 — NP | Canada’s population growing because of immigration: StatsCan

OTTAWA — Canada’s population in the third quarter of 2010 was driven forward by the highest immigration rates seen in four decades, Statistics Canada says.

[...]

#8 — OC | Skype hit by outage, recovery taking hours

NEW YORK – Internet phone and video service Skype went down in a global service outage Wednesday, underscoring a weakness of the free online communication tool.

[...]

#9 — MG | Abrupt exit for Concordia president Woodsworth

MONTREAL – For the second time in less than three years, Concordia University has fired its president, a move bound to cost the university dearly, in credibility and cash.

[...]

#10 — Star | Anti-terrorism squad jails Pembroke man

The RCMP anti-terrorism squad has charged a man in Pembroke, Ont., with attempting to possess explosives with intent to endanger life.

[...]

TORONTO – Two jail guards suffered minor injuries and an inmate is in hospital with 200 stitches after a melee at the Toronto West Detention Centre.

[...]

#2 — CNews | Mom charged with attempted murder, arson

CALGARY – Mounties have charged a woman with attempted murder and arson for allegedly setting her house on fire with her husband and kids inside.

[...]

#3 — CNews | Alberta father charged with killing his sons

EDMONTON – While their father faces double-homicide charges, relatives of the two young boys found dead in an Edmonton townhouse are rallying around their mother.

[...]

#4 — Globe | Governments vow to overhaul environmental monitoring of oil sands development

The federal and provincial governments are vowing to establish a “gold standard” of environmental monitoring of the oil sands development after a series of reports that suggest regulators are flying blind due to a lack of scientific data.

[...]

#5 — Globe | Tories hope anti-gang fighter’s appointment to Senate will pay dividends

Don Meredith’s arrival in the Senate, combined with Julian Fantino’s election to the House of Commons, offers Stephen Harper a one-two law-and-order punch that the Conservatives hope will pay dividends in Toronto-area seats if an election is held next spring.

[...]

#6 — LFP | Tories lose in court, must keep tax dollars

OTTAWA – An Ontario court has ruled that the Conservative Party of Canada must take a $600,000 rebate for elections expenses whether it wants it or not.

[...]

#7 — NP | Transcendental gold miner accused of falsifying results

VANCOUVER — On Saturday, RCMP officers showed up at the Salt Spring Island home of former mining executive John Paterson. He was arrested, handcuffed, loaded into a floatplane and flown across the Strait of Georgia to a Vancouver area jail, charged with seven counts of fraud and two counts of publishing false statements to shareholders.

[...]

#8 — OC | Russell Williams' wife wants a divorce

OTTAWA — The wife of convicted sex killer and former Canadian Forces Base Trenton commander Russell Williams intends to file for divorce.

[...]

#9 — MG | Conservative Senator Larry Smith wants to run in Lac St. Louis riding

MONTREAL – Former Alouettes CEO Larry Smith used his first public outing as a newly minted senator to announce he will seek the Conservative nomination in the West Island riding of Lac St. Louis to run in the next federal election.

[...]

#10 — Star | Liberal MPP has a subway funding plan for Ford

The architect of Ontario’s successful strategy to build public infrastructure with private money has a subway solution for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

[...]

OTTAWA – In an ironic twist, Bell Canada, the operator of Canada’s do-not-call list, has been slapped with a record-breaking $1.3 million fine for making unsolicited calls and breaking the very law it is charged with administering.

[...]

#2 — CNews | Close call for driver who ducked in time

TORONTO – A woman driving in the northwest part of the city Monday must’ve had her lucky charm with her, Toronto Police said.

[...]

#3 — CNews | From Kandahar to Kabul

OTTAWA — 2011 will be a year of massive transition for Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, as troops close out the mission as combat warriors in Kandahar to open a new chapter as trainers in Kabul.

[...]

Globe | NATO fails to deliver half of trainers promised for Afghanistan

#4 — Globe | Canada silent as UN mobilizes against feared Christmas massacre

It has become a grim Christmas ritual: hundreds of innocent civilians massacred in remote corners of Africa by the Lord’s Resistance Army, one of the world’s cruellest and bloodiest guerrilla forces.

[...]

#5 — Globe | PM taps former CFL commissioner as star political player in Quebec

Stephen Harper is hoping that a new political star is rising in Quebec, with his appointment of former CFL commissioner and outgoing Montreal Alouettes president Larry Smith to the Senate and, in all likelihood, to cabinet next month.

[...]

NP | Conservatives in control of Senate with new appointments

#6 — LFP | Dangerous drug missing

A narcotic 100 times more powerful than morphine has gone missing from a London hospital, but officials aren’t saying how much is unaccounted for or whether it has hit the streets.

[...]

#7 — NP | Judge rules personal emails on work computers can't be made public

Personal emails stored on workplace computers are not covered by access to information laws, an Ontario judge has ruled.

[...]

#8 — OC | Finance ministers agree to two-track approach to pension reform

KANANASKIS, Alta. — Canada's finance ministers agreed Monday to keep alive the possibility of expanding the Canada Pension Plan — with a careful examination of the financial consequences — while also moving ahead with a private-sector framework for retirement savings.

