Canadians will “pay down the road” for a failed bid to expand public pension benefits for retirees, a labour conference has been told. The appeal came a year after Parliament opted for voluntary private plans for the majority of workers without benefits: “It’s insufficient.”
A regulatory dispute that threatened microbreweries nationwide has been settled by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The ruling turned on a narrow definition of whether ale and lager spiked with additives could still be called “beer”.
Environment Canada faces allegations B.C. salmon farming violates the Fisheries Act. A cabinet-level commission is requesting a response to claims that fish farms pose a “harmful alteration” of habitat.
Poet Shai Ben-Shalom examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition: “After years at the helm, the beloved captain of Ottawa’s NHL team leaves to play for another, citing his desire to win the Cup. It seems he doesn’t believe…”
Labour Minister Kellie Leitch is expressing indifference over a contentious labour bill before the Senate. Twenty-two Conservative senators and 5 provinces have protested the measure: “We will watch that.”
A non-descript freighter has made shipping and climate-change history. The Yong Sheng has become the first Asian vessel to complete the passage from China to Europe through the Russian Northeast Passage. It took 13 days off the Suez Canal route: “There’s a gap.”
Farm supply and equipment manufacturers are pledging compliance with proposed Health Canada regulations to save bees. Proposed rules for 2014 are to contain the spread of insecticides known to kill bees that are credited with pollinating $2 billion worth of crops annually.
The Automobile Protection Association has lost a final bid to lead a class action lawsuit over faulty gas pumps that overcharged consumers. It follows a Measurements Canada study that discovered 4.9% of pumps had faulty gauges, pumping less gas than shown on the meter: “Why should we let them get away with it?”
Proposed federal securities oversight that has no jurisdiction in 8 of 10 provinces is a test of “laissez-faire” regulation, says an advocate for a national securities commission. Only Ontario and B.C. agreed to replace local securities commissions with a national chief regulator: “We need to do better than that.”
Canada has a growing trade deficit in food processing despite being one of the biggest food exporters on earth, according to new national data. Analysts contacted by Blacklock’s blamed the trend in part on the closure of scores of factories since 2007: “We need to understand what is occurring.”
Public servants do not take significantly more sick days than workers in the private sector, according to research. The data appeared to contradict Treasury Board complaints of goldbricking by employees: “That does absolutely nothing in the workplace for morale.”
Parks Canada had “no problem” paying $20,000 to fly CBC anchorman Peter Mansbridge and TV staff to Nunavut for “fantastic coverage” of its work, even as the agency cut parks funding 11%, documents show. CBC News took a total $94,734 in secret payments. Network managers refused comment.
Industry Minister James Moore says Canada’s largest telecom firms might gain “unhealthy” influence if not for limits on corporate campaign contributions. Corporations are forbidden from financing any political party under the Canada Elections Act: ‘It would be unhealthy’.
The Fraser Institute reports Canada suffers less “economic freedom” than destinations like Hong Kong and Singapore, though one has no minimum wage and the other relies on horse racing for billions in tax revenue: “We don’t measure policies that may be ‘good’ or ‘bad.'”
Department of National Defence budgeting for armoured vehicles is “unwise” in an age of guerrilla warfare, say military analysts. Two think-tanks proposed that cabinet scrap a program to buy up to 30 battlefield vehicles suitable for the “symmetrical wars” of yesteryear, they said.
