A billion-dollar liability cap on oil spills is less than proven expenses of pipeline breaks and will cost taxpayers, the Commons natural resources committee has been told. A 2010 Michigan leak by Enbridge Inc. has cost more than $1.5 billion to date: “Call it a worst-case scenario”.
Broadcast regulators are accused of violating federal law with an order repealing a code of conduct on the contracting of Canadian shows and films. The so-called terms of trade are to be withdrawn in 2016, a decade after they were introduced to offset “broadcasters’ negotiating power”, according to the CRTC: ‘Thousands of jobs are in jeopardy’.
The latest census will use tax records, not voluntary disclosure, to calculate Canadians’ income. Statistics Canada said it will also delete questions on individuals’ religion in next year’s National Household Survey: ‘It’s another survey that will produce inaccurate statistics’.
The Department of Foreign Affairs is reviewing hospitality budgets after the Canadian consul in Los Angeles spent thousands hiring a celebrity caterer for two cocktail parties. The contracts were disclosed in Parliament: ‘The couscous was delightful’.
The Senate opens hearings on union bill C-377 next week with an appeal to dismiss “misinformation” about the contentious measure, says its Conservative sponsor. The bill would compel unions to publish confidential information on a government website: ‘I’ll hopefully persuade the Senate to pass it’.
A federal panel has cited a Bell Media TV station over an expletive-laced 2014 news interview. CP24 of Toronto was found in breach of standards for repeated profanities uttered by a celebrity guest in a live midday broadcast: “You’re being negative”.
Multi-million dollar medical “tourism” that sees foreigners paying cash for Canadian health care should be carefully researched, says the Conference Board. The think-tank said little data is available on the extent of the practice: “It’s a bit of a catch-22”.
A Conservative motion advocating use of body-worn cameras by all law enforcement officers nationwide will be introduced in the Commons for the “protection of the public and police,” said its sponsor. The RCMP in 2014 launched a pilot project using miniature cameras in Regina: “It’s high time”.
Liberal strategists
scramble to find a response
to Harper’s Tough on Crime bill.
“Under our administration,” suggests the first,
“Convicted murderers
could only watch black-and-white TV!”
“And only Algerian hockey!”
says the second.
“And we’ll remove the Sunshine Girl page from their newspaper!”
says the third.
“Oh, and Friday will be Tofu-and-Cilantro Day!”
declares the fourth.
“What if they don’t eat it?”
asks the fifth.
“Then no Timbits!”
replies the sixth.
“I think we’ve nailed it!”
says the seventh.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)
A federal air traffic controller who sought exemption from union membership as a fundamentalist Christian has lost his bid in the Court of Appeal. The employee’s church, Protestant Reformed Christian, considers unions a violation of the Ten Commandments: “Our church is quite conservative”.
Transport delays due to heavy ice in the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway underscore a need for more Coast Guard icebreakers on the vital link, say shippers. One week after the opening of the Seaway season, the Canadian Shipowners Association said freighters face considerable delays: “It is affecting commerce”.
Telecom regulators have upheld a ruling that bill collectors are subject to a ban on so-called robocalls, the use of automatic dialing announcing devices. The CRTC drew protests over the 2014 order restricting unsolicited calls: “Auto diallers are mostly used for harassment”.
The Department of Public Safety spent thousands of dollars having employees attend a university workshop on how to write news releases and memos without “gobbledygook”. The spending was detailed in accounts tabled in Parliament: “With email, people don’t do as much structured writing as they should”.
A farmers’ class action lawsuit against privatization of the Canadian Wheat Board has failed at the Supreme Court. Justices dismissed the case that saw growers complain cabinet’s plan amounted to unlawful expropriation: ‘They have basically destroyed it’.
Cabinet privately boasted of inserting “poison pills” in legislation it knew would draw protest if scrutinized, according to documents filed in Ontario court. The disclosure is contained in the private diary of Senator Mike Duffy, on trial for fraud and breach and trust: “This speaks to motive”.