[...]

#9 — MG | Harper says no ‘federal program’ to build an arena for Quebec NHL team

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper threw more cold water on the idea that the federal government could help build an arena so that Quebec City could win an NHL franchise.

[...]

#10 — Star | Toronto to Heathrow: Buy better equipment

The men who keep planes flying in and out of Pearson in all but the worst blizzards say there’s only one remedy to London’s airport woes, and it’s as obvious as you might expect.

“It’s the equipment,” said Kevin Lacey, senior manager with field services and planning.

[...]

OTTAWA – New Democrats are ready to rumble in a federal election whenever it happens, but the party's leader says he'd rather just get things done.

[...]

#2 — CNews | Still not free: Latimer

CALGARY — Freedom — or merely a bigger cell.

To ask Robert Latimer, arguably the most controversial convicted killer in Canada's history, it's clear parole under a life sentence for murder only means trading one prison for another.

[...]

#3 — CNews | Government officials may get iPads

MONTREAL – The federal government is mulling offering iPads to bureaucrats to cut down on paper and printing costs.

[...]

#4 — Globe | Quebec’s support gives Ottawa a key ally in pension debate

Now is not the time to make once-in-a-generation changes to the Canada Pension Plan, says Quebec's Finance Minister, a declaration that gives Ottawa a key new ally after its decision to reject CPP enhancements.

[...]

#5 — Globe | Ottawa to release more intelligence files on Tommy Douglas

The federal government has relented on its adamant refusal to release decades-old intelligence on socialist icon Tommy Douglas.

It's now promising to review the file and release additional material.

[...]

#6 — NP | Tories strong on jobs, crime; soft on health care, pensions: poll

OTTAWA — The Harper government is convincing a majority of Canadians that it has a solid record on job-creation and crime prevention but its performance on social programs such as health care and pensions is less impressive, according to a new poll.

[...]

#7 — NP | Gunter: Say ‘no’ to taxpayers’ dollars for northern pipeline

There’s an episode of the 1980s British sitcom, Yes, Minister, in which Jim Hacker, the minister for Administrative Affairs, goes to visit England’s most efficient hospital, a new institution in North London known as St. Edward’s. While touring the facility, the minister learns the reason for its efficiency – the wards are fully staffed, but the hospital has no patients. “Having patients around would be no help at all,” he is assured.

[...]

#8 — OC | Canada is training an Afghan army that will likely explode

For the first time, a Canadian politician has come close to publicly identifying the elephant in the room of Canada’s planned training mission in Afghanistan.

[...]

#9 — MG | Christmas Eve Lotto Max jackpot hits $50M

MONTREAL – With no winners in Friday night's $40-million Lotto Max draw, next week's jackpot has climbed to $50 million – which could make for one very memorable Christmas Eve.

[...]

#10 — Star | Fonseca jumped before he could be pushed

After learning Peter Fonseca was jumping to the federal Liberals, Premier Dalton McGuinty immediately forced him to resign as labour minister to “send the clearest possible signal” to other MPPs harbouring ambitions.

[...]

The war in Afghanistan has claimed another Canadian, with the 154th soldier killed in combat Saturday.

[...]

#2 — CNews | Edmonton homicide victim had gang ties

EDMONTON – Edmonton's latest homicide victim was a 31-year-old father of two who was involved with a notorious motorcycle gang once in a bloody war with the Hells Angels, QMI Agency has learned.

[...]

#3 — CNews | DNA evidence sparks arrest in decade-old murder

CALGARY – Nearly 10 years after Corinne Rita Belanger was gunned down, police say tenacity by many detectives and advances in DNA analysis finally led to charges in her killing.

[...]

#4 — Globe | B.C. New Democrats to pick new leader in April

The provincial council for B.C. New Democrats, mindful of provincial Liberal plans to elect a new leader in February, have set April. 17 as their date for their own convention to elect a successor for outgoing leader Carole James.

[...]

#5 — Globe | 911 dispatcher appeals dismissal over failing to act on a call

An Edmonton police dispatcher who failed to act on a 911 call from a woman who was later killed by her son is appealing his dismissal.

[...]

#6 — LFP | Ont. businessman denies Mafia allegations

TORONTO – The former owner of a recycling bin company that once had a contract with the City of Toronto is devastated he's named on Italian warrants for Mafia association, his lawyer said.

[...]

#7 — NP | 2010 Olympics broke even, VANOC says

VANCOUVER — The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver broke even, according to the organizing committee behind the Games.

[...]

#8 — OC | Equity pay taxation battle to go to Federal Court

OTTAWA — In 2000, the federal government paid $3.6 billion to 230,000 current and former public servants in six female-dominated occupations, representing 13 years of back pay, plus interest. It remains the largest pay equity settlement ever reached in Canada.

[...]

#9 — MG | Vancouver cops to track gangsters with licence-plate readers

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver police department’s plans to use automatic licence-plate readers to track gangsters’ movements could have a real impact on gang violence, according to one of the first U.S. police departments to deploy the technology.

