The Department of Finance quietly rejected postal banks months before a 2016 cabinet task force finished its review of Canada Post operations, say Access To Information records. A memo critical of postal banking was drafted only days after the Canadian Bankers Association objected to competition from the post office: “The fix was in.”
Cabinet’s marijuana legislation will be “an incredible challenge for employers”, says a Unifor attorney. Courts and tribunals to date have issued contradictory rulings on whether employers may enforce zero-tolerance policies even on licensed cannabis users: “That’s reason for concern.”
A federal regulator has ordered British Airways to pay an Alberta man $2,054 for lost luggage. Promised legislation that would mandate automatic compensation for air travelers has been delayed until next year: “They’re almost at the mercy of the service provider.”
Canada Revenue Agency has lost a lengthy tax appeal over GST charged on groceries. Tax Court records show an Agency investigator conducted taste tests to determine if crystallized ginger could be taxed as candy: ‘It was very sweet.’
Cabinet’s carbon tax will cost natural gas customers an average $200 more per year, says industry. The Canadian Gas Association told the Senate energy committee that homeowners’ actual increases in colder regions could double the average: “Costs are forgotten.”
The cost of federal disaster aid for provinces has grown nearly 40 times since 1970, says a new Department of Public Safety report. Catastrophic flooding now accounts for most claims: “The big storms have not hit Canada yet.”
Legislators are unlikely to amend a Canada-E.U. trade pact despite labour fears of job losses, says a senator. The Seafarers’ International Union said trade terms threaten Canadian maritime shipping: “We are where we are.”
Federal managers who claim to monitor the well-being of whales should visit a Niagara Falls amusement park, says a senator. The Senate fisheries committee is examining a bill to ban the purchase or transfer of whales in captivity: ‘Visit in July when there are thousands of kids banging the water.’
Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz is refusing comment on staff’s mishandling of millions held for safekeeping. The Bank paid out at least $7 million in suspicious claims from dormant accounts: “I’m sorry, are you hard of hearing?”
Cabinet must have some final say on research by Statistics Canada, says Industry Minister Navdeep Bains. Three former chief statisticians have appealed for amendments to a bill they say allows political meddling in the agency’s work: “Mandatory surveys can be intrusive.”
A Senate panel has approved new restrictions on tobacco packaging and first-ever federal regulation of vaping products. The vote by the Senate social affairs committee came as cabinet introduced legislation in the Commons to legalize the sale of cannabis to 18-year olds: “Should we conclude the government prefers to see young Canadians buying marijuana?”
The Commons finance committee is urging that cabinet resist any further immediate credit curbs on homebuyers. Realtors and mortgage brokers blamed 2016 restrictions for millions in lost business: “The results have been clear.”
Easter greetings to our friends and subscribers. Blacklock’s pauses for the federal holiday, and will return April 18 — The Editor
Cabinet remains silent after a signature labour bill was amended by senators. The Senate yesterday passed rewritten legislation to eliminate a card check certification system dating from 1944: “Did they do the work and count the votes?”
Captive whales are no better than a circus show, the Senate fisheries committee has been told. Senators are considering a bill to ban the capture and breeding of whales under threat of $10,000 fines: ‘Come on in and see them go round and round for the next 20 years.’
