Cabinet should consider an electronic guaranteed income plan that would see funds automatically transferred to individual bank accounts, says a Privy Council Office think tank. Future governments might also consider “providing assets at birth”, wrote Policy Horizons Canada: “This could ensure that vulnerable Canadians do not start at a significant disadvantage.”
The Department of Employment paid pollsters to pick the name of a brand new federal agency, records show. The department wanted nouns and adjectives that would “grab people’s attention”: “People like a name that is short and straightforward.”
The Commons natural resources committee by a 5 to 4 vote yesterday rejected a motion to compel Finance Minister Bill Morneau to explain why cabinet overpaid billions for the 1953-era Trans Mountain pipeline. Opposition MPs questioned why cabinet nationalized the line knowing the Federal Court of Appeal was about to rule on legal challenges by First Nations: ‘I can’t believe we have Morneau negotiating on behalf of Canadian taxpayers.’
A majority of doctors surveyed, 51 percent, said they still encounter patients who refuse vaccinations due to “conspiracy theories”. The findings of newly-released Public Health Agency of Canada research come years after experts debunked a U.K. study linking shots to autism: “The number of Canadians who are delaying or refusing immunization is increasing.”
Federal benefits paid to medically-discharged veterans should be shielded from creditors in case of bankruptcy, a Nova Scotia court has ruled. A bankruptcy registrar said it’s the least Canada owes soldiers, sailors and air crew compensated for injuries: ‘It is one of the core values we hold as Canadians.’
Federal departments and agencies should by March 31, 2019 assign ombudsmen to field harassment complaints in federal offices, says a Privy Council Office report. “Troublesome behaviours persist in our organizations,” wrote staff.
Newly-released audits detail waste of taxpayers’ money by Canadian diplomatic missions overseas. Examples include rigged timesheets and cronyism in hiring and contracting. The Department of Foreign Affairs dispatched audit teams following discovery of a $1.7 million fraud at the Haiti embassy: “Policies were not always followed.”
The Department of Employment in a single-day sweep ticketed 14 employers in five provinces for violations under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. It was the largest one-day crackdown since cabinet approved $39 million in new annual funding for surprise inspections: “There is rigor.”
Ontario’s highest court has dismissed a libel claim against a real estate commentator sued for sarcastic Tweets about developers. The Court of Appeal ruled the remarks were of public interest, and that libel threats should not gag criticism of the industry: ‘He sees the real estate investment market as overhyped and under-regulated.’
A newly-appointed Procurement Ombudsman in his first full investigation is faulting Elections Canada for lapses in contracting. Rules must be strictly followed to ensure fairness to bidders, wrote Ombudsman Alexander Jeglic: “The Government of Canada has a duty.”
Blacklock’s Reporter pauses today to observe the 124th Labour Day in tribute to Canadian workers nationwide. We will be back tomorrow — The Editor
The Department of Employment yesterday said it will “carefully consider” reintroducing a federal minimum wage for the first time in 22 years. The department claimed wide support for a $15 hourly minimum for federally-regulated workers, matching the highest provincial rate in the country: “We will carefully consider what we heard.”
Broadcast regulators in a cabinet-ordered climbdown yesterday reversed a 2017 cut to minimum program funding by Canadian TV companies. The ruling followed 89 petitions from unions and associations, including one that described the reversal as uncommon: “It’s almost unprecedented.”
In-house research by the Department of Immigration shows Canadians are evenly divided on illegal immigration. Access To Information records show the department has continuously polled on the issue since 2017: ‘It’s for internal use only.’
The Federal Court of Appeal in a 50,000-word judgment yesterday quashed cabinet’s approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. The decision followed cabinet’s May 29 decision to nationalize the British Columbia line at a $4.5 billion cost to taxpayers: “Canada was required to do more.”
