Canadians will pay an estimated $1 billion more per year for pharmaceuticals under a free trade pact with Europe, says an industry group. Generic drug makers told MPs that extending patent protection under the treaty will be expensive: “We are disappointed.”
The Supreme Court is to rule whether Walmart had a right to close a Québec store after employees joined the United Food and Commercial Workers union. The retailer shut its outlet at Jonquière, Que. eight months after UFCW Local 503 was certified as a bargaining agent: “The business doesn’t exist anymore.”
A Commons motion would require mandatory labeling of all genetically-modified foods. The proposal follows a jointly-issued consumers’ report that advocates plain labelling and other reforms: “What is in a ‘fruit cocktail’? What is ‘made with whole grains’?”
The RCMP plan more polygraph testing of candidates who apply to join the force. The Mounties are contracting tests to “determine the suitability” of applicants, police said: “A lot of people will tell you what appear to be trivial things that are meaningful to police.”
A company at the centre of a far-reaching copyright claim has filed a $172.6 million lawsuit against two oil companies. Geophysical Service Incorporated of Calgary is also challenging four Crown agencies and Natural Resources Canada, alleging its data was used without permission or licensing fees.
The sale of 49,421 acres of pristine B.C. wilderness for coal mining is “a great opportunity” for the Department of Finance, Parliament has been told. MPs prepared to give Third Reading to a bill to sell the tract of alpine forest preserved as Crown land since 1905: “It’s about short-term cash.”
Industry Canada is pressing ahead with the privatization of weight and scale inspections amid concerns in Parliament and the retail sector. Merchants are to pay for private inspections with fees “determined by market forces”, the department told Blacklock’s: “Is there opportunity here for conflict of interest?”
Transport Canada is attempting to map railway wrecks to plot the riskiest traffic corridors in the country for dangerous goods. The department is undertaking research on a “risk map” identifying regions with high derailment rates: ‘A risk map would allow for identification of areas of highest concern.’
The Department of Finance proposes new regulations on prepaid payment cards first promised in 2011. Authorities noted reforms would not take effect till next May: “They’ve talked about it and talked about it.”
Cabinet outspent itself with an ad blitz promoting next month’s wireless spectrum auction. Nine million was spent promoting a “More Choice, Lower Prices” campaign. By comparison, Finance Canada spent $7.3 million marketing its 2011 budget: “This is a huge waste of money.”
Canada’s largest private sector union says Parliament is on a “collision course” over legislation to decertify federally-regulated workplaces. Unifor said members will actively oppose Bill C-525, a measure to repeal the Canada Labour Code’s card-check system: “We are heading on a real collision course.”
Facebook creeping and federal monitoring of Twitter accounts “means better public policies”, says a senior cabinet member. Treasury Board President Tony Clement defended round the clock government surveillance of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media: “We’re on the verge of Big Brother territory here.”
The Opposition says it’s consulted with constitutional lawyers in drafting a bill allowing random Breathalyzer tests of motorists. New Democrats introduced the measure previously endorsed by a Commons committee. However even supporters acknowledge the proposal is open to legal challenge: ‘This area of law is complex.’
Capital spending in the vehicle industry has fallen to 1980 levels, according to corporate research. However the Canadian Auto Partnership Council said adoption of U.S.-style right-to-work legislation is no solution: “We still think it is possible to compete with Mexico and the right-to-work states.”
Canada’s accountants say media coverage of tax avoidance unfairly maligns tax-paying corporations. The Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada criticized media accounts equating legal tax avoidance with criminal misconduct: “It’s the headlines that are confusing.”
