• CRA awards $12M contract to subsidiary of U.S. company over non-profit Commissionaires

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-20 21:21:30.0
  Tags: [National, Public Safety, Labour, Governance]

  The Canada Revenue Agency awarded a $12 million security contract to Universal Protection Service of Canada Corporation—a subsidiary of Allied Universal Security Services—over the non-profit organization Commissionaires, following a competitive bidding process where the price difference was less than one per cent or $80,000. The decision drew criticism from opposition MPs including Conservative Michael Barrett and NDP Gord Johns regarding the bypassing of the veteran-employing Commissionaires in favor of a foreign-owned corporation with ties to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Secretary of State for the Canada Revenue Agency Wayne Long defended the independent procurement process, stating it resulted in a qualified Canadian supplier without political interference.

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• Yukon wildland firefighters welcome plan to expand presumptive cancer coverage

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-09 11:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Labour, Public Safety, Governance, Environment]

  The Yukon government tabled a bill to amend the territorial Workers' Safety and Compensation Act to extend presumptive cancer coverage to wildland firefighters. Previously, only full-time and part-time structural firefighters received this coverage under the legislation. The proposed amendment covers all wildland firefighters equally, including government employees and independent contractors, with industry representatives aiming for formal legislative passage prior to the winter legislative break.

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• Yukon to extend presumptive cancer coverage to wildland firefighters

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-07 00:23:01.0
  Tags: [National, Labour, Healthcare, Public Safety, Governance]

  The Yukon government tabled a bill in the Legislative Assembly to amend the territory's Workers' Safety and Compensation Act to extend presumptive cancer coverage to wildland firefighters. Previously, only full-time and part-time structural firefighters were covered under the legislation for 19 types of cancer. Under the proposed statutory amendments introduced by Minister Laura Lang, wildland firefighters diagnosed with listed cancers and meeting eligibility requirements will have their conditions legally presumed to be work-related, streamlining the claims process.

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• Canada's spy agency shakes up hiring process to 'meet operational needs': documents

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-04 08:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Public Safety, Defence, Labour, Governance]

  The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) implemented a series of recruitment and onboarding reforms to address structural bottlenecks and reduce the 12-to-18-month security clearance timeline. Internal documents reveal that CSIS, which previously maintained a hiring ratio of 85 per cent internal appointments to 15 per cent external hires as of March 2026, is establishing a dedicated external recruitment team and outsourcing psychological screening and standardized testing. Additional changes allow candidates to apply directly to regional offices, adjust official language requirements where appropriate, and shorten training programs to fill critical vacancies for intelligence officers, engineers, and analysts.

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