RCMP management is asking cabinet to approve a members’ pay hike, the first in three years. Any increase will result in higher costs to cities and provinces that contract the Mounties for policing, said Commissioner Bob Paulson: “I’m asking for more money.”
Elections Canada proposes to take its first step in going electronic with a complicated scheme for downloading ballots. Critics yesterday described the plan as garbled and problematic: “This doesn’t make sense at all, really.”
MPs critical of a European trade pact fear the agreement will result in higher pharmaceutical prices. A Health Canada official in 2016 testimony at a Commons committee acknowledged drug prices will rise under the treaty: “There is no question about this.”
The Canada Border Services Agency was tough but fair in revoking a cross-border traveler’s Nexus pass for six years over a pair of pants, says a federal judge. Strict enforcement of Nexus rules saw a Conservative senator questioned over an unrelated minor breach of regulations in 2014: “There is zero tolerance.”
Canada ranks 4th behind the United States, U.K. and Japan as a leading target for cyberattacks, says a U.S. security firm. The Department of Public Safety in an Access To Information memo also warned of electronic sabotage: “Who’s going to be responsible?”
Overseas tax collections more than tripled after the Canada Revenue Agency installed a tipsters’ hot line, according to accounts. The previous Conservative cabinet launched the Offshore Tax Informant Program in 2014 on a promise of cash rewards: “The net is tightening.”
The RCMP is short more than 1,000 constables and welcomes older applicants looking for a second career, officials say. Recruitment has fallen to less than half what it was in 2009 with the Mounties accepting cadets as old as 52: “Do I want to be part of this?”
Cabinet must avoid any further restrictions on mortgage insurance, say builders and brokers. Executives testifying at the Commons finance committee said the latest regulations punish first-time homebuyers in all cities without affecting the nation’s hottest real estate markets: “Please stop.”
Municipalities cannot be sued for wastewater charges that exceed actual usage, a Court has ruled. The judgment impacts many towns and cities, said Ontario Superior Court: ‘It would have opened up a huge can of worms.’
Taxpayers saved $26.5 million on federal advertising last fiscal year, but only because of the long 2015 election campaign. Government ad buys are restricted in campaign periods: ‘Most advertising is stopped.’
Labatt Brewery Co. Ltd received $1 million in federal farm aid last year, according to newly-released accounts. The Department of Agriculture did not comment. The funding was the largest single payment in a list of $5.4 million in brewers’ subsidies: ‘It ensures producers have the tools they need.’
Employers’ groups are appealing to senators to retain a secret ballot provision of Conservative union bills slated for repeal. The 2015 ballot clause was written into legislation affecting 895,000 federally-regulated workers: ‘It is the most effective way to get a voter’s perspective.’
Contractors and tradespeople wait an average of nearly three months for payment on public works, says a Conservative legislator. The Senate trade committee yesterday opened hearings on a bill mandating prompt payment on government jobs: “They have absolutely no recourse.”
Painful waits on hold are the leading service complaint with the Canada Revenue Agency, says in-house research. Callers can wait up to 9 minutes on average to speak to an agent: “They would hang up and attempt to call again.”
The Senate yesterday passed an auto safety bill that allows manufacturers to negotiate out-of-court settlements over defective vehicles. Transport Canada has not launched any prosecution against an automaker since 1993: ‘The Act today does not provide Canadians with the same protection as Americans.’
