Cabinet has cited selective statistics in justifying a 20 percent increase in Canada Pension Plan premiums, data show. Federal research indicates retirees profiting from higher contributions own more property, and have less debt, than Canadians under 35: “Those of us born in the 1950s won the lottery”.
A Manitoba businessman is suing the federal Information Commissioner citing “excessive delay” in processing complaints over concealment of public records. The lawsuit is the latest in what one federal judge described as a “judicial saga” over the Access To Information Act: “There are 70 clauses on why you shouldn’t release information”.
The defence department is holding a first-ever ethics symposium for 22,000 employees. The program, called Time To Talk, follows recent arrests of six staffers and contractors: “An act that violates the law is always wrong”.
Cabinet has rejected a 2017 deadline to introduce a pay equity bill. Any legislation will be postponed till late 2018 at the earliest, officials said: “It is a complicated issue”.
MPs last night voted 207 to 81 in favour of a non-binding motion ratifying cabinet’s greenhouse gas emission targets. The Commons did not agree on terms of a federal carbon tax proposed to reach $50 per tonne of emissions by 2022: “Canadians are excited about this”.
MPs have defeated a private Liberal bill calling for Criminal Code sanctions against animal cruelty. The Commons last evening rejected the bill by a 198 to 84 vote after cabinet signaled its disapproval: “We’re not supportive”.
Operators of one of Canada’s most lucrative toll roads have won a $1.3 million GST rebate. A federal Tax Court judge ruled the 407 ETR Concession Company Ltd. did not have to pay sales tax on contracts for policing the Toronto-area highway: ‘A nice cheque is in the mail’.
Canada Post is being sued by a customer unhappy with mail delivery. It follows a separate 2015 federal lawsuit by a homeowner who accused the Crown corporation of garbling his address: “I pay my fair share of taxes”.
Cabinet claims that a $50 carbon tax will met greenhouse gas targets may need to be tested, says the Parliamentary Budget Office. Authorities earlier estimated an average tax of $100 per tonne of carbon emissions was necessary based on existing technology: “We may have to do another analysis”.
Cabinet has introduced notice of legislation to raise Canada Pension Plan premiums 20 percent on a pledge of more benefits for retirees. Finance Minister Bill Morneau said the bill will be tabled shortly: “It’s going to have a huge impact”.
Lobbyists oppose mandatory labeling of Canada’s first engineered fish licensed for human consumption. Executives yesterday told the Commons agriculture committee that labeling of genetically-modified salmon is unnecessary, though Health Canada research found consumers have “strong feelings” about knowing what they eat.
Environmental petitioners have a 1 in 10 chance of failing to get a timely reply from federal agencies. The Commissioner of the Environment yesterday reported departments routinely miss a 120-day statutory deadline to answer petitioners: ‘We ask questions’.
A proposal to mandate safety side guards on heavy trucks has been reintroduced in the Commons for the second time in two years. Parliament in 2014 defeated a similar bill after suppliers estimated mandatory guards would cost truckers up to $2,600 per vehicle: “They save lives”.
A federally-mandated carbon tax will cost a typical family the equivalent of almost $1,000 a year by 2018, according to government data. Cabinet yesterday said all provinces must adopt their own carbon price or comply with the federal target: “Who are the losers?”
Cabinet has enacted new restrictions on foreign real estate investors, and will track property flippers through tax filings. Amendments to the Income Tax Act now curb exemptions for offshore property owners who resell property for quick gains: “There are limits”.
