Aboriginals within 20 years will account for a leading bloc of electors in two provinces and at least five cities, new data show. A first-ever federal study projected the number of First Nations, Inuit and Métis nationwide may nearly double by 2036: ‘It is a phenomenon’.
Canadians have a right to know the identities of plaintiffs in court regardless of whether lawyers seek a publication ban, says a longtime judge. Only three provinces currently issue notices on requests for secret court proceedings: “It is a fundamental principle”.
Canadians are five times more likely to read a weekly newspaper than use Twitter, according to in-house research by the Department of National Defence. The military commissioned the media poll to gauge the effectiveness of its recruitment drives.
Data showed television, internet and radio remain the most popular media, according to interviews nationwide by Environics Research Group. Pollsters billed $81,625 for the research. Of Canadians asked what medium they’d used at least once in the last two weeks:
Albertans and Ontarians were most likely to go to the movies, according to the Environics report Testing Recall Of Recruitment Advertising 2015. Québecers were least likely to use Twitter, only 5 percent. Atlantic Canadians were the least likely to use public transit, only 1 in 10.
Recruitment Advertising noted residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan were the least likely to use Facebook, at 43 percent, while more British Columbians – 66 percent – read community newspapers.
Typical YouTube users are young men, under 24, with a college education, Environics said. Only 38 percent of students nationwide read a daily newspaper.
The military’s 2015 recruitment drive Ready When You Are used video game techniques in depicting guerrilla warfare and leaping paratroopers with quick edits and “heavy breathing” sound effects. Focus groups found the ads “dark” and “aggressive”.
“The ads were generally considered thought-provoking, emotional, realistic and attractive despite the unsettling nature of the combat scenes,” concluded a report Recruitment Advertising Pre-Testing by Corporate Research Associates of Halifax; “The ads’ high energy creatively communicated by the music, rapidly changing images and unusual work environments grabbed viewers’ attention and reminded many of a video game.”
“The tone was described as ‘aggressive’, ‘dark’, ‘extreme’, ‘high energy’, ‘positive’, ‘exciting’, ‘adventurous’, ‘dynamic’, ‘harsh’, ‘exhilarating’ and ‘rough’,” said Pre-Testing. The consultant noted the ads had little appeal for “niche audiences including women, visible minorities and Aboriginal peoples.”
By Staff 
The military is spending the equivalent of $9,000 a day on Enterprise Rent-A-Cars, taxis and other rentals despite owning one of the largest vehicle fleets in the country, records show. The Department of National Defence said the spending complied with all cabinet policies: ‘For passengers, mail and merchandise transportation’.
Tylenol labels are under review by the Department of Health over fears of accidental overdoses that sends thousands of Canadians to hospital each year. Over the counter acetaminophen is found in more than 400 medications from back pain relievers to cough medicine: “People aren’t even aware”.
A majority of Canadians, 54 percent, want an end to federal subsidies for the Atlantic seal hunt, says an Environics Research Group survey. The poll findings follow cabinet’s approval of millions in new aid for the industry, hard hit by a European ban on seal exports: “It’s not economically viable”.
The Canada Border Services Agency is refusing comment on a Seafarers’ lawsuit over use of migrant labour in coastal shipping. The Seafarers’ International Union named two cabinet ministers in its lawsuit alleging breach of regulations: “No action has been taken”.
Parliament’s Budget Office says it is so strapped for cash it cannot analyse jobs data claimed by cabinet. The office in a letter to the Senate said it has no money to expand its staff of 15 to scrutinize claims under a European Union trade pact: ‘Important things can’t get done’.
An ex-cabinet aide is being cited for breach of the Conflict Of Interest Act for accepting a job with a lobbyist. The former policy adviser was hired only days after leaving Parliament Hill by the current lobbyist for the Agricultural Institute of Canada: “For us it’s a sad day”.
Most Canadians still expect to retire by 65 though half now live paycheque to paycheque, according to research by the Canadian Payroll Association. Parliament in 2012 raised eligibility for Old Age Security benefits from 65 to 67: “I haven’t started saving yet”.
A federal commissioner is winning praise for taking the Privy Council Office to court on complaints it illegally concealed documents. The Privacy & Access Council of Canada yesterday said the Federal Court application sets an important precedent: “There needs to be a voice”.
The Government of Canada will see a $4.7 billion surplus on Employment Insurance premiums by 2016, new data show. The gain is equivalent to budget surpluses claimed by cabinet: “This comes right off Canadians’ take-home pay”.
Statistics Canada should undertake a first-ever national survey on piracy and counterfeiting, says a Department of Public Safety report. “There are few actual estimates of the size of these markets in Canada,” the department noted in research released through Access To Information.
A federal board that’s warned of spiralling drug prices is commissioning a survey of consumer costs in 21 countries worldwide. The Patented Medicine Prices Review Board has cautioned Canadians will soon pay the second-highest drug prices outside the U.S.: “We have been creeping up”.
Environmentalists are celebrating what they consider a landmark court application to force regulators to abide by laws to protect species at risk. Advocates argued the Government of Ontario failed to follow its own regulations: “This is the first time a court has said the questions we are raising are important”.
