Transport Canada has ordered a national review of the Pilotage Act. It follows a critical audit of one Crown maritime agency that complained of recurring deficits and conflicts of interest by board members: “This is not a mom and pop operation.”
Costly smart meter programs have marginal impacts on households’ actual electricity use, says a University of Waterloo study. The analysis of more than 20,000 customers found demand for power in peak daytime hours declined by a fraction: “What’s the point?”
More than 15,000 Canadians have been charged with marijuana possession since the government was elected on a promise to legalize cannabis, new data show. An MP who requested the records said arrests point to confusion in federal policy: “Why aren’t you doing anything to shut down these marijuana dispensaries?”
Restoration of union card checks in federally-regulated industries is the will of the voters, says the Government Representative in the Senate. Conservative legislators noted Liberals were elected with 39.5 percent of the popular vote: “The government is fulfilling an election promise.”
One of Canada’s last Crown-owned transport companies prices its service at less than half of actual cost, says an Access To Information document. The Transport Canada research said subsidies paid to ferry vehicles by Marine Atlantic Inc. cost taxpayers up to $800 a customer per trip: “I can’t see a fix.”
Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly says she is studying the impact of a regulatory decision that media creators say will cost millions. The ruling by the CRTC can be legally overturned by cabinet: “There is a disaster looming in media.”
The Commons public accounts committee yesterday urged Transport Canada to commit in writing to improve oversight of auto safety. The report follows a critical audit that found regulators were too close to industry lobbyists: “We seem to be a laggard when it comes to the consumer.”
A national carbon tax will result in “controversial” impacts on different industries, says a federal memo released through Access To Information. Staff at the Department of Natural Resources cautioned, “Industry impacts are likely manageable, but need to be carefully considered.”
The Commons finance committee last night voted to amend cabinet’s budget bill. MPs expanded the rights of legislators to scrutinize federal spending through the Parliamentary Budget Office: “This is hasty backtracking by the government.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs is hiring consultants to monitor millions of Twitter messages after lamenting traditional media are slow and unreliable in reporting news. The department spends more than a quarter-million dollars a year on regular media monitoring: ‘Traditional media may not cover an event at all.’
National farm debt has grown 75 percent in the past decade but remains manageable, says the chair of the Commons agriculture committee. Total farm debt is nearly $100 billion: “Right now there is no panic.”
A Crown corporation is suing for damages from a rare maritime collision on St. Lawrence Seaway canals. Less than a tenth of one percent of ship crossings result in accidents, by official estimate: ‘It cannot be foreseen by Seaway inspectors.’
Liberal MPs are rewriting cabinet’s own budget bill to expand independent reviews of federal spending. The friendly amendments by members of the Commons finance committee follow criticism the original bill curbed scrutiny of departments and agencies: “The role of the Parliamentary Budget Office needed greater independence.”
The Department of Canadian Heritage recommended a $576,500 sole-sourced contract to developers of what was claimed to be the biggest quiz in the nation’s history, say Access To Information records. The venture was billed as a “potential legacy project” for the 150th anniversary of Confederation: “Just stop, already.”
Many Canadian workers face “growing dislocation” with part-time jobs and factory closures, says the president of the Canadian Labour Congress. Hassan Yussuff, speaking at a Canada 150 Symposium in the Senate, warned of rising inequality in the workforce: “That is not a place you want to be.”
