CSIS Sets Up International Secret-Swapping Forum

OTTAWA - The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has set up a "multilateral forum of trusted partners" to share information on suspected extremists travelling abroad — a group that extends beyond its customary Five Eyes spy network, a newly released memo says.

In the memo, "CSIS Response: Addressing the Terrorist Travel Threat," Canada's spy agency also flags a concern about the challenges it faces in going further to build relationships with "non-traditional partners."

Information-Sharing Bill Would Extend NSA’s Reach, Opponents Argue

Dozens of organizations and individuals, including some of the nation’s leading security experts, have come together to urge lawmakers to oppose the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, a bill whose backers say would “improve cybersecurity in the United States through enhanced sharing of information about cybersecurity threats, and for other purposes.”

Some of the bill’s opponents—including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Free Press Action Fund, the New America Foundation and 45 others—sent a letter this month to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, arguing that, despite the bill’s name, CISA would do little to strengthen cybersecurity and would actually expand unnecessary surveillance on Americans.

North American leaders gather in Ottawa away from reporters’ prying eyes

Over the weekend, some of North America’s most powerful people met in Ottawa.

The North American Forum, an annual meeting of leaders from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, brought together politicians, ambassadors, CEOs for major firms, and academics for a two-day series of panels to discuss key issues facing North America in the near future.

XL Foods, Tories and a politicized inspection agency offer a textbook case of brand destruction

Today is Thanksgiving, and we give thanks the XL Foods plant in southeastern Alberta doesn't process turkeys!

Because XL Foods, its parent company, the Alberta Progressive Conservative Government, the federal Conservative Government and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have effectively destroyed the reputation of Alberta beef in the span of a single month.

In addition to the as-yet-undetermined problems that caused E. coli contamination inside XL Foods' massive plant in the town of Brooks, they've provided a textbook example of how not to handle a public relations crisis.

Kevin Page, Budget Watchdog, Says He'll Go To Court To Get Budget Cut Info From Feds If Necessary

OTTAWA - There's a showdown looming between the Parliamentary Budget Officer and Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government.

Kevin Page has given officials in 56 departments and agencies until Wednesday to provide information about cuts and savings in the federal budget.

Budget watchdog prepared to take Harper government to court

OTTAWA—There’s a showdown looming between the Parliamentary Budget Officer and Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government.

Kevin Page has given officials in 56 departments and agencies until Wednesday to provide information about cuts and savings in the federal budget.

Government’s reaction to tainted beef scandal the real crime

Calling for the resignation of a cabinet minister is the easiest gambit for any opposition.

It is also the laziest, most knee-jerk substitute for substantive debate and until ministers start standing in their place and accepting opposition counsel to end their political career, it is merely part of the daily Ottawa charade.

Shout “resign” too often and too loudly and the already diminished currency of the demand is totally devalued.

Elections Canada commissioner declines to hand over robocalls investigation data to Federal Court

OTTAWA — Elections Canada has updated the number of complaints it received over misleading election phone calls but is refusing to provide more details in Federal Court about its ongoing “robocalls” investigations.

By Aug. 16, the agency had fielded 1,394 complaints alleging specific instances of misleading phone calls during the election from people in 234 different ridings, according to new data provided by the Commissioner of Canada Elections.

Information is key to carbon education

The Harper government is doing enormous damage to Canada’s international reputation by refusing to show any leadership on the global warming issue. Fortunately, around the world there are already hundreds (if not thousands) of non-governmental projects under way to help cut carbon emissions. Everyone, from scientists to schoolchildren, is participating. As government foot-dragging continues, amplifying grassroots energies offer the best short-term hope for meaningful action.

The British Columbia government, already a leader in addressing climate change, lit a fire under Canadian software developers by open-sourcing hundreds of its best climate datasets. The government challenged programmers to create innovative Web-based and mobile apps that would raise awareness of climate change and inspire action. As an incentive, $40,000 in prize money was offered.

One of the winning apps helps students manage their carbon footprints. Users can track their bathing, eating, transportation and entertainment habits, and the app spits out an impact statement showing the annualized kilogram of CO2 equivalents generated by their actions. Another app, aimed at small- and medium-sized businesses, lets business owners measure their company’s emissions and benchmark its score against industry peers.

The B.C. government believes that collaborations such as these provide a low-cost way to tap new ideas and skills in pursuit of the province’s climate goals. The government contributed its data; private-sector partners contributed the prize money. Software coders and local businesses provided their labour and ingenuity. And none of the initiatives spurred on by the contest require new rules or new legislation to move forward.

Oil sands giants strike information-sharing pact

A dozen oil sands producers, including some of the world's biggest energy producers, have agreed to a broad new information-sharing agreement that sweeps away numerous intellectual property rights in the name of advancing environmental performance in north-eastern Alberta.

The group has formed “Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance,” or COSIA, to spread research and technology development in several key areas of environmental performance. Those areas include greenhouse gases, land disturbance, water, air emissions and management of tailings, the toxic effluent produced by oil sands mines.

It is an “ambitious and perhaps unprecedented sharing of intellectual property around environmental technologies,” said one person familiar with the plans.

The group's members, together, produce the vast majority of crude flowing from the oil sands. They are BP PLC (BP-N47.840.681.44%), Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNQ-T37.410.681.85%), Cenovus Energy Inc. (CVE-T38.950.491.27%), ConocoPhillips Co. (COP-N78.221.672.18%), Devon Corp. (DVN-N74.130.821.12%), Imperial Oil Ltd. (IMO-T47.420.130.27%), Nexen Inc. (NXY-T20.570.401.98%), Royal Dutch Shell plc, Statoil ASA, Suncor Energy Inc. (SU-T35.840.220.62%), Teck Resources Ltd. (TCK.B-T39.56-0.06-0.15%) and Total S.A.