Animal advocacy groups have a right to speak their mind, Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay yesterday told reporters. Witnesses testifying at the Commons agriculture committee blamed unnamed groups for causing farmers anxiety and stress with social media campaigns: ‘They have the right whether the government likes it or not.’
Federal agencies have allowed heritage buildings under their care to crumble into disrepair, the Auditor General yesterday reported. One agency, Parks Canada, was unsure of how many historic structures it manages: ‘We saw buildings in such bad condition they were health and safety risks.’
Industry Minister Navdeep Bains yesterday said he only learned from media that Statistics Canada proposed a data scoop of bank records belonging to more than a million people. The Privacy Commissioner similarly said he was never told of the scope of a project to track all financial transactions including credit card debts, mortgages and ATM withdrawals: “Something has gone wrong here.”
Public Works Minister Carla Qualtrough yesterday said cabinet “has to do something” to end a Canada Post dispute, but did not propose back-to-work legislation. Rotating strikes now in their 29th day are hurting small business, Qualtrough told reporters: “Everybody is hurting.”
A housing crash in Vancouver and Toronto would put almost a fifth of Canadian mortgages under water but shouldn’t trigger any bank failures, says the Bank of Canada. Researchers saw little chance of bank runs seen following a 1982 crash: “A quick drop in house prices in the Toronto and Vancouver areas would be nationally significant.”
The Canadian embassy in Washington is paying an American contractor nearly $70,000 to freshen up a diplomats’ web page. The Department of Foreign Affairs complained the current site lacks “modern graphic design”.
A federal judge has upheld the dismissal of a Transport Canada analyst for cheating on a civil service exam. The Public Service Commission has investigated dozens of cases of alleged fraud since 2015, according to Access To Information records: ‘Most would call it a simple case of cheating.’
A federal proposal to force homeowners to use less energy will be unaffordable for some, cautions a first-ever parliamentary review. Draft changes to the National Building Code would impact owners of 14 million homes nationwide: “Not all Canadians can afford to reduce their household’s carbon footprint.”
A new policy on blacklisting federal contractors convicted of wrongdoing will be detailed next month, says the Department of Public Works. Critics complain the current program punishes small business while offering a “get-out-of-jail-card” for corporate criminals: “The revised policy will be finalized in mid-December.”
Canada’s trademark office is so burdened with paperwork it takes up to a year to process routine applications, says an internal audit. A Department of Industry review found staff could not locate 20 percent of paper files when auditors asked for them: ‘There is a risk Canada’s reputation suffers.’
A man who filed dozens of unsuccessful lawsuits, appeals and complaints in a three-year period has been declared a vexatious litigant – for the sixth time. “It is time to say enough is enough,” wrote an adjudicator with the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal.
A crooked bookkeeper convicted of defrauding the Canada Revenue Agency of millions must be kept behind bars in the name of public safety, an Alberta judge has ruled. Evidence showed the tax preparer falsified refunds worth $2.9 million in exchange for kickbacks from clients: ‘He caused great emotional and financial hardship.’
A rose
named after Queen Elizabeth II.
Decades of reign
held in pink petals and
thorny stems.
A car
named after President Lincoln.
Leadership during the Civil War
and abolition of slavery
captured in V6 engine
and heated leather seats.
A horsefly
named after Beyoncé.
22 Grammy Awards
and human rights activism
embodied in a six-legged,
golden-abdomen Australian pest.
A bra
named after Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)
The Ethics Commissioner yesterday cited a Transportation Safety Board member appointed on condition of “good behaviour” for breach of the Conflict Of Interest Act. Paul Dittmann did not respond to an interview request. Other “good behaviour” cabinet appointees have been dismissed for non-statutory offences like billing too much for luncheons: “Each case will be examined individually on its merits.”
Three Liberal-appointed senators propose to launch an Association of Feminist Parliamentarians to create a “safe space for meeting and discussions”. Membership is $25. Men are welcome but not allowed to serve as co-chairs of the executive committee: ‘It’s groundbreaking.’
