Senators have deferred until 2018 a first-ever comprehensive parliamentary review of charitable tax credits. Fewer than 1 in 4 taxpayers give to charities, according to Statistics Canada data: “It is time to lay everything on the table.”
In a case of taxpayer versus taxpayer, one Crown agency sued another over GST payments. The Farm Credit Corporation lost two court judgments in a long legal battle to lower its tax bill: “Now the taxpayers have the pleasure of paying for a legal fight that could have been determined by the government.”
Health Canada has conducted polling on a Food Guide revision considered so radical, some respondents said it appeared to promote vegetarianism. Benchmarks for the new Guide urge Canadians to avoid prepared foods, eat vegetables and drink tap water: “It seemed to be steering Canadians towards a plant-based diet.”
Transport Canada is delaying for another two years the introduction of new safety regulations on the nation’s interprovincial trucking fleet. MPs in 2015 urged mandatory electronic monitoring of drivers: “We are still stuck.”
Dear Santa,
You left me disappointed
last year.
I didn’t get
anything I asked for.
And I was nice.
I’ll make it easier for you
this time.
Here’s my list.
It’s short.
I took out the iPhone 7,
the hoverboard,
all things that aren’t cool
anymore.
Just the Bitcoin.
Please.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)
Federal agencies continue to buy sports tickets in defiance of a 2015 cabinet directive that banned the practice. Six departments and Crown corporations spent thousands to attend sporting events this year, from tennis championships to Saskatchewan Roughriders season tickets: “I’m not sure what directive you are referring to, exactly.”
The Senate yesterday ordered up hearings on a marijuana impairment bill with an appeal to sanction random testing. Railways and other industrial employers have sought a statutory right to test employees if Parliament legalizes recreational marijuana: ‘This is completely dysfunctional.’
Federal regulators are cited for unnecessary delays in setting new safety standards on workers’ exposure to cancer-causing radon gas. The Canadian Environmental Law Association yesterday questioned years of inconclusive review by the labour department: “I know things grind slowly in Ottawa but this is ridiculous.”
Transport Minister Marc Garneau says French language requirements at Air Canada have the airline operating with “one hand tied behind its back”. The former Crown corporation has protested it’s the only national airline subject to bilingualism law: “Unfortunately, they did leave a few strings attached.”
The Commons industry committee yesterday proposed sweeping changes to a federal anti-spam law. MPs described current regulations as vague, overly broad and uncertain as to their effectiveness: ‘It leaves many puzzled.’
The Senate national finance committee yesterday asked cabinet to launch a comprehensive review of the Income Tax Act for the first time since 1962. Senators described the 3,129-page Act as unmanageable and far-reaching: “Our tax system has become a ponderous, unwieldy monster.”
The Commons privacy committee yesterday urged greater protection for travelers from intrusive searches of cellphones and laptops. The recommendation follows warnings that Canadians should have no expectation of electronic privacy when crossing the border: “It is just not realistic.”
Environment Canada yesterday said it will not increase an ethanol mandate in motor fuel “in the short term”. The department released an outline of climate change regulations on all fuels to take effect in 2019: “The economic analysis we’ve done is at a very rough level.”
A federal agency promises more transparency after losing four court rulings over arbitrary fines on scofflaws. The Federal Court has repeatedly cited the Financial Transactions & Reports Analysis Centre for imposing random penalties without explanation: “The court decisions were pretty clear.”
Cabinet faces a drawn-out Senate fight over workplace cameras. Transport Minister Marc Garneau yesterday said he will not permit any amendments to a bill exempting rail workers from federal privacy laws, despite all-party opposition at the Senate transport committee: “First of all, we need to pass this bill.”
