Presentation Transcript

1. CURRENT EVENTS APRIL 11 JIM FLAHERTY, FORMER FINANCE MINISTER, DEAD AT 64 Jim Flaherty, Canada's former finance minister, is dead at 64. Police, fire and ambulance services were called to his home in Ottawa Thursday afternoon. A source close to the family told the CBC's Evan Solomon that Flaherty died of a massive heart attack. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, speaking to Conservative MPs and senators, called Flaherty — until last month, his only finance minister — his friend and partner. "This comes as an unexpected and a terrible shock to Jim's family, to our caucus and to Laureen and me," Harper said, as his wife, Laureen, wiped tears from her face. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced his departure from the federal cabinet on March 18. Flaherty has battled health issues for two years.
2. CURRENT EVENTS APRIL 11 Opposition MPs crossed the floor to shake hands with Conservative MPs and offer their condolences. Some hugged each other. Officials briefed Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who had been scheduled to make a joint statement with the visiting president of Peru. Flaherty stepped down from cabinet less than a month ago, citing a plan to return eventually to the private sector. He had spent more than a year publicly battling health problems. Until he stepped down last month, Flaherty was the only finance minister to serve under Prime Minister Stephen Harper. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/jim-flaherty-former-finance-minister-dead-at-64-1.2605728
3. CURRENT EVENTS APRIL 11 HEARTBLEED BUG'S GOVERNMENT IMPACT MAY GO FAR BEYOND REVENUE CANADA A bold move to block the Canada Revenue Agency’s e-services amid worries about the massive security bug Heartbleed is but one "service disruption" to one artery of the internet. But potentially more troubling, according to cybersecurity specialists, are the other online government services likely vulnerable to hackers seeking to exploit the newly detected security flaw. Security analysts noted that small snippets of user data from transactions involving banking information, electronic health records or insurance record transfers could be at risk of being scooped up by cybercriminals.
4. CURRENT EVENTS APRIL 11 The problem can be traced to an oversight in the coding of one of the web’s most common security systems, OpenSSL. The CRA’s online services are among the millions of websites running the compromised "cryptographic software library," which is meant to encrypt web communications through email, instant messaging and VPN (virtual private network). http://www.cbc.ca/news/heartbleed-bug-s-government-impact-may-go-far-beyond-revenue-canada-1.2604958 The Heartbleed bug exploits a vulnerability in a version of the OpenSSL security software code that is installed on two-thirds of the active servers connected to the internet
5. CURRENT EVENTS APRIL 11 CBC TO CUT 657 JOBS, WILL NO LONGER COMPETE FOR PROFESSIONAL SPORTS RIGHTS Funding shortfalls and revenue losses have forced CBC/Radio-Canada to cut $130 million from its budget this year, a move that will eliminate 657 jobs over the next two years and take the network out of competing for the rights to broadcast professional sports, the public broadcaster says. But the CBC will still compete for sporting events of national significance, like the Olympics. Among the cuts, English Services will slash $82 million from its budget and eliminate 334 full-time jobs.
6. CURRENT EVENTS APRIL 11 CBC has been coping with a loss of $115 million in federal government funding over three years that was announced in the 2012 federal budget. Meanwhile, a softening of the advertising market and CBC’s poor performance in attracting the important 25-54 age demographic to its prime-time TV schedule represented a $47-million hit to the network’s revenue. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/cbc-to-cut-657-jobs-will-no-longer-compete-for-professional-sports-rights-1.2605504 Hubert Lacroix, president and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada, laid out the CBC's financial future on Thursday after the loss of the revenue-generating Hockey Night in Canada and further adjustments linked to budget cuts announced in 2012.