The Canada Revenue Agency yesterday said it is expanding an employee informant program introduced under the previous Conservative cabinet. One union executive earlier described the tip line as Frankenstein-esque: “Does it protect the informants or does it protect the government?”
A House of Commons staffer yesterday contradicted a Federal Court affidavit claiming the Parliamentary Press Gallery set criteria that banned two media outlets from attending national TV election debates. Records indicate Gallery directors were never consulted and had not even met for months before the ban was imposed by a handful of federal employees: “The wording of these decisions indicates they were made by the Press Gallery.”
A federal promotion of carbon tax rebates fell flat, according to in-house Canada Revenue Agency research. The Agency repeatedly cited the so-called Climate Action Incentive Payments in a pre-election ad blitz: “Heard anything lately?”
A St. John’s judge has dismissed obstruction of justice charges against a patrolman for mistakenly ticketing a motorcyclist. The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary called it the first case of its kind involving a routine traffic stop: “The mistake does not have to be proved. It only has to raise a reasonable defence.”
The Department of Labour says it will introduce fines on employers in breach of the Canada Labour Code by March 31, 2020. Scofflaws will be publicly named and shamed for the first time since the Code was introduced in 1958: “Current enforcement measures are not strong enough.”
The Secretary to the Governor General and her assistant billed almost $65,000 in flights and other expenses in eighteen months, nearly fifty times more than her predecessor, according to federal accounts. Expenses by Assunta Di Lorenzo included a $97 lunch and travel to a climate change conference: ‘Can you believe we’re still debating whether humans have a role in the Earth warming up?’
The Bank of Canada in a research paper says only a third of people it surveyed, 37 percent, correctly answered three multiple-choice questions on financial literacy. Parliament passed a financial literacy bill six years ago: ‘It may seem low.’
The Supreme Court in a 5 to 4 decision yesterday cleared the way for a quarter-billion dollar class action lawsuit against Volkswagen Group Canada Inc. over environmental damage caused by its “green” diesel cars. MPs and advocacy groups faulted Environment Canada for failing to take the lead over false emissions claims: “Is Environment Canada doing something?”
Computer networks in the Department of Fisheries are so dysfunctional employees work from home, says a federal report. Inspectors uncovered numerous IT breakdowns as staff tried to meet deadlines for cabinet’s signature environmental protection program, the $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan: “Requirements were not well understood.”
Access To Information memos document federal grumbling over an inaccurate Department of Finance claim regarding the carbon tax. “That’s a doozy!” wrote a manager after staff spotted a misleading report intended to counter Prairie criticism of the tax: “Misquoting undermines the argument.’
Elections Canada counted two Liberal voters in the Village of Strome, Alta., population 260, in a constituency that saw the most lopsided win in the October 21 general election. Conservatives won Battle River-Crowfoot with a record 85.5 percent of the vote on 77 percent turnout: “Voters were lined up outside the door.”
The Department of National Defence should find ways to “exploit social media”, says the Royal Military College. Department surveys have found fewer Canadians use Facebook or Twitter than read a weekly newspaper: “A robust social media policy is an effective first line of defence.”
Newcomers to Canada resent illegal immigrants for “jumping what they view as an immigration queue”, according to Department of Immigration research. Illegal immigration has cost Parliament $1.4 billion in three years, by official estimate: “We worked really hard to get here.”
Federal departments oppose a demand by MPs and the Privacy Commissioner for more fines over corporate privacy breaches, say Access To Information records. Cabinet is drafting confidential amendments to a privacy law that currently mandates fines of up to $100,000 for failing to report loss or theft of customers’ personal information: “From the public’s perspective, they don’t really care.”
Canada has shipped tonnes of meat products to China for processing only to see it shipped back as imports, according to Access To Information records. The Department of Agriculture explained the crisscross trade was a small portion of total exports: “Who benefits other than China?”
