Poor ratings at CBC-TV make subsidies a hard sell, a Senate committee has been told. The remarks followed an ACTRA appeal for more CBC support: “Unfortunately ratings are the only thing that we have”.
The nation’s postmasters are questioning whether federal cuts will lead to privatization of Canada Post. The Postmasters and Assistants Association in a report noted new cuts follow little-noticed service reductions in many rural districts: “Canada Post doesn’t seem to be big on consultation”.
The federal anti-trust agency says it would consider a code of conduct on the grocery trade. The remarks by Commissioner of Competition John Pecman follow approval of billion-dollar corporate mergers in food retailing: “This requires new oversight”.
Parliament must revoke an “open line of credit” granted cabinet in a little-noticed federal bill, a Senate committee has been told. Senator Wilfred Moore appealed for curbs on cabinet’s authority to borrow without consulting legislators: “Canadians will be on the hook”.
MPs have failed to agree on the impact of a Canada-E.U.trade pact five months after cabinet signed the tentative deal. A Conservative majority on the Commons agriculture committee issued a report praising the treaty, with New Democrats saying they remain “cautious”.
Cabinet has watered down a privacy bill, granting companies new powers to keep and share Canadians’ personal information without their knowledge or consent. Authorities declined interviews on the bill introduced in the Senate: “Too often the privacy rights of individuals are displaced by organizations’ business needs”.
A European ban on Canadian seal products has “effectively decimated” the commercial industry, the trade department confirms. Authorities said seal exports once worth millions have collapsed under the weight of negative publicity: ‘What if they put a camera in a butcher shop?’
The Canadian Teachers’ Federation is appealing for a ban on unpaid internships, and changes to the way Statistics Canada calculates youth unemployment. The federation told a Commons committee joblessness is not accurately captured by traditional methods: “All people should be able to earn a living wage”.
Rail shippers will have recourse to compensation for losses suffered due to poor service. A Commons committee voted unanimously to amend a rail reform bill allowing shippers to file compensation claims with the Canadian Transportation Agency: “You have to show there has been a loss”.
Federal fines collected from industry for regulatory violations should finance consumer advocacy, says a national group. Authorities are also urged to revive a cabinet-level consumers’ secretariat for the first time since winding down the old Department of Consumer Affairs in 1995: “This is not a partisan issue”.
Promoters of so-called “fair trade” oil are the target of a complaint to Elections Canada over alleged breach of campaign fundraising laws. Greenpeace Canada filed the complaint against a pro-oilsands website with ties to the Prime Minister’s Office: “It talks like a front group”.
A Senate panel has been told CBC-TV should revive its mandatory licensing fee to compensate for shrinking ad revenue. An original CBC tax collected door to door was repealed by cabinet in 1953: “Call it a program fee; that would probably be a more palatable term”.
New use of pesticides by fish farmers will pose no “unacceptable risk” to the environment, promises Health Canada. However a Conservative Senator notes the department has already been cited for failing to protect habitat: “Is everything just fine?”
Air Canada may be violating federal law by trademarking its 1937 corporate identity, says an MP. The carrier has already been cited for the most complaints under the Official Languages Act: “It’s an insult”.
A U.S. appeals court has agreed to hear complaints from Canadian and U.S. processors and farm groups in a cross-border trade dispute. The disagreement has cost $6 billion in six years: ‘It is a costly rule’.
