Parliament should mandate counselling for jurors both before and after trials on violent crimes, the Commons justice committee was told yesterday. Jurors appealed for help after complaining of having to pay out-of-pocket for counselling: “How does one prepare themselves?”
The Commons yesterday passed into law a bill proclaiming Charlottetown as the cradle of Confederation. The vote settles a contrary claim by Québec City as the birthplace of national union in 1864: “The passing of this bill means a great deal.”
Tax Court has rebuked an ex-cop for participating in a tax scam. The retired constable admitted to filing “gibberish” returns in which he claimed fictional losses from a non-existent business: “It is incomprehensible and nonsensical.”
The Canada Revenue Agency will cut funding for taxpayers’ call centres by 35 percent next year. One MP predicted chaos in a system already rated dysfunctional by federal auditors: “I can only imagine.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada reports climate change may pose a mental health risk. The Agency in a report warned of “elevated levels of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorders.”
Senators will propose amendments to a bill exempting train crews from federal privacy law. Liberals, Conservatives and Independents said workplace privacy rights must be protected in statute: “You should have thought of that first.”
The Commons finance committee is recommending cabinet introduce a homeowners’ tax credit for energy refits. Cabinet cancelled a similar grant program five years ago: “It doesn’t take much to get Canadians to do the right thing.”
Authorities have paid a private contractor nearly $34 million to wrap up the Canada Savings Bond Program. More administrative spending will be required as the last issues of the mom-and-pop bonds mature: “It’s fair to ask what value Canadians are getting.”
The Department of Finance says it has no calculation on how much tax revenue it will collect from marijuana sales. Members of the Senate finance committee yesterday expressed dismay that tax values are unknown just six months ahead of a cabinet deadline to legalize cannabis: “I find it incomprehensible.”
Health Canada has cut 71 percent of its annual funding for flu shot promotions despite low vaccination rates. Influenza is blamed for 12,000 hospital visits annually and some 5,000 deaths, according to Statistics Canada: “Vaccines are effective and safe.”
Cabinet’s nominee as Commissioner of Official Languages wants more “teeth” in bilingualism. Dr. Raymond Théberge yesterday told the Commons languages committee the 1969 Act lacks enforcement tools: “I know it’s old to talk about linguistic police.”
Scientists and members of the Senate fisheries committee yesterday expressed support for a first-ever Canadian ban on shark fin imports. Researchers said finning for soup threatens the species, though processed shark parts are tasteless: ‘It’s a certain kind of eating experience.’
Environment Minister Catherine McKenna is being sued by ecologists over delays in assessing survival of a British Columbia caribou herd. Advocates said they’ve waited eight months for McKenna to respond as required under federal law: “It’s really tragic.”
A former chief economic analyst says Statistics Canada is a powerful bureaucracy that overstates its vulnerability to political meddling. Philip Cross, now senior fellow with the Macdonald Laurier Institute, made his remarks at Senate committee hearings on a new StatsCan bill: “It knows how to pump iron pretty well.”
Federal agencies in the past year spent more than $2 million on talent fees for models and actors, including hand models hired by the Royal Canadian Mint, and child actors paid by Environment Canada. The spending is detailed in an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons: “It’s fresh.”
