Voyageur 135
Ottawa Still Has No Embassy Door in Iran or Venezuela, and CRA Took the Biggest Federal Job Hit.
News for residents of the “11th province”: Canadians abroad.
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Ottawa Still Has No Embassy Door in Iran or Venezuela
Canada is keeping its embassy doors shut in Iran and Venezuela, even as Ottawa says it is looking for better ways to help Canadians stuck dealing with those governments from afar.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said on Friday that Canada has no plans to reopen either mission. For Iran, Canada relies on Italy to connect with Canadians, a workaround Anand admitted is not the most efficient way to handle consular files. We presume this is because the work is done by way of a foreign mission, and not a specific attack on the Italians. CBC reported PM Mark Carney said Canada is at a disadvantage in Iran but reminded readers of the regime's record, including the downing of Flight PS752, as reason enough to keep some distance.
That leaves Canadian citizens in those countries, and families outside them trying to help, with fewer direct doors to knock on. Diplomacy can often be abstract, but missing consular desk is not.
Read more: Global News / CBC News
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CRA Took the Biggest Federal Job Hit
In what might be good news for tax-dodgers, the federal public service has shrunk once again, and CRA took the biggest hit. National Post says the tax agency lost 3,725 workers between March 2025 and March 2026, which was more than any other department.
CBC put the total drop at more than 12,000 jobs, putting the federal workforce down to about 345,000 by late March. Carney's government has said it wants to cut 16,000 roles within three years and bring the public service closer to 330,000 by 2029.
Jokes aside, CRA isn’t entirely unhelpful for Canadians abroad - it's where non-resident tax questions, online account locks, benefit files, withholding forms, and return-to-Canada paperwork pile up. The cuts may be ordinary attrition on paper, but anyone who has waited on hold from a different time zone knows that when you need a hand, having a real person to talk to can make a world of difference.
Read more: National Post / CBC News