Auditors yesterday cited the Department of Health for failing to enforce federal laws on natural health products. The department rarely conducted spot inspections of wholesalers, failed to check products weren’t contaminated and “fell short of ensuring products are safe and effective,” said an audit by the Commissioner of the Environment: "Health Canada is responsible."
An expected hundredfold increase in mail-in voting “would be key” in a 2021 federal election, says cabinet. Privy Council President Dominic LeBlanc in a letter to MPs called it a Covid precaution. A cabinet bill would allow mail-in ballots to be received up to a day after polls close: "Major increases in vote by mail would be a critical issue."
Statistics Canada yesterday said it will update its benchmark Consumer Price Index to reflect pandemic prices. The agency yesterday doubled its official inflation rate to 2.2 percent nationwide: "We are planning another basket update this summer to better reflect changes."
Cabinet has not spelled out whether a pending federal ban on single-use bags and other plastic products will outlaw their manufacture in Canada, the Commons environment committee was told yesterday. The ban on six blacklisted items is to take effect by year’s end: "Are they going to actually not allow them to be manufactured?"
An Ontario judge has approved millions in out-of-court settlement payments to CIBC and Bank of Montréal customers targeted by hackers in 2018. Security experts earlier told a parliamentary committee that banks are threatened daily by hackers: "There are things that are scary."
Cabinet yesterday appointed Ralph Goodale as $327,000-a year High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Goodale as an eight-term Liberal MP had criticized opponents for partisan patronage: "They are just butchering the taxpayers’ dollars to pump pork."
Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier approved a multi-million dollar contract to have the private sector help tax agents answer the phone. It followed disclosures that wait times at Canada Revenue Agency call centres average almost half an hour: "Call centres provide an essential service."
Iain Stewart, president of the Public Health Agency, yesterday said he was unaware of any executive being fired for pandemic mismanagement. Successive audits have cited the Agency for “confusion,” “limited public health expertise” and lack of preparedness though Parliament funded it at $675 million a year for pandemic management: "I can’t answer that question off the top of my head."
A federal aid program for homebuyers saw more loans approved in Medicine Hat, Alta., population 63,000, than Toronto. Critics had complained the program was so restrictive it was no help for buyers in the priciest cities: "Many were perplexed as to how this program would work."
Cabinet’s budget was a “major disappointment” on pharmacare, the president of the Canadian Labour Congress yesterday told the Commons finance committee. “People are struggling to access medication,” said Hassan Yussuff: "I really think people need to know."
Canada Post waited a week to notify employees of what became a fatal Covid outbreak at a mail processing plant, according to its largest union. Post office management did not comment. Federal labour inspectors earlier cited Canada Post four times for breach of health regulations at separate plants: "Every worker in Canada has a right to a safe and healthy workplace."
Cabinet will levy a $175 million a year equity tax on foreign offshore owners of Canadian residential real estate. A similar British Columbia tax in 2019 was upheld as constitutional by the B.C. Supreme Court: "This is a fairly new concept."
Cabinet proposes to rewrite a 1978 usury law to curb what one MP called “ungodly” interest rates on payday loans. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland yesterday also proposed first-ever federal regulation of credit card swipe fees paid by storekeepers and other merchants: 'They are among the highest in the world.'
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland yesterday raised tobacco taxes 16 percent, proposed a three percent revenue tax on Google and a ten percent luxury tax on costly cars and yachts. New taxes should help lower the deficit by $200 billion this year, said Freeland: "Congratulations!"
The Senate human rights committee last night endorsed a bill to ban organ transplant tourism under threat of fourteen years’ imprisonment. Advocates targeted China where political dissidents and other detainees are murdered for organ transplants, senators were told: "That is a very important thing to understand about the difference between China and every other country in the world."
