A bill to ban the capture of live whales for display sets a dangerous precedent that could affect zoos and national parks, the Commons fisheries committee was told yesterday. No federal license has been issued for whale capture in Canadian waters since 1992: “I question whether keeping an animal in captivity is abusive.”
Members of the Senate national security committee yesterday questioned a new firearms bill as a dogpile of regulations on lawful gun owners. A cabinet report on whether to impose an outright ban on 839,000 handguns is due in weeks: “You are punishing lawful citizens for the acts of criminals and gangs.”
A federal museum let irreplaceable artifacts deteriorate in drafty warehouses at the same time it accepted an award for excellence from the Canadian Museums Association, investigators said yesterday. The Auditor General criticized the National Museum of Science & Technology for weak oversight and poor conservation practices: ‘We found many weaknesses.’
The Canada Border Services Agency proposes to keep track of Canadian drivers who cross into the U.S., some 300,000 a day. The Agency said the surveillance program is to combat “terrorist activities”, but acknowledged records will be used for tax purposes: “The government cannot easily determine who is inside or outside the country at any given time.”
Incompetent federal employees cannot be denied pay hikes as punishment, a labour board has ruled. The Professional Institute of the Public Service successfully challenged a 2014 Conservative directive targeting “poor performers” in the public service: ‘Withholding of pay increments is not permissible.’
A Canada Revenue Agency campaign to curb offshore tax evasion has flopped, according to in-house research. Canadians questioned the point of Facebook ads rated unlikely to deter wealthy tax evaders: “An ad talking about this is not perceived as new information.”
Canadians have told Department of Health researchers they resent being made to feel guilty over opioid deaths of “homeless drug users”. Data show more Canadians die of accidental drug overdoses than are killed in traffic accidents: ‘They are users with a tendency to make poor choices.’
An order that Canada Revenue Agency pay $62,955 for workplace misconduct is the first since Parliament passed an anti-harassment bill. A federal labour board effectively doubled the maximum damages payable under the Canadian Human Rights Act: “The Agency failed.”
The federal prison service yesterday ordered 21 golf carts but swore they are not for use on the links. The Correctional Service earlier faced a public outcry over disclosures that inmates at British Columbia penitentiaries enjoyed pitch-and-putt courses: “The benefits are great.”
Cabinet yesterday ordered that new historic commemorations address “colonialism, patriarchy and racism” in Canada. A federal board will also review past designations dating over a century, though staff cautioned no statues will be removed: “Nothing can be immune from review.”
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce yesterday disputed cabinet claims most people will profit from carbon tax rebates. Higher fuel taxes and the cost of a pending Clean Fuel Standard will exceed cash rebates, the Chamber said: “This government opted for political expediency.”
A majority of Canadians, 8 in 10, say Parliament should order a review of the entire tax code for the first time since 1966, according to a survey by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada. The Income Tax Act is so complex Canada Revenue previously bought 10,000 software kits for volunteers to help taxpayers file returns: “It’s a vital initiative.”
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation yesterday appealed to legislators to extend Access To Information to Parliament. The Commons, Senate and parliamentary agencies are currently exempt from the 1983 law: “We have to embarrass governments into fixing things.”
New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh yesterday told reporters he opposes a $595 million bailout of news corporations as a handout to “those who are rich and powerful”. Singh corrected himself after telling reporters he misheard the question: “I thought you said used corporations.”
Provincial austerity programs have slowed public works despite billions in federal subsidies intended to “foster economic growth”, the Parliamentary Budget Office said yesterday. Spending by most provinces has been under budget by billions: ‘Spending lapses are not unusual, however — ‘
