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Pull Strings For Tower Flags

Public officials have pulled strings to get Peace Tower flags for a governor of New Jersey, the widow of former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, and employees of the Department of Public Works, according to Access To Information records. The official public waiting list for the coveted flags is 74 years’ long.

“At the Minister’s request, flags may be offered to Canadians that are not on the waiting list,” said Michele LaRose, spokesperson for the public works department. “Examples are military personnel or athletes, or for events of an exceptional nature.”

Records indicate officials routinely jumped the queue to award flags in unusual circumstances. Renata Ford, widow of the former Toronto mayor, was given a Peace Tower flag in 2016. Then-New Jersey governor Chris Christie was presented with a specially-boxed flag in 2014 following a private meeting with then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Former defence minister Peter MacKay sought a ministerial exemption to give a flag to a skating rink in his Nova Scotia constituency in 2013.

“As the custodian of the Parliamentary Precinct, the Minister of Public Works is responsible for managing the flags located on Parliament Hill including their distribution to Canadians,” said LaRose. “Canadian flags flown at half-mast from the Peace Tower were traditionally given to families of Canadian dignitaries who died in office. The distribution has since progressed beyond ceremonial events to allow for other recipients.” Deserving recipients included:

  • • the family of Corp. Nathan Cirillo, shot on duty at the National War Memorial in 2014;
  • • the Town of Lac-Mégantic, Que., following a fiery train derailment that killed 47 people;
  • • the husband of Anne Marie Desloges, a Canadian diplomat killed in a 2013 terrorist attack on a Nairobi shopping mall.

However, government files disclose heavy lobbying by legislators and federal employees for flags to be distributed to retiring coworkers, hometown high schools, Legion branches, armouries, Army & Navy clubs and fire departments. One MP requested a Peace Tower flag to be auctioned at a hospital fundraiser in Orangeville, Ont. Another received a flag for the Bognor, Ont. Community Centre Canada Day committee. A staffer in Prime Minister Harper’s office in 2012 gave a flag for former U.S. president Jimmy Carter.

In 2014, then-Public Works Minister Diane Finley gave a flag to an unidentified taxpayer who mailed a $13,000 cheque to reduce the national debt. “Donations help in the reduction of our national debt, thus contributing to the economic prosperity of our country,” wrote Finley. “Your concern for the economic future of Canada is greatly appreciated. Enclosed is an official receipt. Also, in recognition of your generous donation to the Crown, it gives me great pleasure as a proud Canadian to present you with the enclosed Canadian flag which was flown from the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.”

Liberal MP John McKay (Scarborough-Guildwood, Ont.), chair of the Commons public safety committee, requested a flag for an Afghan War combat veteran in his riding. “These flags are hugely popular and a highly treasured item,” McKay said in an interview. “These should not be awarded for highly partisan purposes.”

“I have not had a huge number of requests in my representative capacity,” said McKay. “To my mind, they should go to people who have made a significant contribution to the nation’s well-being.”

Flags were also awarded to former Clerk of the Privy Council Wayne Wouters, who retired in 2014, and retired Public Works Minister Judy Foote, appointed last March 20 as Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland & Labrador. “I will need that flag,” wrote one Foote staffer.

Other petitioners apologized for jumping the queue. “I understand that I may be circumventing the process for the requesting the flag and that there is an incredible wait list of very deserving people,” wrote a Statistics Canada manager in 2015. “I am fully aware of the long waiting list for these flags,” noted an MP in a 2012 email.

The Peace Tower flag is changed daily. Flags flown at half-mast in observance of notable deaths were typically provided to families including Hockey Hall of Famer Jean Béliveau’s widow in 2014, and the family of former foreign minister Flora Macdonald who died in 2015 at 89.

By Tom Korski

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Few Railway Safety Audits

Transport Canada currently has only 25 inspectors trained to audit railway safety management plans, according to an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons. The department had pledged stricter audits following the 2013 Lac-Mégantic disaster: “We have a lot of worries over this.”

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Seek Millions In Media Ads

The Commons languages committee yesterday demanded millions in immediate federal advertising for beleaguered community papers. The appeal follows a 71 percent decline in government ads placed in minority language weeklies: “The federal government has neglected its responsibilities.”

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Whine At Federal Tax Court

A Tax Court judge has dismissed a five-figure claim by a wine connoisseur for the value of vintage labels donated to a food bank fundraiser. The true value of wine is no more complex than putting a price on a snowsuit, the Court ruled: “It appears very clear.”

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No Aid For Muslim Flier

Transport regulators have denied compensation to a Muslim Canadian who cancelled Air Canada flights for fear of being stranded in the U.S. by an Executive Order. Parliament on March 29 passed a bill mandating Canada’s first statutory compensation for air passengers: “We will move quickly.”

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Gov’t Cannabis Hiring Blitz

The Department of Health has gone on a hiring blitz in anticipation of legal cannabis, according to Access To Information records. The department spent millions on new staff to license and monitor marijuana sales: “This is the tip of the iceberg.”

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“I Wasn’t There”, 7 Times

MPs are expressing frustration after Deputy Public Works Minister Marie Lemay pled ignorance of key details in the Phoenix Pay System failure, expected to cost taxpayers $1 billion. Lemay in testimony at the Commons public accounts committee said “I wasn’t there” seven times: “I remain underwhelmed, Madam.”

