Thursday, January 15, 2026
ADVT 
National

Minister replaces staffer again at WE hearing

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 31 Mar, 2021 06:58 PM
  • Minister replaces staffer again at WE hearing

Opposition members shut down a parliamentary committee hearing this afternoon after the Liberal government once again refused to let a political aide appear to answer questions about the now-dead deal with WE Charity.

Members of the House of Commons' ethics committee had asked a senior adviser to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to testify following an order to that effect from Parliament last week.

But the Liberal government, which has said it will order political staff not to appear before committees, instead deployed Associate Finance Minister Mona Fortier to appear on Amitpal Singh's behalf.

It was the second time a minister appeared instead of a ministerial aide after government House leader Pablo Rodriguez took the place of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's policy director earlier this week.

While the committee ultimately decided to hear what Rodriguez had to say on Monday, opposition members refused to do the same with Fortier today and instead used their majority to adjourn the meeting after only 20 minutes.

The government has said ministers are ultimately responsible for their staff, but committee members expressed anger and frustration over what they described as the Liberals' defiance of Parliament.

MORE National ARTICLES

Kentucky storm holds up Canadian vaccine delivery

Kentucky storm holds up Canadian vaccine delivery
Health Canada says provinces expecting deliveries of Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine can expect them to arrive at least a day behind schedule but all doses will be in the country by Friday.

Kentucky storm holds up Canadian vaccine delivery

Ex-MP Raj Grewal heading to trial in October

Ex-MP Raj Grewal heading to trial in October
Raj Grewal is scheduled to go before an Ontario judge in an eight-week criminal trial starting Oct. 18.

Ex-MP Raj Grewal heading to trial in October

One man hurt in shooting in Surrey, B.C

One man hurt in shooting in Surrey, B.C
The injured man was found in a residential area of central Surrey suffering from a gunshot wound.

One man hurt in shooting in Surrey, B.C

Surrey man Gurmandeep Singh Atwal arrested for personating a Peace Officer

Surrey man Gurmandeep Singh Atwal arrested for personating a Peace Officer
Surrey man allegedly posed as a peace officer at a home in Richmond on the evening of January 29th, 2021.

Surrey man Gurmandeep Singh Atwal arrested for personating a Peace Officer

COVID-19 cases ticking up after slow drop: Henry

COVID-19 cases ticking up after slow drop: Henry
Dr. Henry says that over the past four days, 1,533 new cases have been confirmed across British Columbia and 26 more people have died.

COVID-19 cases ticking up after slow drop: Henry

NDP calls for military support in vaccine rollout

NDP calls for military support in vaccine rollout
The federal government should engage military personnel along with more medical and nursing students and retired health-care workers to ramp up Canada's faltering vaccine rollout, Singh said Tuesday.

NDP calls for military support in vaccine rollout