A Department of Finance proposal to cut tax benefits for small business owners with income from savings unfairly penalizes farmers, restaurateurs and others, say advocates. The plan would see taxes rise $43 million this year and another $305 million in 2019, by official estimate: “It just created a new group of losers in the system.”
A court has dismissed a used car dealers’ claim for more than $10,000 in costs for financing a $7,000 car. Nearly a third of Canadians with car loans borrow more than vehicles are worth, according to a 2016 survey by the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: “She signed everything that was put in front of her.”
Canadian cities would see designated cannabis smoking areas under cabinet’s legalization bill, Department of Health staff yesterday told the Senate social affairs committee. Marijuana use on street corners and outside buildings will be regulated the same as cigarettes, officials said: “How is that picture going to look?”
A federal report acknowledges sales of electric cars in Canada remain marginal despite millions in cabinet support for the industry. Researchers counted a 0.59 percent market share for electrics nationwide: ‘It remains low.’
The Senate transport committee yesterday vetoed a cabinet proposal to grant railways random access to everyday surveillance video of train crews. Opponents called it a clear breach of privacy rights that set a precedent for workplace monitoring by Canadian employers: ‘It is a violation of railway industry workers’ right to privacy.’
Environment Commissioner Julie Gelfand says auditors may examine cabinet’s carbon tax to determine its actual impact on emissions. The Department of Environment has failed to say what reduction it expects from a $50 per tonne tax on carbon: “It’s quite clear there is a gap.”
Shippers would gain new rights on railways under amendments to a cabinet bill yesterday approved by the Senate transport committee. Senators voted to compel railways to disclose confidential cost data in answering shippers’ complaints: “Well, who wouldn’t?”
Canada should brace for a renewed flood of dumped Asian steel this summer, say the United Steelworkers. Cabinet yesterday promised new measures to block the transshipment of unfairly-priced steel imports through Canada to the U.S.: “We need to act quickly.”
A federal judge has overturned the suspension of two St. Lawrence River captains who refused to pilot an oversized container ship by night. The ruling follows a Transport Canada review on expansion of the 1959 seaway to accommodate modern vessels: ‘The captain was willing to sail at night only with authorization in writing.’
The Senate yesterday opened final debate on a Conservative bill to make Canada the first industrialized country to ban shark fin imports. The Commons narrowly defeated a similar New Democrat bill five years ago: “Stop the carnage.”
The Canada Revenue Agency yesterday said it has “quality assurance” that audits do not target small business. The claim at a Commons finance committee hearing followed a March 2 Court ruling that cited auditors for malicious prosecution of a family-owned restaurant: “It is true we have some issues with respect to litigation.”
Legalizing cannabis could lead to longer lineups at Canada-U.S. border crossings, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale yesterday told the Senate national security committee. American authorities have raised concerns about Bill C-45, said Goodale: “Their greatest concern is the potential for congestion.”
Pharmacare “is difficult”, Finance Minister Bill Morneau yesterday told the Commons finance committee. Cabinet has ordered a one-year review of a pharmacare plan with provinces after rejecting a similar 2017 motion in the Commons: “We’re not totally aware of what the best solutions will be.”
Liberal and Conservative MPs yesterday opposed a motion for Commons study to revive postal banks. The Canadian Bankers Association and credit unions earlier lobbied against any reopening of post office banks that operated for a 101 years, until 1968: “They were not looking for competition.”
Federal agencies introduced major new sets of regulations at the rate of six a week last year, says the Treasury Board. The accounting comes three years after Parliament passed a bill intended to reduce red tape: “Tracking of ins and outs under the rule operates much like a bank account.”
