The internet cannot remain unregulated, says Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault. Speaking at the Commons heritage committee, Guilbeault urged MPs to pass Bill C-10 to ensure YouTube videos intended for private viewing are regulated as broadcasts subject to federal control: “I recognize there are people who believe there should be no regulation whatsoever.”
Zoom calls have allowed federal agencies to make “big decisions” in secret without recordkeeping, says Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard. The Access To Information chief said federal employees must be compelled to record calls or keep meticulous minutes: “We need to make sure where the money’s being spent.”
A $15 an hour federal minimum wage will cost business more than $40 million the first year, says the Senate social affairs committee. Cabinet’s omnibus budget bill C-30 would index the wage to inflation for federally-regulated private sector employees: “We know how much food costs.”
A $1.7 billion bonus for pensioners with six-figure incomes will honour their contribution to society, says the Department of Social Development. Members of the Senate social affairs committee questioned why cabinet didn’t target the money to the poorest pensioners: “I see the political rationale.”
Canadians’ outdoor activities last summer may have led to “hidden chains of transmission” of Covid-19, says Dr. Theresa Tam. The chief public health officer stopped short of saying cabinet made a mistake with a “good news” reopening of national parks last June 1: “Getting fresh air is important.”
We need time to adjust,
see what works and what doesn’t.
Driverless cars, taxis, buses, trucks.
Let’s take baby steps
before robots roam our roads.
Start with driverless bikes.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, writes for Blacklock’s each and every Sunday)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family were “closely involved in We Charity’s affairs” and accepted more than $480,000 in benefits but had no real conflict in approving a $43.5 million grant to the charity, the Ethics Commissioner ruled yesterday. An advocacy group said it will challenge the finding in the Federal Court of Appeal: “If this is allowed, what is not allowed?”
Chinese-Canadians must be free to agree with the Communist Party of China without being “stigmatized,” Senator Yuen Pau Woo (B.C.) said last night. Speaking at a university forum, Woo said he rejected any suggestion patriotic Canadians cannot “hold a view that is remotely aligned with what Beijing might be saying.”
Ex-finance minister Bill Morneau was so close to We Charity his staff ordered a Liberal MP to meet Craig Kielburger to “keep him happy.” The Commissioner of Ethics yesterday cited Morneau for breach of the Conflict Of Interest Act in approving a $43.5 million grant to Kielburger’s charity: “Morneau and his family were made to feel as though they had become personal friends with Mr. Kielburger.”
Federal blacklisting of all plastic manufactured products as toxic will transfer production of irreplaceable goods abroad, the Commons industry committee was told yesterday. The listing under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act names plastic items from water bottles to grocery bags as toxic alongside mercury and asbestos: “I don’t get it.”
A federal judge has cited the RCMP for cronyism in promotions. Favouritism was a “running gag” in one detachment, the Federal Court was told: “There is evidence that would lead an ordinary person to believe there was no impartiality in the process.”
Political parties may use TV bloopers in campaign attack ads without breaching the Copyright Act, a federal judge ruled yesterday. The decision came in a lawsuit by the CBC against the Conservative Party: “The purpose is one of engaging in the democratic process.”
Half the provinces have objected to federal restrictions on plastics, says the Department of Environment. Cabinet yesterday dismissed the petitions in formally listing all plastic items from toys to textiles as toxic under federal law: “It’s pretty significant.”
The Commons yesterday by a 199-128 vote passed a private bill to cut millions in taxes on family sales of legacy farms. The Department of Finance opposed the bill: “This legislation would impact every single constituency in Canada.”
Cabinet yesterday said it welcomes suggestions on amending the Governor General’s Act to repeal lifetime pension benefits for quitters. It follows a public outcry over six-figure annual benefits for Julie Payette after she abruptly resigned over workplace harassment complaints: “I understand people’s frustration with Ms. Payette.”
