Data grabs by Bell Canada prompted more than third of all public complaints to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner last year, according to a new report. Overall complaints were up 17 percent: “Why do you want the information? What are you going to do with it?”
Warning of “food security” in a hungry world, the Department of Agriculture in confidential memos is urging first-ever federal scrutiny of farmland sales to foreigners. Authorities note Canada has no national ownership restrictions, registry or even statistics on buy-ups by Chinese and other offshore investors: “Where are things going?”
Police have no evidence Canada’s bitcoin exchanges are being used by organized crime, according to confidential documents. However the Department of Finance says many exchanges “do not conduct customer due diligence”, and caution the business is beyond the scope of Canadian money-laundering monitors: “There are no rules”.
Canada Revenue should follow a U.K. lead in imposing new fines and criminal penalties on taxpayers who hide income offshore, says a Senate critic. The U.K. has ordered all tax evaders to declare offshore income or face sanctions including jail and 200% fines: ‘Canada goes for the low-hanging fruit’.
The latest proposal to reform interprovincial trade is drawing a cautious response amid complaints the scheme sets out few details, and hinges on universal agreement from ten provincial cabinets: “They always have excuses”.
Cabinet is urged to avoid all mention of “values” in planning for Canada 150th anniversary in 2017, according to a confidential report. The research appeared to undermine a Heritage Canada proposal to stress military exploits in the sesquicentennial year: “Talking about shared values may do more harm than good”.
The Commons finance committee has vetoed a proposed review of Canada Revenue Agency audits of registered charities. New Democrat MPs accused the agency of targeting specific groups for aggressive audits: “It may be that they’re taking political direction”.
A scientific panel is questioning industry claims of the environmental safety of chemicals used to treat oil spills. The finding follows federal warnings that agencies must improve planning in case of ecological disasters: ‘Many assumptions have been challenged as invalid or untrue’.
Lax regulatory enforcement by Transport Canada and low safety standards at the former Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway created conditions that led to fiery Lac-Mégantic train derailment that left 47 dead, say federal investigators: “Why didn’t you just shut them down?”
Canada’s middle class is more financially stressed and debt-ridden than ever with a “hollowing out” of families once celebrated as the national ideal, says a stark federal report. The confidential research by Employment Canada was released through Access to Information: “The ‘Canadian dream’ is a myth more than a reality”.
Netflix Inc. is appealing a Canadian ruling that would force the company to retroactively pay music royalties on free trials it offered prospective customers over seven years. Attorneys filed an application with the Federal Court of Appeal against the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada: “It’s not anywhere near over”.
Confidential government research is contradicting claims a cabinet initiative to align industry regulations between Canada and the U.S. will lower consumer prices. A consultants’ report says the pact may result in marginal gains amid “false expectations”, and warns harmonization “could cause significant harm to Canadian distributors, retailers and consumers.” The cabinet study was released through Access to Information.
Levels of airborne dioxins are higher in some regions of Canada than they are in Mexico, according to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation. The research concluded levels are as much as 10 times those in Mexico despite an overall decrease of atmospheric dioxins in Canada: “What is the source?”
Shared Services Canada proposes to merge all toll-free government phone lines into a single, mammoth “cost-effective” automated answering system. The proposal follows earlier complaints of maddening experiences in trying to call federal departments. Shared Services declined an interview: ‘The government is nameless, faceless and difficult to contact’.
The Supreme Court has declined to overturn a 76-year ban on the sale of raw milk. One dairyman named a “crusader” for unpasteurized milk was denied an appeal of his conviction under health regulations: “People who want this product can’t get it”.
