Finally The Media Has Recognized the "Problem" of Canada's Housing Affordability - And It Is NOT a Supply Issue

https://business.financialpost.com/diane-francis/money-laundering-by-foreigners-is-whats-really-destroying-housing-affordability-in-canada?video_autoplay=true#comments-area

Diane Francis, once again, approaches a topic that sometimes ruffles feathers due to the mere mentions of  "Foreigner" activities and domestic activities. 

Her suggestions are spot on, but of course not exhaustive:

"The disclosure of beneficial owners is a key solution. Otherwise, for example, real estate can be bought by a proxy person or company. Typically, funds come from a trust, managed by a shell company owned by another trust with an account in Luxembourg or Vanuatu, managed by a Swiss or Singaporean banker who doesn’t know the owner. Such arrangements must be illegal. The U.S. Treasury Department now requires beneficial ownership disclosure.

This is what Canada must do to drive out dirty money and get prices in line:

— Create a public registry of beneficial owners, and penalties for non-disclosure;
— Lawyers, real estate agents and notaries must report suspicious owners and transactions, as is now required of banks;
—  Speculation must be stopped by taxing residences that are unoccupied, which will also free up supply; and
— Where real estate prices have soared above affordable levels for locals, bans on foreign ownership should be imposed as has been done in New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Denmark, Poland and Malta, among others."

For Context: US Debt (And Working The Canadian Numbers)

http://nationalpost.com/news/the-utterly-unbelievable-scale-of-u-s-debt-right-now

For the Federal Liberals, When Does it Stop?

As if the i) SNC Lavalin spin, ii) taken to court in Saskatchewan over the ram-down-Canadians'-throat carbont tax and iii) the Mark Norman/Davie Shipbuilding and hastily retired MP Scott Brison's alledged involvement was not enough, now we have:

1) Trudeau claiming that Wilson-Rayould did not ask of him direction on the SNC Lavalin affair and would still be in her Attorney General position if...MP Scott Brison did not retire, and
2) in order to "change the channel", the Johnny Sunshine announces $40 million handed to Blackberry - a company that has its shares publicly listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange for such purposes - yet the Liberal government decides to hand our tax dollars to this entity. 

What a week!!! When will the final nail in the coffin arrive?

Ex-MP Scott Brison HIred By Bank of Montreal...?

Two things:

1) He "retired" (despite sudden and unexpected) to spend more time with his husband and two daughters

2) Will Bank of Montreal be happy when he is spending so much time on his court dealings as it will relate to his relationship with the Irving family and alledged meddling in the Mark Norman/Davie Shipbuilding affair?

SNC-:Lavalin: Budget Implementation Act With Buried Changes to Criminal Code

556-page Budget Implementation Act  https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/PDF/2018_12.pdf

After the 24 pages of table of contents and preamble, on page 532 is the beginning of amendments to the criminal code, in which applies to SNC Lavalin, and ex-Minister of Justice Wilson-Raybould

Selective Acceptance of Law and Selective Geography of Votes for The Federal Liberals

Pipeline shutdown due to the courts' decision? Accept it, throw your Federal hands up in the air and blame Harper on how the Federals, Alberta and Canadians arrived here. No more appeal, no more progress.

Potential criminal charges against a Quebec based company that is also a key donor to the Liberal party? Create a  new, lighter law with weak monetary fines for such a case and lean on a would be "independent in job description" member of your cabinet to pull a legal Jedi mind trick.

http://nationalpost.com/news/politics/braid-rule-of-law-gets-shaky-when-quebec-liberal-votes-at-stake/wcm/ac5fa3e2-40a9-45cf-8185-8e8f35ccf4b0

The "Minister Of Imaginantion" is Trying to Justify His 3.5 Years In Office Today...and Possibly Deflect from Other SNC-Lavalin/Justice Minister News

Stop the press! "Minister of Imagination", the least visible Minister of the top portfolios under this government is actually doing something. Maybe we will discover what he does all day. After almost 3.5 years at his post, we will have a 100 page report. (I do not understand how he is going to get 100 pages out of this, maybe a picture book)

"...Next week, he will release a 100-page government report called Building a Nation of Innovators that mostly serves as a collection of the various policies, programs, plans and funding mechanisms the government has undertaken under the auspices of innovation..."

https://business.financialpost.com/technology/navdeep-bains-interview-innovation?fbclid=IwAR1J9LHQD3mX7mHIQwqI23JmGe7eYcwi55A9h5dUlGP5EaHnaYLJ1gfnI44

And from the House of Commons today, wherefore art thou Justin?