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An Amazon Shopping Spree

Government agencies went on an Amazon shopping spree in the dying hours of the last fiscal year, according to newly-disclosed accounts. So-called “March Madness” sees federal departments rush to spend unused funds before the expiry of the fiscal year at midnight each March 31: “Many expenses do occur at the end of the fiscal year.”

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Feds Find Quiet Resentment

A majority of Canadians complain that “too many minority groups are seeking special treatment these days”, according to in-house research by the Privy Council Office. The findings followed earlier federal surveys that concluded nearly 6 in 10 would exempt citizenship to children born here based on the immigration status of their parents: “I feel like I no longer know what it means to be Canadian.”

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Count 1,800 Bank Closures

Nearly 1,800 bank branches have closed nationwide since 1990, according to research by Canada Post unions advocating for a revival of postal banks. Closures have left hundreds of small towns without a storefront bank or credit union, officials said: “There is no reason why Canada Post cannot go ahead.”

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A Poem: “Take Chances”

 

Detroit International Airport,

flight delayed.

 

Need something to do.

 

Across the hallway,

guards in tactical gear.

One holds a German Shepherd.

 

I consider pulling the fire alarm,

test their preparedness.

 

Ms. Frizzle would approve.

 

(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)

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Need Way To Fire Managers

Cabinet must examine ways of making it easier to fire incompetent federal employees, a senior Treasury Board official yesterday told the Commons public accounts committee. MPs have questioned the government’s powers as an employer in the wake of the $1 billion Phoenix Pay System failure: “Are there enough consequences for poor performance in the public service?”

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Feds Face Carbon Tax Audit

Environment Commissioner Julie Gelfand yesterday said she will audit cabinet’s carbon tax as early as 2019. Environment Canada has acknowledged neither the $50 per tonne tax nor other regulations to date will meet 2030 emission targets: “What is the plan? Let’s see some details.”

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CRA Dead Wrong 319 Times

Hundreds of taxpayers a year are mistakenly declared dead by the Canada Revenue Agency, say newly-disclosed records. The data follow Department of Employment complaints that nearly $2 million a year is mistakenly paid to federal employees who really are dead: “I don’t know why it is so hugely difficult to efficiently manage a data system.”

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Copyright Vital, Gov’t Told

Public institutions must lead in protecting copyright for Canadian creators, the Library of Parliament committee was told yesterday. “Traditional media are dying,” said Senator Michael Duffy (Independent-P.E.I.).

“I want to flag for you the fact that at a time when traditional media are dying for lack of revenues, there is a lawsuit against the Library of Parliament for the breach of copyright,” said Duffy. “I would urge you to make it a priority that the Library get its house in order as it relates to copyright.”

“We have people who generate copyright material who are dying or making a pittance because of abuse of copyright,” said Duffy. “I would urge the Library to be a leader in that field in observing copyright and protecting the works of our creative artists.”

Heather Lank, nominee for the $201,000-a year post as Parliamentary Librarian, replied: “Certainly, that’s an area where I will need to become more well-informed. Certainly I’ve made a note of the importance of that.”

The Library of Parliament is named in a federal copyright lawsuit by Blacklock’s after staff purchased a single $157 password and distributed works without payment or permission. Blacklock’s attorneys have attempted to bring the case to trial since filing the lawsuit in 2015.

“I think libraries are more important than ever because we are overwhelmed with information,” said Librarian Lank. “There is so much information out there that individuals – be they parliamentarians or Canadians – might have very easy access to information through Google and other mechanisms, but do you know that information is quality information that you can rely on?”

Eighty percent of the Library’s $48 million yearly budget is spent on salaries, by official estimate.

Canada Like North Korea?

Newspaper publishers in May 29 testimony at the Commons industry committee said free copying has damaged the industry. “Press freedom is not just a function of law,” said John Hinds, CEO of News Canada, a publishers’ trade group. “It depends on a market that can generate sufficient returns on the huge financial investments required to cover the large legal and commercial risk of the news business.”

News Canada estimates 16,500 journalism jobs have vanished in the past decade with the closure of dailies including the Barrie Examiner, Guelph Mercury, Halifax Daily News, Kamloops Daily News, Lindsay Daily Post, Moose Jaw Times-Herald, Nanaimo Daily News, Orillia Packet & Times and Prince Rupert Daily News.

MPs are currently conducting a statutory review of the Copyright Act, the first since 2012. Music executives yesterday urged the Commons industry committee to rewrite provisions that permit free use of creators’ material.

“The Copyright Act always has and always will be the keystone for the entire Canadian creative sector,” said Eric Baptiste, CEO of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN). “Copyright royalties have always represented an essential part of the livelihood of our creators. This is the case more than ever today.”

SOCAN said copyright protection should be extended from the current 50 to 70 years past a creator’s death, similar to regulations in the United States and European Union. Music publishers have described copyright fees on popular older titles as an essential revenue source to fund new artists. “Canada is one of the laggards at the international level,” said Baptiste; “Does Canada want to continue to be in the same category as countries like North Korea or Afghanistan?”

Gilles Daigle, general counsel for SOCAN, said extending copyright would benefit creators’ heirs and their publishers. “We’re essentially asking for the same treatment for our members who ask, ‘What is it about us Canadian creators?’” said Daigle. “Are we not as worthy?’”

By Staff