Atlantic Canada faces a disastrous demographic bubble that may leave the region in debt and perpetual stagnation, say economists. Witnesses yesterday told the Senate national finance committee the region’s challenges are dire: “I don’t think anybody knows what to do.”
The fate of a private bill to fix DNA privacy rights in federal law is uncertain, says a Commons sponsor. Cabinet has urged that MPs strip away most provisions of the bill in a free vote: “The amendments are dangerous.”
Parliament should stem a decline in private sector unionization rates, says a Liberal senator. Legislators yesterday urged repeal of two Conservative union bills described by cabinet as anti-labour: “Unions are losing that delicate balance.”
Mounties have large heads, according to a new order for the RCMP’s famous Stetsons. Hat sizes are also typically larger in Western Canada, said one manufacturer: “What I have noticed is the younger generation has bigger heads.”
Parliament has spent billions on public works subsidies without any clear accounting of results, says the Senate national finance committee. Senators yesterday cited a “bewildering” array of infrastructure programs run through 31 separate federal agencies and departments: “Let’s keep it simple.”
The loss of NHL rights cost the CBC 62 percent of its entire English network ad revenues, say newly-released accounts. The figures confirm a 2016 Access To Information memo that detailed staggering losses after the CBC lost its monopoly on hockey broadcasts: “Additional money is unconscionable.”
Cabinet should devise a national program to replace lead utility lines including possible subsidies for refits, says a Liberal MP. The Commons infrastructure committee is to report by December 1 on proposals to counter the “number one environmental health issue for children under age 6.”
An appeal court has upheld a $314,000 judgment against a storekeeper who sold fake Chanel products. The award, one of the largest of its kind by a federal judge, comes as regulators are to review the effectiveness of a 2014 anti-piracy law: “Infringement was continuous and deliberate.”
Most Canadians, 67 percent, told cabinet in a confidential 2016 survey they were satisfied with the federal election system and saw no need for change. The newly-released research was conducted weeks before the Commons embarked on reform hearings: “What is the problem we’re trying to solve?”
Charter challenges may cost $1 million or more, says Department of Justice research. A legal scholar writing for the department said even discounted lawyers’ rates may leave plaintiffs out of pocket for tens of thousands of dollars: “There are not a lot of benefactors out there.”
Canada’s Second World War veterans are passing at the rate of 4,700 a year, says the Department of Veterans Affairs. Fewer than 500 survivors of more than a million Canadians to serve in uniform will remain by 2030: “In the last three months I’ve cried six times listening to veterans’ stories.”
Parliament must repeal Conservative amendments to the Fisheries Act, says the Commons fisheries committee. The panel’s Liberal majority concluded the 2012 changes failed to protect habitat: “It was absolutely intentional.”
A Commons committee has approved a bill to proclaim a national Gender Equity Week. The initiative follows cabinet’s rejection of a legislative deadline to mandate pay equity: “Does this go beyond symbolism?”
Iconic wood bison are the first Canadian species to be threatened by climate change, say researchers. A government study conducted by the University of Ottawa and four other institutions said flooding has put animals at risk: ‘Climate is driving this potent change.’
A federal tax credit for transit users will cost nearly a quarter-billion dollars this year though data show it has not encouraged more Canadians to take the bus. One transit authority acknowledged the economy, not tax credits, drives ridership: ‘We would never expect a tax credit to mitigate that.’
