Cyberattacks Target Canadian Government

The Canadian government admitted on February 17 that several departments had recently suffered a series of cyberattacks. The attacks had specifically targeted the Department of Finance, the Treasury Board, and the Defense Research and Development Department. Government officials stated that the attacks were traced back to computers located in China. The Chinese government denied any complicity.

Surprise! Canada’s Debt Is Worse Than Thought

« Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper leads a country facing an economic crisis as severe as the United States.
(Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images)

By Jerry Ozipko

 

Canada’s Gross National Debt for fiscal year 2009 was a staggering $1.2 trillion. You read that right–it’s well over 1 trillion dollars! The often quoted $521 billion dollar debt doesn’t include provincial debt.

Since Canada’s current population is estimated to be 34 million (about the population of California), that means every man, woman and child in the country owes over $35,000 each.

The International Monetary Fund’s estimate for the end of fiscal year 2010 doesn’t brighten the fiscal horizon either. Canada is expected to owe $1.3 trillion when statistics are released.

And this is only federal and provincial debt. It does not include that of municipalities, corporations or individuals. It also does not include pension obligations.

With Canada’s population roughly one tenth that of the United States, this means the nation’s gross federal debt is analogous to that of the U.S., which in 2010 surpassed $14 trillion. However, there is one big difference. Canada is still in the midst of a massive housing bubble that has not yet popped. Also, Canada does not have a massive military that can be slashed to help balance its budget (as America is beginning to do).

Wikileak: Canadians Have ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Worldview

« Wikileaks founder Julian Assange speaks during a press conference.
(Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images)

The Wikileak scandal has splashed into Canada—dousing Canadians with a dose of big brother reality. Officials at Canada’s top intelligence agency say the country is living in a make-believe wonderland where everyone is your friend and nobody would ever dream of harming you—even as Hezbollah has been allowed to set up camp in the country!

According to leaked reports, Canada’s top spy told U.S. officials that Canadian courts were severely hampering efforts to stop terrorists from turning Canada into an international terror planning center. Courts and Islamist-employed lawyers have tied intelligence agents in knots as they fight Islamist terror plots in Canada and abroad, he said. In general, Canadians and Canadian courts have an “Alice in Wonderland” mentality, he said.