Cabinet yesterday acknowledged widespread opposition to its proposal to censor legal but hurtful internet content. “This is a very important and complex issue,” Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said in a statement: “I will have more to say on online news and online safety in the coming days and weeks.”
Suspending MPs caught in ethical violations would be effective, Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion said yesterday. Currently the only consequence for breach of the Conflict Of Interest Code For MPs is a public apology: “It never went any greater than that.”
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos yesterday said protection of privacy was an “absolute priority” in a federal data scoop on cellphone users. Members of the Commons ethics committee said cabinet merely outsourced privacy issues to telecom providers: “The average cellphone user, unless they are informed, basically wouldn’t know.”
Environmentalists have won a key legal challenge over federal licensing of a bestselling weed killer. The Federal Court of Appeal ruled regulators failed to properly assess risks of glyphosate sold in Canada under the Roundup brand since 1976: “This is the first time this Court is called upon to review a decision of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday pledged to avoid any direct dealings with a federal lobbyist, the Canadian Mental Health Association, after it appointed his wife as “national volunteer.” The Association last year received millions in federal grants: “There is no consideration for talent fees.”
Federal managers billed taxpayers more than $150,000 for videoconference workshops with a consultant offering deep breathing exercises, records show. The spending followed questionnaires indicating many government executives complain they work too hard: “Take a deep breath. Let it out slowly. Why is it we all forget we can do this at any time?”
Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem yesterday faced pointed criticism for inaccurate inflation forecasting. The Bank has a “credibility gap” on the rising cost of living, the Senate banking committee was told: “You missed the mark.”
The federal Conservative Party today seeks a new leader for the fourth time in seven years following the ouster of MP Erin O’Toole (Durham, Ont.) in a 73-45 caucus vote. “I have had my moment,” said O’Toole: “Canada is in a dire moment of our history.”
Cabinet yesterday reintroduced a bill to federally regulate internet videos like TV broadcasts. Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said exemptions would protect individuals’ YouTube video uploads from federal censors: “It’s true we did try to get a similar bill last year.”
Liberal MPs propose a Commons committee investigation of Freedom Convoy protests at Parliament Hill. One MP served notice of “an urgent study” of demonstrators described as “shocking” and “disgusting.”
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra’s department has suspended dozens of employees without pay for declining to disclose their vaccination status. The transport workers are among more than a thousand federal employees denied pay or benefits under a vaccine mandate: “Follow the science.”
Cabinet yesterday served notice it will reintroduce a bill to regulate internet content. “We will have news on that very, very soon,” said Government House Leader Mark Holland: “I understand there will be specific questions.”
Attorney General David Lametti spent nearly $123,000 in a legal bid to conceal records on the firing of Chinese scientists at a federal lab. The legal expenses included payments to unnamed third party lawyers: “Solicitor-client privilege is waived and only to the extent of revealing the total legal costs.”
Cross-border rail cars enter Canada with virtually no checks for smuggled guns or other contraband, the Commons public safety committee was told yesterday. The Customs and Immigration Union said there was “almost a zero percent chance” of bootleg cargo being detected: “Canada has almost zero examination capabilities directly at the border.”
Canada’s costliest renovation project will be late and over budget, Department of Public Works figures show. Parliament’s iconic Centre Block closed January 28, 2019 for a promised ten-year refit at $3.04 billion. Construction has now expanded to 12 years at up to $5 billion: “Am I missing something?”
