Parliament must revoke an “open line of credit” granted cabinet in a little-noticed federal bill, a Senate committee has been told. Senator Wilfred Moore appealed for curbs on cabinet’s authority to borrow without consulting legislators: “Canadians will be on the hook”.
MPs have failed to agree on the impact of a Canada-E.U.trade pact five months after cabinet signed the tentative deal. A Conservative majority on the Commons agriculture committee issued a report praising the treaty, with New Democrats saying they remain “cautious”.
Cabinet has watered down a privacy bill, granting companies new powers to keep and share Canadians’ personal information without their knowledge or consent. Authorities declined interviews on the bill introduced in the Senate: “Too often the privacy rights of individuals are displaced by organizations’ business needs”.
A European ban on Canadian seal products has “effectively decimated” the commercial industry, the trade department confirms. Authorities said seal exports once worth millions have collapsed under the weight of negative publicity: ‘What if they put a camera in a butcher shop?’
The Canadian Teachers’ Federation is appealing for a ban on unpaid internships, and changes to the way Statistics Canada calculates youth unemployment. The federation told a Commons committee joblessness is not accurately captured by traditional methods: “All people should be able to earn a living wage”.
Rail shippers will have recourse to compensation for losses suffered due to poor service. A Commons committee voted unanimously to amend a rail reform bill allowing shippers to file compensation claims with the Canadian Transportation Agency: “You have to show there has been a loss”.
Federal fines collected from industry for regulatory violations should finance consumer advocacy, says a national group. Authorities are also urged to revive a cabinet-level consumers’ secretariat for the first time since winding down the old Department of Consumer Affairs in 1995: “This is not a partisan issue”.
Promoters of so-called “fair trade” oil are the target of a complaint to Elections Canada over alleged breach of campaign fundraising laws. Greenpeace Canada filed the complaint against a pro-oilsands website with ties to the Prime Minister’s Office: “It talks like a front group”.
A Senate panel has been told CBC-TV should revive its mandatory licensing fee to compensate for shrinking ad revenue. An original CBC tax collected door to door was repealed by cabinet in 1953: “Call it a program fee; that would probably be a more palatable term”.
New use of pesticides by fish farmers will pose no “unacceptable risk” to the environment, promises Health Canada. However a Conservative Senator notes the department has already been cited for failing to protect habitat: “Is everything just fine?”
Air Canada may be violating federal law by trademarking its 1937 corporate identity, says an MP. The carrier has already been cited for the most complaints under the Official Languages Act: “It’s an insult”.
A U.S. appeals court has agreed to hear complaints from Canadian and U.S. processors and farm groups in a cross-border trade dispute. The disagreement has cost $6 billion in six years: ‘It is a costly rule’.
Cabinet is being urged to again rewrite its own rail reform bill to force carriers to improve service. The latest bill remains ineffectual, MPs were told: “Bill C-30 does not carry sufficient teeth”.
A Conservative MP says he is optimistic lawmakers will endorse his private reform bill to permanently curb the power of the Prime Minister’s Office. MP Michael Chong appealed to caucus to agree on ways to remove a leader by secret ballot: “It affects all parties”.
Province House, a Charlottetown landmark credited as the cradle of Confederation 150 years ago, is in “fair to very poor” condition with much of the original structure replaced in successive, botched renovation jobs, records show. Parks Canada faces millions in restoration costs, including corrections to repairs it already attempted: “It’s sad”.
