Alberta lawmakers including Conservative MPs propose to enshrine local property rights under an obscure provision of the Constitution Act. Legislators will ask Parliament to amend the constitution for Albertans using the same legal device that changed Newfoundland’s name and entrenched bilingualism in New Brunswick: “We want to get this on the books”.
Canada’s most secretive spy agency faces questioning under oath in an unprecedented lawsuit by the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association. Attorneys in Vancouver filed a Federal Court lawsuit alleging the Communications Security Establishment is operating outside the law by spying on emails, text messages and phone calls: “They are a very, very secretive organization”.
A Russian container ship that threatened to run aground off the British Columbia coast was laden with four types of fuel and petroleum products, says a federal agency. Documents filed in Federal Court detail what a close call B.C. had with the cargo vessel Simushir in an October 17 incident: “We got lucky this time”.
The Department of Public Works is buying thousands of new Canadian flags without any stipulation they be made in Canada. Officials did not reply to repeated requests for an explanation of procurement policies that omit reference to buy Canadian: “It breaks my heart”.
The Supreme Court has dismissed claims for damages against Air Canada in an incident dramatized by a dispute over a can of 7-Up. Justices in a 5-2 decision said the airline was protected from compensating two Ottawa passengers who complained they were denied service in French: ‘It’s any remedy except actual money’.
Parliament’s Budget Officer has sunk cabinet claims the government will commission eight new navy patrol ships, saying the program is over-budget and unlikely to be completed on time. Jean-Denis Fréchette gave taxpayers a 50-50 chance of seeing just half the number of ships originally promised: “There is no chance of getting eight ships”.
Pharmacists are the target of a massive tax dragnet amid allegations druggists have taken unreported payments from generic pharmaceutical companies. The claims are cited in Federal Court documents against some of Canada’s leading generic drug makers: “What do they want with us?”
Cabinet’s appointment of another federal Arctic agency, the second in 20 years, does not further dubious Canadian claims to ownership of the North Pole or fill gaps in commercial shipping, say critics: ‘There is no vision’.
Most Canadians are unprepared for retirement and will become increasingly reliant on federal pensions, according to Conference Board of Canada research. The study coincided with a report from the nation’s chief actuary that young Canadians have a 40 percent chance of living to age 90: ‘Retirement is expensive’.
Opposition parties will press the Commons to mandate installation of safety equipment on all new heavy trucks. Liberal MPs expressed support for a New Democrat bill to require installation of truck side guards credited with saving lives of pedestrians and cyclists: “We have to show leadership”.
Broadcast regulators have again dismissed industry requests to alter terms of license on investment in Canadian programming. The operator of Super Channel sought exemptions after citing “financial pressure” from unregulated competitors like Netflix: ‘How important is programming to you?’
The Senate has passed a drug recall bill amid criticism of pharmaceutical companies as second only to “big oil” as a powerful Parliament Hill lobby. The legislation followed Health Canada complaints of obstructionism by drug firms in restricting medicine deemed a health risk: ‘Next to big oil, nobody’s bigger’.
Finance Canada has quietly dropped plans for retail price controls. Promised legislation to abolish “discrimination” in cross-border pricing is omitted from a 459-page omnibus budget bill, the last of the year. Authorities had said the bill would detail the measure: “They made such a big deal about it”.
Federal plans for a mandatory $7 background check on offshore visitors are rated “unfriendly” and “jarring” by foreign travellers. Citizenship & Immigration Canada interviews with passengers at three airports drew bad reviews on the plan to take effect in 2015: “Too dark”; “impolite”.
Health Canada is commissioning a winter-long evaluation of its pesticides program. The department is hiring consultants to evaluate its “effectiveness, efficiency and economy” with a final report due by next July: “It suggests to me we are under-resourced”.
