Iain Stewart, president of the Public Health Agency, yesterday said he was unaware of any executive being fired for pandemic mismanagement. Successive audits have cited the Agency for “confusion,” “limited public health expertise” and lack of preparedness though Parliament funded it at $675 million a year for pandemic management: “I can’t answer that question off the top of my head.”
A federal aid program for homebuyers saw more loans approved in Medicine Hat, Alta., population 63,000, than Toronto. Critics had complained the program was so restrictive it was no help for buyers in the priciest cities: “Many were perplexed as to how this program would work.”
Cabinet’s budget was a “major disappointment” on pharmacare, the president of the Canadian Labour Congress yesterday told the Commons finance committee. “People are struggling to access medication,” said Hassan Yussuff: “I really think people need to know.”
Canada Post waited a week to notify employees of what became a fatal Covid outbreak at a mail processing plant, according to its largest union. Post office management did not comment. Federal labour inspectors earlier cited Canada Post four times for breach of health regulations at separate plants: “Every worker in Canada has a right to a safe and healthy workplace.”
Cabinet will levy a $175 million a year equity tax on foreign offshore owners of Canadian residential real estate. A similar British Columbia tax in 2019 was upheld as constitutional by the B.C. Supreme Court: “This is a fairly new concept.”
Cabinet proposes to rewrite a 1978 usury law to curb what one MP called “ungodly” interest rates on payday loans. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland yesterday also proposed first-ever federal regulation of credit card swipe fees paid by storekeepers and other merchants: ‘They are among the highest in the world.’
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland yesterday raised tobacco taxes 16 percent, proposed a three percent revenue tax on Google and a ten percent luxury tax on costly cars and yachts. New taxes should help lower the deficit by $200 billion this year, said Freeland: “Congratulations!”
The Senate human rights committee last night endorsed a bill to ban organ transplant tourism under threat of fourteen years’ imprisonment. Advocates targeted China where political dissidents and other detainees are murdered for organ transplants, senators were told: “That is a very important thing to understand about the difference between China and every other country in the world.”
The Department of Industry will complete by 2025 a public registry naming actual owners of corporations doing business in Canada under so-called “beneficial ownership” rules. Cabinet yesterday promised a “publicly accessible corporate beneficial ownership registry by 2025.”
Cabinet will introduce interest-free loans for climate change home refits and rebate a portion of carbon taxes paid by farmers, according to budget documents. It follows a proposal to raise the federal carbon tax 240 percent by 2030: “I have personally seen bills for the carbon tax of tens of thousands of dollars.”
Cabinet will mandate a $15 an hour federal minimum wage, the first increase since 1996. The rate would apply to workers in federally-regulated private sector workplaces like airports and radio stations but is a “pace setter” for provinces, said the Canadian Labour Congress: “It should exert some upward pressure.”
An internet censorship bill to promote “content moderation” will be introduced within two weeks, says Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault. “My job is to ensure the safety and security of the Canadian population,” said Guilbeault. “That’s what I am here for.”
The Prime Minister’s Office in internal emails directed staff to “use the success stories” in public announcements on pandemic management. Staff recommended skewing information to emphasize positive news over factual reporting: “Use the success stories rather than specific delivery numbers.”
Health Minister Patricia Hajdu told the Commons health committee she is grateful for employees “doing their absolute best” this pandemic, but stopped short of an apology for mismanagement cited by auditors. “Are you the minister responsible for the Public Health Agency?” asked New Democrat MP Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway). “Yes I am,” replied Hajdu.
A federal labour arbitrator has ordered Canadian National Railway Co. to pay $5,000 in damages to an employee fired for using marijuana a day before his shift. “Flimsy,” the arbitrator ruled: “I find it difficult to accept the company could possibly believe it had grounds to dismiss.”
