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Review — No Police To Call

Copyright law has been around for 300 years and follows the Ten Commandments, yet many including government agencies barely comprehend intellectual property rights. There are no copyright police or courts, and even public agencies steal others’ work. It is no exaggeration that copyright owners enjoy less protection from theft than the night manager eyeing shoplifters at a Quickie Mart. “Studying copyright, especially if you’re not a lawyer, is akin to stepping into a madhouse where things barely adhere to any internal logic,” writes Professor Blayne Haggart in Copyfight. READ MORE

Warns PM Of ‘China Haters’

Liberal appointee Senator Yuen Pau Woo (B.C.) yesterday said the Prime Minister has to “watch his back” in promoting friendship with the Chinese Communist Party. The Senator said unnamed "China haters" sought to sabotage close relations with Beijing: "Fifty-first state thinking is deeply embedded in Canada as is Sinophobia." READ MORE

Act Quicker To Hide Records

Federal managers have issued new guidelines for concealing records effective January 26 including permanent deletion of chat posts within 15 days. The policy follows Prime Minister Mark Carney’s election pledge that Access To Information was “quite important.” READ MORE

Reliable TV Audience Over 65

Canadians most likely to trust TV news are over 65, says in-house CRTC research. Canadians under 34 were least likely to rate mainstream media as factual and unbiased: "Although traditional television still exists, its long term future is uncertain." READ MORE

‘Open Banking’ A Tough Sell

Canadians are wary of data portability like “open banking,” the Competition Bureau said yesterday. It predicted consumer skepticism will limit the take-up of proposals like an “open banking” concept studied by the Department of Finance since 2019: "Switching network operators, banks or insurance companies can take time and be confusing." READ MORE

Two Dental Claims OK: Feds

Canadians who qualify for the Canada Dental Care Plan may also draw provincial benefits at the same time, says the Department of Health. Rules did not permit double dipping but rather complementary coverage of varying fees: "The Government of Canada strongly encourages provinces and territories to maintain their existing dental programs." READ MORE

Fraud Tips By The Hundreds

The Canada Revenue Agency yesterday disclosed its own employees filed hundreds of complaints of in-house fraud and “integrity lapses” including suspected wrongdoing by managers. The disclosure followed allegations filed in Federal Court regarding inside dealing with corporate lobbyists: "Internal fraud and integrity lapses pose a serious threat." READ MORE

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Guest Commentary

Hugh Gainsford

My Mother Knew John A. Macdonald

My mother knew John A. Macdonald very well. She said, “He could make you laugh at the drop of a hat.” He had snappy comebacks he used at the appropriate time. He had a very good way with people, to make them feel he was going to be a friend. He just seemed to have that magnetism. Was he an alcoholic? Today we would classify him as a borderline problem drinker. If he drank as much as everybody said he did, and accomplished what he did, I wonder what he would have done if he’d been sober all the time.