MPs are faulting an auto defect bill that fails to require Transport Canada to consult police, insurers or the public on safety issues. The Auditor General in a 2016 report criticized regulators for being too close to auto lobbyists: ‘It would have no bearing on many of the structural problems uncovered by the Auditor.’
The Department of Employment yesterday said it wants companies to hire more “under-represented” Canadians, but stopped short of detailing long-promised changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. An official told the Commons finance committee that hiring Indigenous people “remains of paramount importance”.
A federal panel says Parliament should pass a law to protect UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Canada. The appeal follows criticism that legislators permitted logging in a national park: “I don’t think it’s wildly expensive.”
Privacy Commissioner Daniel Therrien says Canadians should have no expectation of electronic privacy when crossing the U.S. border. Therrien yesterday told the Commons privacy committee even legislators should count on Customs searches of laptops, iPhones and other mobile devices: “We should be very concerned.”
The Department of Transportation is hiring consultants to gauge the chance of a catastrophic oil spill off the British Columbia coast. The $1.6 million research on “risk assessments” covers Pacific waters from Alaska to northern Vancouver Island: “It’s timely.”
Statistics Canada is conducting the broadest surveys to date on cannabis use. The agency said it requires data to determine the impact of legalized marijuana: “We are going to have to start building some models.”
The Department of Natural Resources in an Access To Information memo says it must develop an early warning system for earthquakes in two regions of Canada. “Warning systems are in a prototype phase, but public interest is mounting,” wrote staff.
Municipalities warn of numerous problems with zoning complaints, bylaw enforcement and policing under a federal bill to legalize recreational marijuana. Initial hearings on the bill by the Commons health committee uncovered “glaring holes” in the legislation, said MPs: “Slow down.”
A federal contractor is suing to prevent disclosure of its terms of work with the Department of Fisheries. The Federal Court of Appeal earlier ruled the fact most contracts contain a disclosure clause does not actually mean terms could be made public: “There’s no middle ground in that scenario.”
The Canadian Forest Service is hiring consultants to find ways to fly jets on tree byproducts. Airlines have sought an exemption from a 2018 carbon tax that will see the price of jet fuel increase 13¢ a litre: “It’s hard to fathom, really.”
The Prime Minister’s Office will not say if it will appeal a Federal Court judgment faulting staff for refusing to disclose public records. The Prime Minister in 2015 Ministerial Mandate letters pledged to “set a higher bar for openness and transparency in government.”
MPs must sanction random workplace drug tests if Parliament legalizes recreational marijuana, says an attorney for employers. The Commons health committee yesterday was told the marijuana bill is “a very complex social experiment” that affects jobsites nationwide.
Cabinet intends to enforce an as-yet unwritten passenger rights code within a year, says Transport Minister Marc Garneau. Members of the Commons transport committee yesterday faulted Garneau for leaving details to regulators: “Our hope is it will be in place in 2018.”
The Canada Revenue Agency faces a federal lawsuit by a Québec millionaire for failing to disclose records. The Federal Court in 2014 cited the Agency for concealing audit documents from a taxpayer in a separate case: “Abuses and excesses happen every day to Canadian taxpayers.”
Transport Minister Marc Garneau says cabinet will restrict access to workplace cameras mandated for locomotives nationwide. Unions object to a cabinet bill that exempts train crew from privacy laws: “Only certain people will have access to the data.”
