Poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition: “Delicate daffodils emerge in a world of innocence, purity. Golden hearts and fragile build; captured on canvas, immortalized in poetry. Along hidden trails or Parliament Hill, they are here to beautify our public life…”
A union has won a Supreme Court battle over random workplace tests to see if employees have been drinking. In a 6-3 decision, justices ruled that Irving Pulp & Paper Ltd. went too far in trying to force a Saint John mill worker to take a breathalyzer test. The employee was a teetotaller who had not tasted liquor in years, the Court heard.
Frozen Florida orange juice, Vermont maple syrup and Washington State apples will be hit with a 100% surtax in a simmering trade dispute with the U.S. The Department of Finance detailed specific American goods that face retaliatory tariffs in a cross-border war over meat labeling: “They were content to do nothing while we suffered.”
Military commanders are marking the last troop deployments to Afghanistan with assurances the country’s economy is “flourishing”. Yet members of the Commons defence committee said unanswered questions remain, including why the army concealed years of research that showed Afghans rated the mission a failure: “Where are we going?”
A federal bill to regulate rail service will merely cause “service problems”, predicts a rail executive. Managers with CN and CP protested Bill C-52 even as it cleared the Senate transport committee. “This is about jobs,” said Liberal Senator Terry Mercer; “This is very important to Canadians.”
The Commons fisheries committee has quietly killed a proposal for an urgent investigation of Canada’s $1 billion lobster fishery. MPs went in camera to quash a probe of the industry that’s seen thousands of fishermen face losses: “If this was taking place in Toronto or Montreal or Ottawa, they’d call it a crisis.”
Federal inspectors propose new tracking measures to guard against food poisoning. Yet an industry analyst told Blacklock’s the initiative by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is the bare minimum consumers deserve: “What we put into our bodies is rarely traceable to source; why is that?”
Organizers of Canada’s first Olympics, the ’76 Summer Games in Montreal, celebrated aboriginals in sport by hiring 250 professional dancers to dress up as Indians. When the 1988 Winter Games came to Calgary, the local Stampede board proposed the festivities include a mock Indian wagon-burning.
Railways’ biggest customers are resigned to a federal reform bill they say is less than meets the eye. Farmers, forestry companies and fertilizer producers told a Senate committee they foresee conflict over ambiguities in Bill C-52, but acknowledge Parliament’s reluctance to amend the Conservative bill: “We now feel we are out of time.”
The Commons has passed a bill to observe Pope John Paul II Day. MPs endorsed the private Conservative measure by a 217 to 42 vote. MP Wladyslaw Lizon, sponsor of the bill, said he hoped for speedy passage in the Senate in time for observance next April 2, the anniversary of John Paul II’s death: “I would like to see this enacted as soon as possible.”
VIA Rail should be managed by Parliament not cabinet, says an independent MP. Bruce Hyer proposed the Commons enact Amtrak-style legislation to “depoliticize” passenger rail service. VIA’s operating deficit hit 33.5¢ per passenger mile last year: “We have no vision, we have no strategy, we have no legislation.”
Canadian employers who hire foreign migrants face surprise visits and spot audits by the Department of Citizenship, including workplace raids without a warrant. Employers who hire nannies are exempt, though live-in caregivers account for half the applications for Temporary Foreign Worker permits.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting media scrutiny of government — overseas. Foreign Minister John Baird’s office declined comment on why it gave cash grants to foreign journalists, referring Blacklock’s questions to department staff which also refused comment.
Inflation figures may be misleading due to outdated calculations on the cost of living, according to federal research. Statistics Canada noted prices of fruits and vegetables have risen sharply in the past decade while the relative cost of durable items like appliances and clothing declined with inexpensive imports. “There are many other more sophisticated ways of doing this,” said the Bank of Canada governor.
MPs have voted to delete an adjective from legislation on culture. The Commons heritage committee vetoed an opposition proposal to change the wording of a museums bill, C-49: “If it’s just a celebration, then much of history will never be uncovered.”
