Federal agencies have failed to report millions in spending in breach of a Treasury Board directive, says an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons. The 2004 order requiring prompt disclosure of contract spending was made after the sponsorship scandal: “That’s real money.”
A federal tax on legal cannabis is so onerous it could drive 270,000 medical patients to buy from unlicensed drug dealers, the Commons finance committee was told yesterday. Cabinet would tax cannabis at about 15 percent: “Ethically it’s wrong.”
One of Canada’s poorest provinces yesterday appealed to the Senate social affairs committee to speed the legalization of marijuana. New Brunswick is counting on $7.2 million in revenue from cannabis sales this year: “It’s an opportunity, for sure.”
Rideau Hall blames a hapless staffer for displaying a German flag to welcome the King of Belgium on a state visit. The Office of the Secretary of the Governor General formally apologized for the gaffe, according to an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons: “There was a mistake.”
Environment Canada yesterday acknowledged a $50 national carbon tax will not meet its 2030 greenhouse gas emission targets. John Moffet, associate assistant deputy minister, told the Commons finance committee the future tax rate is undetermined: “The federal government may change the pricing system.”
The national carbon tax will see more border city Canadians go to the U.S. for cheaper air fares, the National Airlines Council yesterday told the Senate energy committee. The Council estimated five million Canadians a year already drive to the U.S. to catch discount flights: “That’s huge.”
Senators yesterday protested a railway bill as an “egregious” precedent on privacy rights, but said they will not defeat the measure. The Transport Canada bill exempts rail workers from protections under federal privacy law: “This fight isn’t over.”
A change in the tax code for small business is “pretty sad”, the Senate national finance committee was told yesterday. The cabinet proposal would strip preferential tax rates from small operators with large savings: “This is all about government revenue.”
Federal departments and agencies spent more than $300,000 on paper calendars last year. Printers yesterday said they appreciated the business: “Calendar production has dropped considerably over the past ten years.”
A federal report predicts workplace drug use may rise with legal marijuana. A government agency recommended employers hire a lawyer before attempting any cannabis testing program: ‘The impact of legal cannabis is unknown.’
Photocopying literary works is simple theft, Atlantic Canada’s largest independent publisher yesterday told the Commons industry committee. One MP proposed consequences for educators who violate the Copyright Act: “You’d think there would be some sort of repercussions.”
Charity advocates last night appealed to a Senate panel for an overhaul of regulatory treatment of the sector. “At the moment we have an out-of-date policy framework, much of which dates from the 16th century,” said Brian Emmett, chief economist for Imagine Canada.
The national carbon tax is unconstitutional and must be overturned in court, Alberta United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney yesterday told the Commons finance committee. Kenney said that, if elected in a provincial vote in 2019, he would have the province join a Saskatchewan challenge of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act: “It’s all economic pain and no environmental gain.”
Legal cannabis will have a far-reaching impact on Canadian youth and policing, the Senate social affairs committee was told yesterday. Canada would become only the second nation to legalize recreational marijuana, after Uruguay in 2012: “This is poor public policy.”
Police and federal agencies have compiled a blacklist of Facebook pages and other social media by environmental groups, according to Access To Information records. The monitoring is outlined in RCMP and staff notes compiled by an “intelligence service” in the Department of Fisheries: ‘These are known professional protesters.’
