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."
In the House of Commons today, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is putting forward a motion that calls on Ottawa to drop a pair of Federal Court appeals he says represent a "belligerent" approach to justice for Indigenous children.
Almost three dozen Canadian aid groups, faith-based organizations and global development advocates say Canada needs to donate some COVID-19 doses to a global vaccine alliance immediately.
Health officials in Ontario say that people who have received a first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will be able to get Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna as a booster starting on Friday.
Police say a suspect is in custody after customers in a bank in British Columbia refused to obey orders from a shotgun-brandishing robber and tackled him.
Starting on Sept. 1, 2021, employers will be required to review each area of a job site when determining if a person must wear safety headgear, such as a hard hat, in that area. Employers will determine, through a risk assessment, what safety precautions could be taken to prevent head injuries and whether a hard hat is necessary.
