The Commons finance committee by an 8-1 vote has rejected labour amendments to a Pay Equity Act. Union executives said a feared loophole in the bill would allow employers to cite “diverse needs” in refusing to correct wages for underpaid women: “It would be a serious betrayal.”
The Auditor General for a third consecutive year has cited the Canada Revenue Agency for poor service and arbitrary treatment of taxpayers. Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier yesterday promised once again to do better: “It’s a job.”
The Commons public accounts committee in a report says it is “appalled and angry” over incompetence in the Department of Public Works. The remarks targeted the failed Phoenix Pay System estimated to cost taxpayers at least $1.2 billion: “It is extremely difficult to fire people.”
MPs should weigh the cost of a new federal holiday to honour Indigenous peoples, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation yesterday told the Commons heritage committee. Legislators have not detailed the expense of a New Democrat holiday bill endorsed by cabinet: “Statutory holidays are not free.”
A consumers’ group yesterday said Financial Consumer Agency Of Canada Act amendments should put a “speed bump” in aggressive sales tactics by bankers. Customers are routinely sold products they don’t need, the Senate banking committee was told: “At present, consumer protection measures are few.”
Animal advocacy groups have a right to speak their mind, Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay yesterday told reporters. Witnesses testifying at the Commons agriculture committee blamed unnamed groups for causing farmers anxiety and stress with social media campaigns: ‘They have the right whether the government likes it or not.’
Federal agencies have allowed heritage buildings under their care to crumble into disrepair, the Auditor General yesterday reported. One agency, Parks Canada, was unsure of how many historic structures it manages: ‘We saw buildings in such bad condition they were health and safety risks.’
Industry Minister Navdeep Bains yesterday said he only learned from media that Statistics Canada proposed a data scoop of bank records belonging to more than a million people. The Privacy Commissioner similarly said he was never told of the scope of a project to track all financial transactions including credit card debts, mortgages and ATM withdrawals: “Something has gone wrong here.”
Public Works Minister Carla Qualtrough yesterday said cabinet “has to do something” to end a Canada Post dispute, but did not propose back-to-work legislation. Rotating strikes now in their 29th day are hurting small business, Qualtrough told reporters: “Everybody is hurting.”
A housing crash in Vancouver and Toronto would put almost a fifth of Canadian mortgages under water but shouldn’t trigger any bank failures, says the Bank of Canada. Researchers saw little chance of bank runs seen following a 1982 crash: “A quick drop in house prices in the Toronto and Vancouver areas would be nationally significant.”
The Canadian embassy in Washington is paying an American contractor nearly $70,000 to freshen up a diplomats’ web page. The Department of Foreign Affairs complained the current site lacks “modern graphic design”.
A federal judge has upheld the dismissal of a Transport Canada analyst for cheating on a civil service exam. The Public Service Commission has investigated dozens of cases of alleged fraud since 2015, according to Access To Information records: ‘Most would call it a simple case of cheating.’
A federal proposal to force homeowners to use less energy will be unaffordable for some, cautions a first-ever parliamentary review. Draft changes to the National Building Code would impact owners of 14 million homes nationwide: “Not all Canadians can afford to reduce their household’s carbon footprint.”
A new policy on blacklisting federal contractors convicted of wrongdoing will be detailed next month, says the Department of Public Works. Critics complain the current program punishes small business while offering a “get-out-of-jail-card” for corporate criminals: “The revised policy will be finalized in mid-December.”
Canada’s trademark office is so burdened with paperwork it takes up to a year to process routine applications, says an internal audit. A Department of Industry review found staff could not locate 20 percent of paper files when auditors asked for them: ‘There is a risk Canada’s reputation suffers.’
