Blacklock's Reporter

Ex-finance minister Bill Morneau was so close to We Charity his staff ordered a Liberal MP to meet Craig Kielburger to “keep him happy.” The Commissioner of Ethics yesterday cited Morneau for breach of the Conflict Of Interest Act in approving a $43.5 million grant to Kielburger's charity: "Morneau and his family were made to feel as though they had become personal friends with Mr. Kielburger."

Federal blacklisting of all plastic manufactured products as toxic will transfer production of irreplaceable goods abroad, the Commons industry committee was told yesterday. The listing under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act names plastic items from water bottles to grocery bags as toxic alongside mercury and asbestos: "I don't get it."

A federal judge has cited the RCMP for cronyism in promotions. Favouritism was a “running gag” in one detachment, the Federal Court was told: "There is evidence that would lead an ordinary person to believe there was no impartiality in the process."

Political parties may use TV bloopers in campaign attack ads without breaching the Copyright Act, a federal judge ruled yesterday. The decision came in a lawsuit by the CBC against the Conservative Party: "The purpose is one of engaging in the democratic process."

Half the provinces have objected to federal restrictions on plastics, says the Department of Environment. Cabinet yesterday dismissed the petitions in formally listing all plastic items from toys to textiles as toxic under federal law: "It's pretty significant."

The Commons yesterday by a 199-128 vote passed a private bill to cut millions in taxes on family sales of legacy farms. The Department of Finance opposed the bill: "This legislation would impact every single constituency in Canada."

Cabinet yesterday said it welcomes suggestions on amending the Governor General’s Act to repeal lifetime pension benefits for quitters. It follows a public outcry over six-figure annual benefits for Julie Payette after she abruptly resigned over workplace harassment complaints: "I understand people's frustration with Ms. Payette."

The House yesterday by a unanimous 331-0 vote passed a private bill to print an organ donor check-box on federal income tax forms. The Kidney Foundation endorsed the bill: "Canada has one of the lowest donation rates in the world."

A bill to extend unpaid funeral leave for Canadians stricken by death in the family yesterday passed the Commons on a 332-0 vote. MPs called it a compassionate amendment to the Canada Labour Code: "Parliament can work."

Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault’s YouTube regulation bill C-10 will censor everyday Canadians’ uploaded content, a former vice-chair of the CRTC said yesterday. “The government itself doesn’t seem to understand what it is doing,” he said: "All Canadians communicating over the internet will do so under the guise of the state."

The Department of Transport says it has no evidence mandating Safety Management Systems at Canadian airlines actually improved safety. The department concealed the findings for two years: "A number of interviewees expressed concern that Transport Canada was ‘offloading regulations’ onto operators."

A $36.3 million program to equip federal employees working from home saw one unidentified manager bill more than $1,100 for an ergonomic chair, while the Department of Finance spent thousands on anti-fatigue mats: "It all adds up."

The Commons agriculture committee yesterday by a 6-5 vote approved a private bill to expand carbon tax exemptions for farmers. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland called it a “very legitimate concern.”

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland yesterday said she will “really act” to rewrite federal usury law for the first time since 1978. The pandemic has dramatized predatory lending practices, Freeland told the Commons finance committee: "Payday lending can impose real hardship."

Every dollar spent by the federal government benefits the economy, says a senior Department of Finance official. Nicholas Leswick, assistant deputy minister, yesterday told the Commons finance committee all money taxed and spent benefits the nation: "Did I understand that incorrectly?"