The national Truth & Reconciliation Commission spent nearly $7 million a year on employee salaries and benefits, say Access To Information records. Detailed spending by the panel has never been fully disclosed. The Commission resisted an audit of its accounts, according to a federal memo: ‘They are at the top of the pay scale.’
Fears of U.S. protectionism prompted one province to spend the equivalent of more than $100,000 on a two-week lobbying blitz, say financial records. The disclosure follows a federal report that rated protectionism a greater threat to Canadian exports than war or terrorism: “We retained experts.”
Destruction of federally-protected wetlands by a public works mega-project will cost taxpayers more than $1 million an acre, says Environment Canada. Construction of the $4.2 billion Champlain Bridge will damage the “unique ecosystem” of a protected bird sanctuary in the St. Lawrence River: “These islands are basically disappearing.”
The Department of Finance quietly rejected postal banks months before a 2016 cabinet task force finished its review of Canada Post operations, say Access To Information records. A memo critical of postal banking was drafted only days after the Canadian Bankers Association objected to competition from the post office: “The fix was in.”
Cabinet’s marijuana legislation will be “an incredible challenge for employers”, says a Unifor attorney. Courts and tribunals to date have issued contradictory rulings on whether employers may enforce zero-tolerance policies even on licensed cannabis users: “That’s reason for concern.”
A federal regulator has ordered British Airways to pay an Alberta man $2,054 for lost luggage. Promised legislation that would mandate automatic compensation for air travelers has been delayed until next year: “They’re almost at the mercy of the service provider.”
Canada Revenue Agency has lost a lengthy tax appeal over GST charged on groceries. Tax Court records show an Agency investigator conducted taste tests to determine if crystallized ginger could be taxed as candy: ‘It was very sweet.’
Cabinet’s carbon tax will cost natural gas customers an average $200 more per year, says industry. The Canadian Gas Association told the Senate energy committee that homeowners’ actual increases in colder regions could double the average: “Costs are forgotten.”
The cost of federal disaster aid for provinces has grown nearly 40 times since 1970, says a new Department of Public Safety report. Catastrophic flooding now accounts for most claims: “The big storms have not hit Canada yet.”
Legislators are unlikely to amend a Canada-E.U. trade pact despite labour fears of job losses, says a senator. The Seafarers’ International Union said trade terms threaten Canadian maritime shipping: “We are where we are.”
Federal managers who claim to monitor the well-being of whales should visit a Niagara Falls amusement park, says a senator. The Senate fisheries committee is examining a bill to ban the purchase or transfer of whales in captivity: ‘Visit in July when there are thousands of kids banging the water.’
Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz is refusing comment on staff’s mishandling of millions held for safekeeping. The Bank paid out at least $7 million in suspicious claims from dormant accounts: “I’m sorry, are you hard of hearing?”
Cabinet must have some final say on research by Statistics Canada, says Industry Minister Navdeep Bains. Three former chief statisticians have appealed for amendments to a bill they say allows political meddling in the agency’s work: “Mandatory surveys can be intrusive.”
A Senate panel has approved new restrictions on tobacco packaging and first-ever federal regulation of vaping products. The vote by the Senate social affairs committee came as cabinet introduced legislation in the Commons to legalize the sale of cannabis to 18-year olds: “Should we conclude the government prefers to see young Canadians buying marijuana?”
The Commons finance committee is urging that cabinet resist any further immediate credit curbs on homebuyers. Realtors and mortgage brokers blamed 2016 restrictions for millions in lost business: “The results have been clear.”
