Senators have effectively buried a Liberal bill to rewrite O Canada. The Senate sponsor of the proposal for gender-neutral lyrics last evening acknowledged the bill will not pass by Canada Day, if ever: “It has failed each time, and it failed for a reason.”
Environment Canada says it is not “currently” considering the world’s first carbon tariff. One MP said introduction of a 2018 national carbon tax without curbs on foreign polluters will hurt industry: “That wouldn’t reduce global emissions, but it would eliminate Canadian jobs.”
The Parliamentary Budget Office yesterday predicted Canadians’ household debt will reach unprecedented levels next year, at 180 percent of disposable income. The forecast followed an appeal from the International Monetary Fund to cap the amount individual Canadians can borrow: ‘Vulnerability of the average Canadian household would rise beyond historical experience.’
Cabinet’s budget bill last night narrowly survived a Senate challenge. A motion to split the bill, delaying its passage, was defeated on a tie vote of 38 to 38 with a single senator abstaining: “The point has been made.”
Federal agencies did not purchase a single made-in-Canada souvenir for the 150th anniversary of Confederation, according to new data. Authorities placed all orders with foreign suppliers, including China-made pins and tote bags and hockey pucks from the U.S.: “Everybody got a piece of the action except Canadian manufacturers.”
Cabinet is tightening the Access To Information Act to deny requests deemed frivolous or too onerous. The Treasury Board had promised more transparency in releasing records to the public: “Bad faith requests gum up the system.”
The Prime Minister’s staff has polled Canadians on the carbon tax without detailing the cost of the tax, itself. The Privy Council Office paid $186,394 for the focus group research: “Awareness of carbon pricing was very low.”
The makers of Captain Morgan rum have won a federal injunction against the sale of Admiral Nelson rum in four provinces. The Federal Court ruled the two brands with jaunty images of different naval officers confuse Canadian rum drinkers: ‘This is a blatantly confusing historical character.’
A Commons committee says Parliament must overhaul its failed whistleblower law and extend new protection to public employees and federal contractors. Integrity Commissioner Joe Friday, former Department of Justice counsel, refused comment: “The Act has pretty much been a disaster.”
Food processors and oil refiners predict closures under the national carbon tax. Executives testifying at Senate committee hearings appealed for subsidies or deferrals of the tax, to take effect in 2018: “The decision to relocate becomes easier.”
Three charities have filed a federal lawsuit alleging political interference in the Canada Summer Jobs program. Pro-life groups that received subsidies in past years claim they were denied 2017 funding at the direction of Employment Canada: “The implications are very unsettling.”
Contractors on public works should buy Canadian steel, says the Commons trade committee. The recommendation follows a confidential 2016 Environment Canada memo that contemplated a carbon tariff on imports from foreign polluters: ‘Procurement should take carbon emissions into account.’
Cabinet is amending regulations on proof of Social Insurance Numbers that drew protests from employers and small business. New rules effective immediately allow employers to report new hires who fail to disclose their ID number: “The onus now falls on employees.”
The Commons environment committee is recommending cabinet require that oil and gas companies disclose toxic chemicals used in exploration, including fracking. Environment Canada in 2014 exempted fracking additives from its national inventory of toxins: “The only thing that will make a difference is a change in regulations.”
Cabinet last evening lost a crucial Senate vote over its budget bill. Senators successfully challenged a Speaker’s ruling in deciding whether to split the bill, delaying its passage: “There has been a history of omnibus bills being used in a way that was not appropriate.”
