Closure of local airports is “a private matter” and not Parliament’s business, says the minister of transportation. Denis Lebel says regulators have “no authority to intervene” in the shutting of small airports, even those considered essential to serving large cities.
More than a third of Canadians favour a national flat tax system that would collapse all non-refundable deductions, according to one Conservative MP’s internet survey. The Department of Finance currently has four tax brackets; some provinces have six: “It’s getting a little complicated.”
Groups contacted by Blacklock’s are breathing a sigh of relief no further cuts appear imminent in longstanding tax credits for scientific research and experimental development. But analysts warn Canada has “a long way to go” in keeping pace with incentives for innovation.
Initial terms for new private sector investments in public works like roads, bridges and utilities appear promising but require close scrutiny, say the nation’s consulting engineering companies: “A starting point.”
Proponents and foes of genetically-modified food are clashing over a federal proposal to permit one-tenth of a percent of modified “contamination” in grain shipments: “Zero tolerance is unachievable.”
Canadian regulators have put the Oprah Winfrey Network on a monthly watch to ensure it complies with license requirements to inform and educate Canadian viewers. Oprah was cited in 2011 for failing to meet promises on content in Canada.
A group that promoted enterprise journalism as a way to “save” media, is winding down after five years. Canada Revenue served notice the Canadian Centre for Investigative Reporting will have its charitable status revoked for failing to meet filing requirements: “It’s a tough business.”
Repeal of a federal tax credit for labour-sponsored venture capital corporations spells good riddance to a national “boondoggle,” says an economist for the nation’s largest private sector union. Tax credits for investors cost governments more than $3.6 billion: “Outside Quebec these funds served no purpose.”
Ottawa is speeding removal of refined sugar tariffs under a Colombian treaty despite concerns from Canadian industry. Colombian imports now account for 20 percent of the refined sugar the nation consumes: “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.”
The House has killed an air travellers’ bill of rights for the second time in five years. MPs voted down a measure that would have mandated $1,000 compensation for stranded passengers without consumers having to resort to “long, expensive legal proceedings.”
A federal panel has ruled Parliament broke its own workplace laws in trying to enact a layoff policy. The finding came in the case of unionized librarians attempting to negotiate a new contract. The speakers of the Commons and Senate, who manage the Hill, refused comment: “They are supposed to set an example.”
Parliament last night narrowly defeated a proposal to ban imported shark fins amid fears it would provoke foreign retaliation against the Atlantic seal hunt and Alberta oil sands. The measure would have abolished a 100-tonne a year trade in imported fins: “We must be very careful here.”
A tariff hike on everyday goods will cost consumers more than the government predicts, warns the chair of the Senate finance committee. Higher duties will raise the price of Chilean fruit, China-made housewares and Korean appliances: “Consumers are not going to be happy.”
A secretive federal panel assigned to develop regulations on oil and gas greenhouse emissions has held 18 months’ worth of meetings without divulging its discussions. The Process Working Group, dominated by Albertans and oil delegates, has met 14 times since 2011 without disclosing its agenda: “All the pieces fit — they have no intention of trying.”
Air travellers in Canada may soon see standardized rules on baggage handling and check-in. Federal regulators will seek public input till April 15 on a U.S.-style proposal to adopt uniform regulations on checked and carry-on luggage: “It has to be simple.”