[...]

#10 — Star | Mounties roll out next-generation breath test for drivers

REGINA—The Mounties are bringing in the next generation of breath-testing technology to help them get their man — or woman — who has been driving after drinking.

RCMP officers in Saskatchewan are training on the Intoximeter, which uses infrared and fuel-cell technologies.

[...]

OTTAWA — A scandal involving claims of tax evasion, mob connections, corrupt bureaucrats and political intrigue could turn into a circus on Parliament Hill come the new year.

[...]

#2 — CNews | Ont. police detonate homemade bombs

TIMMINS, Ont. — Several people had to be evacuated and a school was locked down after police discovered explosives in a home in this northern Ontario city.

[...]

#3 — CNews | Bullied disabled boy finally gets help

TORONTO – Staff at George Webster Elementary School have caved and now promise to provide Matthew Lau's disabled son the support he needs.

[...]

#4 — Globe | Maclean’s no longer worthy of public funding, says senator

A Canadian senator is asking the federal government to revoke federal subsidies to Maclean’s magazine over an article on university enrolment that focused on Asian-Canadian students.

[...]

#5 — Globe | Opposition won’t have reason to vote down budget, Harper says

Stephen Harper insists he’s got no appetite for an election and is promising the 2011 budget will be free of “draconian cuts”– the kind of measures that might give opposition parties a concrete reason to defeat the Conservatives.

[...]

#6 — LFP | Survey infuriates victims

The Liberal government has infuriated male sexual abuse victims and advocates by using an online survey — not promised face-to-face meetings — for feedback on its controversial new counselling program.

[...]

#7 — NP | German-Canadian group assails Holocaust exhibit

Jewish organizations are aghast after the German-Canadian Congress complained about plans for a permanent Holocaust exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Tony Bergmeier, president of the German congress, said he recognizes the atrocities of the Holocaust, but said his main objection to a permanent exhibit on it is that other human rights abuses will not receive the attention they deserve.

[...]

#8 — OC | Daycare operators charged under Ontario law

Operators of two daycares in Orléans, including one where a child drowned this summer, face charges of violating the provincial Day Nurseries Act.

[...]

#9 — MG | U.S. appeals court denies Conrad Black full hearing

A U.S. federal appeals court has denied Conrad Black's appeal of his convictions for fraud and obstruction of justice, raising the possibility the former media baron will return to prison.

[...]

#10 — Star | Backlash grows against Flaherty’s pension proposal

OTTAWA––Two dozen protestors barged into Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s office in Whitby on Friday as a backlash against his latest pension proposal gathered force.

[...]

OTTAWA – A federal employee from the immigration department has been nicked by the Mounties and charged with selling a path to living in Canada.

[...]

#2 — CNews | Controversial Mackenzie pipeline gets approval

CALGARY — A massive pipeline to tap into the natural gas wealth in the Mackenzie River valley is in the public interest and should be approved by cabinet, Canada’s national energy industry regulator has ruled.

[...]

#3 — CNews | Iggy wants to ride Rob Ford's wave

OTTAWA — Michael Ignatieff says his Liberal Party can beat Stephen Harper by riding the same wave of voter disgust that propelled Rob Ford into the Toronto mayor’s chair.

[...]

Globe | Ignatieff set to trigger election call in New Year

#4 — Globe | Showdown over pension reforms pits Ottawa against provinces

Provinces are planning to fight for enhancements to the Canada Pension Plan at a key meeting on Monday, setting up a showdown with the Harper government over how Canadians will fund their retirements.

[...]

#5 — Globe | PM to make native education a priority

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has taken a personal stake in improving the way children are taught on reserves by agreeing to meet collectively for the first time with first-nations leaders – a gathering where education would top the agenda.

[...]

#6 — LFP | Stranded motorists shocked by towing fees

SARNIA, Ont. — Travellers stranded on local highways by this week’s winter storm are crying foul over fees charged by tow truck operators.

[...]

#7 — NP | UPDATE: Council votes to cancel car registration tax on Jan. 1

City council has voted to cancel the wildly unpopular vehicle registration tax starting Jan. 1. Repealing the $60 fee that the city collects on your birthday, seen by many as a twisted present, was a central promise made by Mayor Rob Ford during the election.

[...]

#8 — OC | Dealer lied about 'harrowing' deportation, government says

Canadian officials say they now believe a former Ottawa drug dealer, deported to Somalia, lied about his "harrowing" arrival in Mogadishu.

[...]

#9 — MG | N.B. storm caused millions in damages to roads

FREDERICTON — New Brunswick is turning its attention from crisis management to repair in the wake of a fierce rain and windstorm this week that dumped up to 100 to 185 millimetres of rain on parts of the province.

[...]

#10 — Star | Chief prevention officer to police all Ontario workplaces

No report will give Dilshod Marupov his old life back or undo the deaths of his four co-workers.

But the 22-year-old Uzbek refugee, the lone survivor of a scaffold collapse that killed four migrant workers last Christmas Eve, hopes an increase in training and education for workers and their supervisors will prevent future accidents.

[...]