The national carbon tax will cost the army, navy and air force millions, according to cabinet. Staff would not detail actual increases for the military, one of the largest fuel buyers in the country: “It’s hard paying a carbon tax.”
He will ask us,
“Why did you not save
the planet I gave you?”
And we will reply,
“We did not know
the end was near.
We could not see it coming.”
And He will say,
“Did you not witness
the flooding in New Brunswick?
“Have you not seen
the rage of Hurricane Maria
in Puerto Rico?
“Were you not presented
with images of melting glaciers
in Greenland?
“Have you closed your eyes
to the rising sea level
in the Maldives?
“Did you turn your back
on the wildfires
burning California?
“Have you not been given scientists
to warn you
in every language?”
And there will be silence.
Will we stand there,
searching for answers,
as the gates of Heaven
close?
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)
A group of senators propose to spend $30,000 on a kitchen museum inaccessible to taxpayers. The Senate committee on internal economy yesterday postponed a vote indefinitely after members questioned the project as pointless and irritating: “This is a place that won’t be visited.”
Cabinet’s representative in the Senate yesterday said he’d determine whether the Toronto Star lobbied the Prime Minister’s Office for a lucrative contract. The $355,950 deal was cancelled December 5 by the Procurement Ombudsman following a formal complaint from Blacklock’s.
“Can you tell me whether John Honderich or any other Torstar executive approached the Prime Minister or anyone in his office to solicit this contract?” asked Senator David Tkachuk (Conservative-Sask.). “I will make inquiries,” replied Senator Peter Harder (Ont.), Government Representative in the Senate.
A small federal agency, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, contracted a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation called iPolitics INTEL to have reporters attend public meetings of two parliamentary committees, Senate banking and Commons finance. “iPolitics INTEL is the only supplier the Superintendent is aware of that can provide on-demand, subscription-based parliamentary committee monitoring services,” wrote staff.
Parliamentary committee hearings are open to Canadians. Clerks publish free transcripts of all testimony. Forty-three other news organizations are accredited to cover Parliament Hill committees.
“What is more intriguing is the timing of the contract,” said Senator Tkachuk.
On September 20 Torstar Corporation bought iPolitics for $1.4 million and subsequently laid off five employees, including reporters.
On October 10 Torstar chair John Honderich published a Toronto Star commentary appealing for federal subsidies. Torstar suffered net operational losses of $106.6 million in the past two years. “There has been a lot of talk but no action,” wrote Honderich: “I think we’d prefer some real action on these files.”
On October 25 the Superintendent published legal notice of the sole-sourced contract to Torstar’s subsidiary worth $355,950 with options.
“Everyone here knows that parliamentary committee hearings are open to all and that the transcripts can be found on the web,” said Senator Tkachuk. “Can you tell us why this contract was awarded? Why does the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions need to pay a media outlet to cover public meetings?”
“The Office of the Superintendent is independent of government, but I am happy to raise this question directly with the Office and respond,” replied Senator Harder.
Under federal procurement guidelines, sole-sourced contracts are only to be issued in cases of a “pressing emergency”, national security, or where a single supplier possesses extraordinary scientific or technical skill.
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez under December 6 questioning over the Torstar contract in the Commons defended federal aid for “bankrupt press”: “A bankrupt press is not a free press,” said Rodriguez. “A bankrupt press is not an independent press. A bankrupt press is not a press at all.”
Cabinet in 2019 will detail a $595 million, five-year program to subsidize chosen news media deemed to meet unspecified criteria for reliability. Blacklock’s neither solicits nor accepts government grants.
By Staff
A Senator yesterday issued a Christmas appeal to cabinet to redouble efforts to find destitute seniors entitled to federal benefits they never received. Cabinet says it knows of nearly 90,000 deserving pensioners who did not apply for the Guaranteed Income Supplement.
“This is serious,” said Senator Michael Duffy (Independent-P.E.I.). “These are the neediest Canadians, and they’re not claiming money that is due to them because somehow they have fallen through the cracks.”
MPs have cited elderly constituents owed benefits they never asked for in the mistaken belief they didn’t qualify, or were unaware of the program. The Guaranteed Income Supplement was introduced as a 1967 anti-poverty amendment to the Old Age Security Act.
“The Guaranteed Income Supplement is paid to those who earn less than $18,000 a year,” Duffy told the Senate. “The maximum benefit of $897 a month, for the seniors I know on Prince Edward Island, is essential to have even a subsistence existence.”
Pensioners were required to personally submit benefit claims. As late as 2015 the Department of Employment acknowledged it was pocketing $1.02 billion a year in unclaimed benefits including Old Age Security, the Guaranteed Income Supplement and Canada Pension Plan.
Cabinet on January 1 introduced automatic enrollment for all Canadians turning 65 as determined by tax records, but made no similar provision for pensioners already past 65 who forgot to file a claim. Senator Duffy said he petitioned Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos and regulators to “comb their records to ensure we reach those who are entitled”.
“This money rightly belongs to those forgotten Canadians, people who contributed to benefits programs as taxpayers and helped build Canada and made it the greatest country in the world,” said Duffy.
The Department of Social Development in a December 3 Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons said in the past two years it mailed 192,500 letters to seniors it suspected were entitled to cheques but didn’t apply. A total 88,500 never responded. Staff estimated about 9 percent of impoverished retirees who qualify for benefits do not ask for them.
“When nearly 90,000 people don’t reply to an offer of free money, we know we have a problem and extraordinary measures are required,” said Senator Duffy: “How do we reach out to the poorest of the poor to ensure they get the benefits to which they’re entitled?”
