New laws on foreign takeovers are “unclear” and may “chill” investment, says the Canadian Bar Association. Lawyers said wording of Bill C-60 is so convoluted it is not obvious which companies fall under special scrutiny, and that even Canadian firms might be subject to review.
A bill forcing 3 million union members to publish personal data is the “Faustian bargain” Canadian labour made in exchange for tax-deductible dues, says a law professor. Dr. Moin Yahya of the University of Alberta is the first legal scholar at parliamentary hearings to support C-377, a bill that compels unions to publish confidential data on the internet.
A federal judge has thrown out a human rights settlement for a foreign aid worker who wanted assignment to a war zone. The diabetic employee received $20,000 in damages from the Canadian International Development Agency for being refused a posting as medically unfit: “The question here was, how would it affect other employers?”
Canadian National Rail is under federal investigation for alleged unfair trade practices targeting sawmill operators in two provinces. The Competition Bureau probe comes as MPs unanimously voted to grant shippers more leverage in dealing with the nation’s railways.
Cabinet is withholding terms of federal loans given to corporations, including an Alberta processor that’s paid only a fraction of financing it received before losing its license in the biggest beef recall in Canadian history. XL Foods Inc. has repaid a tenth of a $1,161,102 federal loan, according to documents: “What are we getting for it?”
A bill that compels all Canadian unions to publish confidential data is “inappropriate,” “unconstitutional” and a “significant invasion of their privacy,” witnesses told a Senate hearing. But a contractors’ group that lobbied for Bill C-377 says it may produce expert analysis proving the measure is legal, though contentious.
Discovery of genetically-modified wheat supposedly removed from the North American market is renewing debate over controls on unapproved products. The Oregon case follows a similar Canadian incident involving modified flax seed discovered nine years after it was ordered destroyed.
Parliament faces a pushback from business ratepayers over continued federal aid for municipalities. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business, in a new report and Commons testimony, depicted large cities as unaccountable and bloated with billion-dollar payrolls.
The Canadian Museum of Civilization has suffered large deficits on foreign exhibitions, including $463,000 lost in displaying imperial Chinese artifacts, new accounts show. Disclosure of the deficits came as MPs voted to refocus the museum on Canadian stories.
Two tobacco smugglers who sued the revenue department for return of cash they claimed fell from the heavens have lost their case in Federal Court. A judge dismissed the claim by a couple found driving with $3,300 in bootleg tobacco and $11,775 bundled in twenty-dollar bills, telling police “ça tombe du ciel” (“it fell from the sky”).
Cabinet is concealing details of far-reaching trade talks even from industry insiders forced to sign confidentiality agreements. In a process one MP dubbed “a farce,” the Dairy Farmers of Canada confirmed they were denied access to technical texts in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks despite receiving secret briefings. “Listen, we’re down to the most sensitive negotiations,” Trade Minister Ed Fast told Blacklock’s.
Canada’s telecom regulator is urging industry to address one of the most persistent consumer complaints – how to cancel a contract. Complex rules and terms, rarely standardized between companies, can “leave a consumer frustrated,” acknowledged one association.
A long-awaited Senate report is urging more action to rescue the nation’s billion-dollar lobster industry. The Senate fisheries committee proposes a renewed federal program, due to expire in 2014, that budgeted more than $50 million for license buy-backs.
Seven percent of foods randomly tested by federal inspectors violated Food and Drug Act regulations on colouring and industrial dyes, including cheddar cheese.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency would not name the cheese it tested, or what action was taken, but said results were obtained at a federal laboratory in Longueil, Que.
The agency yesterday reported its audit of everyday supermarket items found most dyed products fell within acceptable limits. Of 100 foods sampled, seven contained either excessive levels of colouring, or industrial dyes not allowed under the Food and Drug Act.
Three of the suspect foods were Canadian-made: cheddar cheese, horseradish with beets, and dried papaya.
Others were U.S.-made chicken tandoori seasoning, and lumpfish; Belgian almond paste; and curing powder produced in Thailand, used to preserve meats.
“With increasing multiculturalism and market globalization, consumers can find an ever increasing array of processed foods available at retail,” the agency wrote in its report Food Colours Used in the Production of Manufactured Foods; “Exposure to food colours has likely increased as a result.”
Dyes and colouring are regulated for purity, toxicity and potential allergic reactions. The agency noted U.K. research has suggested a link between food colouring and Attention Deficit Disorder in children, but added: “This area of research is controversial and the evidence corroborating this claim is not concrete.”
By Staff 
The Supreme Court is being drawn into Senate debate over a contentious labour bill. Opponents of legislation that compels unions to publish confidential data urged the Department of Justice to test its constitutionality: “It is mind-boggling.”
