Millions in newspaper subsidies will be divvied up by a cabinet-designated “body”, not an expert panel of journalists, officials last evening told the Commons finance committee. MPs questioned political influence in deciding which newspapers are rewarded with taxpayers’ aid: “This is a political process.”
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna yesterday said new clean fuel regulations are not finalized and cannot be costed. Industry lobbyists predict the Clean Fuel Standard will effectively double the price of natural gas: “How do you justify the dramatic multiple cost?”
An Ontario Court has rejected a claim from General Motors of Canada Co. for damages after employees blocked access to corporate headquarters to protest a factory shutdown. Livelihoods were at stake, a judge ruled: “Democracy should be able to withstand some short-term challenges to civility.”
Finance Minister Bill Morneau yesterday blamed greenhouse gas-related climate change for Ottawa River flooding. Records indicate the river has flooded frequently since 1837: “Something has been going on for a long time.”
The Commons industry committee yesterday proposed national adoption of a British Columbia program to slash the number of small business regulations. Federal agencies enforce some 30,000 rules, by official estimate: ‘Most are uncoordinated.’
A Senator who voted on 2018 federal bills while a director of a company applying for federal grants said he was assured there was no conflict of interest. Senator Colin Deacon (Independent-N.S.) founded a Halifax firm that received $3.04 million in government aid including $119,980 in grants after Deacon sought to join the Senate and was sworn into office: “I never, ever expected to be selected.”
A charity created by survivors of one of the most haunting ordeals of WWII is closing 74 years after the war’s end. The Canada Revenue Agency said the Winnipeg Grenadiers Hong Kong Trust Fund will be wound up at the request of trustees: “They were wonderful.”
New anti-harassment rules will cost federally-regulated employers $119 million a year, says the Department of Labour. Staff estimated 1 in 4 workplaces will see harassment complaints: “Getting these things in place might take a year or more.”
An internal audit at one federal agency found most employees set their own hours whether they had permission or not, and supervisors did not track time worked by telecommuters: ‘New ways of working are not yet fully understood.’
A Liberal-appointed senator holds shares and stock options in a firm that received more than $3 million in direct federal subsidies including ongoing government loans, the Senate Ethics Office yesterday disclosed. Senator Colin Deacon (Independent-N.S.) could not be reached for comment. Subsidies for the company Deacon founded included a federal grant approved while he was a director, shareholder and Senator all at the same time: “I’m a big believer…”
Young couples and empty nesters will pay more in national carbon taxes than they’ll receive in federal rebates this year, the Parliamentary Budget Office yesterday confirmed. The data contradict cabinet claims that 70 to 80 percent of people would profit from rebates: “The example of the married couple is not representative of a household.”
Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien yesterday acknowledged he asked no questions in endorsing a 2018 program by Statistics Canada to scoop bank records on some 1.5 million people. Therrien said it was not his place to ask “this or that” when StatsCan sought his advice: “I’ll leave you with your judgment on whether I’m proactive or high energy.”
A British Columbia construction company that complained it couldn’t find workers at $29 an hour has lost a bid to hire migrant labour. B.C. has the lowest jobless rate of any province, 4.7 percent: ‘The program is to fill immediate shortages when Canadians are not available.’
A Manitoba Senator has likened Canadian reliance on oil and gas to a cocaine addiction. The remarks by Senator Murray Sinclair (Independent) coincided with cross-country hearings of the Senate energy committee on new oil and gas regulations: ‘Is it much like the fear and panic an addict feels when told his cocaine has gone missing?’
A federal agency yesterday estimated it recovers only 15¢ on every dollar owed by reckless shipowners responsible for oil spills in Canadian waterways. Scofflaws are hard to track, said managers of the Ship-Source Oil Pollution Fund: “Frankly it proves quite difficult.”