“As we count our blessings this holiday season, let us take time to remember these poor seniors, God bless them, every one,” said Duffy.
Canada’s Chief Actuary in a 2017 Actuarial Report On The Old Age Security Program forecast the number of pensioners will increase 61 percent by 2030, from 5.8 million to 9.3 million seniors, including retirees so poor they qualify for the Guaranteed Income Supplement.
By Staff
Parliament would ban all imported goods produced with child or forced labour under a private Liberal bill yesterday introduced in the Commons. The bill follows an Ethical Procurement Of Apparel guide introduced September 3 by the Department of Public Works: “Do you support supply chain slavery?”
The Governor General yesterday signed into a law an Act repealing criminal blasphemy last used to prosecute distributors of a 1979 Monty Python film. One MP ridiculed cabinet’s priorities: “They dealt with blasphemy, finally.”
Lawmakers yesterday ended 97 years of debate in the old House of Commons with one last piece of unfinished business on the Order Paper, a Conservative MP’s motion to honour immigrants including his own parents. The House closed at 4:59 pm for renovations expected to take 10 to 20 years. “What a privilege to be here, to live in this country.”
Cabinet has voted to raise stamp prices by $26 million but deferred the increase until after Christmas. Canada Post warns more hikes are likely after estimating it lost $110 million in a series of rotating strikes by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers: “The revenue generated from the proposed rates would contribute significantly.”
A Public Service Commission audit says 1 in 5 federal employers surveyed failed to give hiring preference to medically-released veterans though it is a legal requirement. Parliament passed the law in 2015: “Another qualified candidate was appointed ahead of an eligible veteran.”
The Great Lakes drowning of two schoolchildren yesterday prompted cabinet to mandate new liability rules for commercial passenger boat operators. Regulations took 18 years to finalize after the sinking of the Truth North II: “It has taken some time.”
Broadcasters are saving about $8 million a year under a 1997 law that caps royalties for playing Canadian music, the Commons industry committee was told yesterday. Radio stations have lobbied to retain the cap that fixes royalties at as little as $100 a year: “No other country has a similar subsidy.”
Conservative MPs yesterday took up a Liberal Senate bill to track unpaid taxes through the Canada Revenue Agency. The Senate passed the bill November 27 on criticism of the Agency as untrustworthy: “This is a common sense bill.”
The Liberal chair of the Commons finance committee yesterday said Canadians have been driven to tears by mistreatment at the hands of the Canada Revenue Agency. MPs cited an audit confirming the Agency breached its own Taxpayer Bill Of Rights: “They’re treated like a criminal.”
MPs on the Commons House affairs committee yesterday cautioned taxpayers to brace for cost overruns and skipped construction deadlines on mammoth Parliament Hill renovations. The Department of Public Works acknowledged it’s not sure how long the project will take, or how much it will cost.
“Is the budget fixed?” asked New Democrat MP David Christopherson (Hamilton Centre, Ont.). “No, at this point, the baseline budget or schedule has not been firmly established,” replied Rob Wright, assistant deputy minister of public works.
“I would like to hear from you what year we will really move back into Centre Block,” asked Liberal MP David Graham (Laurentides-Labelle, Que.). “As soon as possible,” replied Wright: “I would say we’re at too much of a preliminary phase to speak to the scope, which then flows into creating a budget and a schedule.”
Parliament’s iconic 1920-era Centre Block is to close by January 31. Cabinet in 2007 approved a Long-Term Vision Plan that suggested renovations would take 10 years. Public Works sources indicate the closure is more likely to take from 13 to 20 years.
Total costs of Hill renovations were put at $1.4 billion by then-Auditor General Denis Desautels in 1998. Costs were revised to $1.5 billion by a federal advisory committee in 2001, and estimated at $5 billion by Auditor General Sheila Fraser in 2011. “I can foresee an outraged Canadian public looking at the total bill for this,” said Conservative MP Scott Reid (Lanark-Frontenac, Ont.).
Assistant Deputy Minister Wright said more will be known once the building is emptied and surveyed. “The next year will really be about establishing, through the functional programming exercise and the full assessment of the condition of the building, the scope which will drive the schedule and the budget,” he said.
“What I’m understanding is the budget has not been fully fleshed out, nor are the plans ready,” said Liberal MP Linda Lapointe (Riviere-des-Mille-Iles, Que.): “Before we begin renovations we always know what we should be expecting to have at the end, and what the idea behind it is. So, I’m a little surprised by your answers. In principle, when we’re dealing with taxpayers’ money, we need to know where we’re headed.”
Rumours Of Botched Job
MPs yesterday noted Public Works renovations to Parliament’s West Block were late and over-budget. Refits were originally budgeted at $460 million in 1992, and later revised to $769 million. It is currently estimated at $975 million including tax, double the original price.
The West Block closed in 2011. “I was told it would be back in 2014, possibly 2015,” said MP Graham. The Department of Public Works then proposed to reopen the building in time for Canada 150 observances in 2017. It remains closed, and is now scheduled to reopen in 2019.
“I’ve heard numerous rumours about an elevator built in West Block that didn’t go down far enough, resulting in a million dollars’ worth of spare parts that can’t be used because they are custom made,” said Graham: “Can you confirm or deny this? Is there any truth to this?”
“There’s no truth that I am aware of to that, no,” replied Assistant Deputy Minister Wright.
The department in an internal 2018 audit Evaluation Of The Real Property Services Program estimated its projects run late and over-budget about 40 percent of the time. “There are areas of concern such as the costs and timeliness of projects,” wrote staff: “Results indicate there is a potential for improvements.”
By Staff
