Taxpayer-owned VIA Rail will see continued steep losses for at least another two years despite layoffs and service cuts. The railway in an updated Corporate Plan predicted this year’s operating deficit will run to $411 million: “There remains an important risk.”
Cabinet “pissed away our credibility” in dealing with the Freedom Convoy, said the Prime Minister’s parliamentary secretary. Liberal MP Greg Fergus (Hull-Aylmer, Que.) made the remark in a text message critical of cabinet: “We politicians have pissed away our credibility.”
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s mandate requiring that Canadians drive electric cars will cost at least $99 billion, new federal figures show. Numbers did not include millions in hidden costs like retraining auto mechanics, said his department: “Proposed amendments are expected to lead to a loss of consumer choice.”
The compact fluorescent bulb once touted by cabinet as a climate-friendly energy saver will be phased out within a year due to mercury pollution. Environmentalists and regulators 20 years ago praised the bulbs as essential in addressing global warming: “The status quo was not considered to be a viable option.”
New regulations by Treasury Board President Mona Fortier would further delay Access To Information disclosures that currently stretch into years. The Board in a Christmas Eve notice said Canadians seeking public records should be required to show their birth certificate or other proof of citizenship: “No consultations were deemed to be necessary.”
Canada Post has wound up its pioneering electronic document sharing service. The ePost system launched decades ago was overtaken by Google Drive and other services: “I’ve never needed Canada Post in order to send and receive email.”
