Liberal MPs are questioning the effectiveness of a federal anti-spam law. Members of the Commons industry committee yesterday heard complaints the 2014 regulations pester legitimate business without curbing malicious emails from foreign spammers: ‘I’m wondering about the efficacy of the whole exercise.’
Unifor yesterday appealed to MPs to amend a cabinet bill exempting train crews from federal privacy law. The legislation, sought by crash investigators, mandates installation of video and voice recorders in locomotives: “It’s going to hurt.”
The Department of Finance says a Conservative bill offering tax credits to restore heritage buildings would merely subsidize corporations and wealthy homeowners. The bill, endorsed in principle by MPs, would cost $55 million a year: “Their default position is always ‘no’.”
The Canada Revenue Agency is seeking confidential records as part of an international probe of alleged tax evasion through Israel’s largest bank. Auditors filed Federal Court applications seeking client information at the Royal Bank, the Bank of Montreal and Toronto Dominion: ‘The Minister seeks verification.’
Cabinet yesterday defended spending $212,234 on photos and artistic themes for its 2017 budget. The Department of Finance said the work was intended as a fresh, creative way of explaining its annual spending plans.
“This fresh, new digital creative material continues to be a key part of outreach to Canadians, and how the government informs them about changes that could have a major impact on the way they make decisions,” wrote staff. Details of the spending with the McCann ad agency were obtained through Access To Information.
Images used on the cover of the March 22 budget Building A Strong Middle Class depicted models hired to illustrate budget themes, including a schoolgirl playing an air guitar that was intended to depict “fairness”, according to staff memos. “Very dynamic shot, lots of potential,” wrote one staffer. “Love the little girl with the guitar. I think that’s our winner for the largest cover shot!” said another.
The department said the photos would be “repurposed for various communications initiatives”, but did not explain. “In addition to the budget cover, photos were used for the budget website, budget documents, social and digital media, as well as a paid internet campaign,” staff told Blacklock’s.
MPs yesterday questioned the expenditure in Commons Question Period. “$200,000 for a book cover,” said Conservative MP Alupa Clarke (Beauport-Limoilou, Que.); “$200,000 for a piece of paper.”
Conservative MP Mark Strahl (Chilliwack-Hope, B.C.) noted total spending on budget art in the past two years, including photo and talent fees for models, surpassed $388,000. “Even this finance minister and this Prime Minister can appreciate $400,000,” said Strahl. “That represents a downpayment on a French villa or half a Mercedes Roadster. How can the Liberals justify sticking taxpayers with $400,000 for two years’ worth of budget cover pages?”
Liberal MP Joël Lightbound (Louis-Hébert, Que.), parliamentary secretary for finance, said total spending on budget promotions was less than in past years. “I just want to remind everyone that the previous government spent millions on flashy television advertising to promote and brand itself,” said Lightbound. “They spent twice as much as we have.”
“We are taking a much more focused approach, which is very responsible with the public purse,” said Lightbound. “That is precisely what we did with the last two budgets.”
Total ad spending peaked at $136.3 million in 2010, according to Treasury Board’s Annual Report On Government Advertising Activities. Spending in the 2015-16 fiscal year totaled $42.2 million, but only because of a three-month election campaign. Government ad buys are restricted in campaign periods.
No data for 2016-17 have yet been released. The previous Conservative cabinet illustrated its annual budget with stock photos sold through commercial distributors for $150 to $600.
By Staff 
RCMP fear drug impaired driving will “increase steadily” if cannabis is legalized. Police expressed the worry in an in-house publication: “We don’t have the same body of research on drug impairment.”
A historic RCMP union drive is delayed after Québec organizers opposed being absorbed into a single national bargaining agent. A bill passed by Parliament June 6 decreed only one union should represent regular members across the country: “They have the right to vote against it.”
A private bill introduced in the Commons would create a new statutory federal holiday, National Indigenous People Day. A current symbolic observance is little known by most Canadians, according to government research: ‘There are ramifications.’
Cabinet yesterday re-announced a cut in corporate tax rates for small business. The rate will decline to 9 percent by January 1, 2019, a target set by the previous Conservative cabinet two years ago: “Well, that’s in our election platform.”
Health Canada says it has no advice for motorists on how to comply with new drug-impaired driving regulations. Understanding legal limits will be “challenging”, staff wrote in a regulatory notice: “This is really unprecedented.”
A hospital has been faulted for breach of the Privacy Act for repeatedly faxing confidential patient records to strangers. It is the third serious privacy breach by health authorities in Saskatchewan in the past five months, including one case that ended in a recommendation that patients consider a class action lawsuit: “I told them to go to hell.”
A federal judge has threatened a bookkeeper with jail for refusing to comply with an audit. Jailing is uncommon in civil court: “A person who is ordered by a court to pay money may be imprisoned for contempt.”
A federal tax credit once described by tax analysts as an “open bar” for corporations cost taxpayers $2.7 billion last year, according to a Department of Natural Resources report tabled in the Commons. Payments peaked at $4 billion before the previous Conservative cabinet cut the subsidy: “It is one of the most generous systems in the world.”
Ottawa marks 150
in a year-long festivity.
I see it in my morning paper.
Arriving from France,
La Machine is marching
a spider and a horse-dragon
in a battle-of-the-giants.
They spit fire by the National Gallery,
by the Chateau Laurier,
and by the War Museum.
Coming from Quebec City,
Red Bull constructs
400 metre of downhill course
above the Rideau Canal locks,
gearing for the finals
of Crashed Ice World Championship.
And from England
a royal couple
on Canada Day.
The next pages,
colourful ads capture my attention.
A 10-day tropical splendor
in the Southern Caribbean.
A 20-night package
featuring Rio, Santiago, and Buenos Aires.
Or two weeks
in Rome, Monte Carlo, and Barcelona.
A dilemma.
Traveling far away, or
staying to enjoy
our own local treasures.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)
A federal judge has ruled the Department of Citizenship breached the Charter of Rights in refusing to grant a Canadian citizen a passport. The Federal Court described staff conduct as severe and unwarranted: “This could happen to other people.”
