Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 01 Mar, 2022 01:30 PM
VANCOUVER - A special prosecutor says British Columbia's former clerk of the legislative assembly used public funds to enrich himself in "glaring and egregious" ways.
Brock Martland made the allegation as he began closing arguments in the Crown's case against Craig James, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of breach of trust.
James's defence is expected to present its case Wednesday.
Martland says that as the most senior officer of the legislature, James held a position akin to the CEO and was responsible for financial stewardship of the institution.
He accused James of acting outside of his duties by picking up a wood splitter and trailer for the legislature and storing them at home for a year, exploiting a weakness in the system to award himself a $258,000 retirement benefit and charging souvenirs to the public purse.
Martland says public trust in government officials is a critical part of a functioning democracy, and he alleged that James violated that trust.
"This case is about trust, specifically the public trust that we place in government officials," Martland told the court on Tuesday.
"Our position is that the public trust was violated repeatedly and extensively by Craig James."
Canada has extended the ban on incoming passenger flights from India for another month til July 21, 2021. The federal government is not renewing the travel ban for Pakistan.
Canada is set to receive more than five million doses of COVID-19 vaccine over the coming week. Another 2.8 million will come from Moderna, for a total of 5.2 million shots expected this week.
Parliamentarians are entering what could be their final stretch in the House of Commons before summer break as the Liberal government sharpens its focus on two key pieces of legislation.
Fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents returning to Canada will soon be able to avoid a mandatory quarantine. The first stage in loosening the border restrictions that have been in place for 15 months will begin at 11:59 p.m. eastern time on July 5.
Singh says the Liberals are hoping to turn the page and celebrate their achievements on reconciliation with First Peoples today, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, but he believes they should instead be taken to task on their record.
A shooting took palce near an elementary school in Burnaby on Friday but the Burnaby RCMP say they haven't found any victims. Police were on scene at Armstrong Avenue near Cariboo Drive around 9 p.m., close to Armstrong Elementary School.
