Cabinet will struggle to meet climate change targets even if car buyers quadrupled the number of electric vehicles on the road, says the Conference Board of Canada. The forecast follows federal Access To Information documents that confirmed most Canadians couldn’t buy an electric car even if they wanted one: “There’s a limit”.
Cabinet has no data on the economic impact of legalizing marijuana, or the effect on school performance, insurance claims or organized crime, says the Department of Public Safety. Liberals have pledged to legalize cannabis use this term: “We’ve been wondering what the plan is”.
Publicly-traded companies must file diversity reports on appointments of directors and senior management under a new cabinet bill. The legislation stopped short of capping directors’ benefits proposed in a private Liberal bill introduced in the Senate: “Let’s put competent people on boards”.
A Health Canada scientist fired for breaching a “duty of loyalty” after publicly commenting on federal policy has been ordered reinstated by a labour board. A second researcher similarly disciplined lost a bid for reinstatement: “They ended up paying with their careers”.
A bipartisan Senate bill proposes to ban food and beverage marketing to children under 13. The sponsor, Senator Nancy Greene Raine, said national regulation is needed to restrict manipulative ads targeting minors: “Canadians expect us to enact laws that protect our children”.
Regulators must be careful in licensing the sale of so-called “Frankenmeat” developed by genetically blending different species, says a cattle industry group. MPs yesterday opened hearings on first-ever federal licensing of an engineered species, made-in-the-lab salmon: “You have to be very vigorous”.
Railways would be subject to first-ever environmental assessments under a private bill introduced in the Commons. The New Democrat bill would see rail freighting of dangerous goods regulated by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act: “Rail is under-regulated”.
A court has granted a city the right to appeal the tax assessment on a 77-storey building that doesn’t exist. The phantom building had been assessed at $7.5 million: ‘It’s inexplicable’.
The navy is commissioning research on adjustment of crew shifts to automation. Cost pressures are likely to see greater use of computerized technology, analysts said: “Modern navies are experiencing a personnel crunch”.
Federal agencies are telling Parliament they have no research on the impact of a proposed carbon tax. A cabinet memo earlier obtained through Access To Information estimated a tax of $50 a tonne or more is required to meet climate change targets: “We have to find out”.
Cabinet plans broad reforms to the way it issues billions in contracts, according to an Access To Information memo. It follows a critical report that described current practices as inefficient and archaic: ‘It is a rule-infested quagmire’.
An information commissioner has ordered Newfoundland & Labrador to release billing records for more than a thousand doctors under Access To Information. The province’s medical association says it may challenge the disclosure: “I’m certain that this will go to court”.
The Department of Employment proposes to interview poor Canadians to gauge effectiveness of federal aid programs. The initiative follows a Senate motion to investigate a guaranteed annual income program: ‘They know the answers already’.
Weekly newspapers are appealing for more taxpayers’ subsidies and new tax credits. The Department of Canadian Heritage currently pays millions in annual grants to corporate owners of weekly chains: “It does make sense to us”.
MPs have called up final debate on legislation to repeal two Conservative union bills. The Canadian Labour Congress had said delays in repeal slowed union drives: ‘It was a back-door, sneaky approach to governing’.
