Blacklock's Reporter

A mammoth security check on federal border agents is so intensive the Government of Canada is hiring outside contractors to investigate its own employees. The Canada Border Services Agency says it needs help to probe the “reliability and loyalty” of staff, but didn’t specify whether it will monitor Facebook entries, Twitter comments, LinkedIn pages or Google references: “This is overboard”.

MPs have passed a bill to curb bootleg commercial fishing on warnings that fines are too low, and enforcement will take years to fully implement. The fisheries department said it has no estimate on the black market in Canada, though the worldwide trade in illegal fishing is worth billions: “I wonder why it has taken so long”.

Parliament has exempted itself from new legislation on workplace protection for interns. The Department of Employment confirmed unpaid staffers in MPs’ and senators’ offices are not fully covered by the Canada Labour Code: “Good to know”.

Another charity — the second in a week — is taking Canada Revenue Agency to court after being threatened with loss of its registration. The Humane Society of Canada Foundation claimed “irreparable harm” if it loses charitable status: ‘We want to make sure the sector clearly understands what the rules are’.

High-fructose corn syrup commonly used as a sweetener in processed foods is highly addictive in lab rats, new Canadian research confirms. The study comes as a Senate committee concludes hearings on whether to seek new labels or taxes on sweetened products: “We should really start considering what we are putting in our food”.

Canada must veto any European-style ban on bee-killing farm chemicals, says the Senate agriculture committee. The panel yesterday ended an 18-month investigation of bee health with a call for more research: “It is too early”.

Cabinet doesn’t know if a multi-billion dollar tax program intended to promote individual savings actually worked. The Department of Finance said it has no information on whether savings rates increased under its 2009 Tax-Free Savings Account plan: “We haven’t done that analysis, sorry”.

Major oil pipelines see safety audits at the rate of once every 17 years, says Natural Resources Canada. Officials told a Senate committee just a handful of audits occur annually on the 73,000-kilometre pipeline system that’s federally regulated: “You could look at it that way”.

Forestry-supported municipalities are appealing for federal help in countering a Greenpeace protest against pulp and paper giant Resolute Forest Products Ltd. of Montréal. Greenpeace accuses the firm of poor environmental practices in Canada: “It is costing us jobs”.

Cabinet appears to have no basis for claims 80,000 new jobs will follow ratification of a free trade pact with Europe, says the deputy chair of the Senate banking committee. The Senator cited her own research concluding no rationale can be found for the number: “We tried to find out”.

Household pesticide use has returned to 20-year old levels after declining for years, says Statistics Canada. The agency reported nearly a third of Canadians use chemicals on lawns and gardens: “The increase is troubling overall”.

A bill mandating French services in airports from St. John’s to Whitehorse is prompting protests from transport managers nationwide. Airport executives said the bill to expand the Official Languages Act will be costly and complex: ‘This would be a challenge for cab companies with drivers who speak Polish’.

Cabinet is considering a proposal to fine lobbyists who breach federal law in seeking favours from friends on Parliament Hill. Lobbying Commissioner Karen Shepherd said violators of the Lobbying Act should pay penalties: ‘An MP or Minister may feel a sense of obligation’.

A bill to proclaim November 11 a national holiday has finally cleared a Commons committee, leaving it little chance of being passed into law in the final weeks of the 41st Parliament. The bill drew protest from small businesses, the Royal Canadian Legion and one of the country’s largest Catholic school boards: ‘It would be just another long weekend’.

A mysterious plane crash that prompted calls for Transport Canada regulation has been reviewed by a federal tribunal. A Yukon charter company successfully challenged a ruling that its practices may have posed a danger: “We have no idea what happened or why”.