Federal departments and agencies spent more than $2 billion in eight weeks this past spring on everything from party balloons to cable TV, according to newly-released accounts. Yearly “March Madness” sees managers rush to spend unused funds before the fiscal year expires at midnight on March 31: "I have been around long enough to see this."
A cabinet-appointed committee says it’s considering ‘suggestions’ Parliament regulate online news and information. Regulators since 1999 had concluded internet content was beyond federal control, a policy reaffirmed by the CRTC in 2009: "Regulation should have a role."
A federal employee who falsified job references cannot claim reputational harm, the Federal Court has ruled. A judge rejected the appeal after the Public Service Commission concluded the staffer faked references on his home computer: "The Public Service Employment Act is designed to ensure integrity."
More Canadians are using payday lenders despite double-digit interest charges, says Statistics Canada. A bill to impose federal usury laws on payday loans lapsed in Parliament after the Department of Justice opposed it: "A family can be in financial distress well before being in a situation of bankruptcy."
Blacklock's reporters and contributors pause to wish you a happy Canada Day weekend. We're back on July 2 -- The Editor.
Cabinet yesterday raised by 60 percent the cap on thousands of sweetheart contracts that can be awarded to consultants without open bidding. The Office of the Procurement Ombudsman noted federal managers requested the change: "You did a terrible job – here’s another contract."
A steep fine on dirt bikers for breach of the Fisheries Act sends a message to community groups, environmental advocates said yesterday. The Brooks, Alta. Motocross Club was handed a five-figure penalty for riding through mountain streams home to near-extinct trout: "This is a precedent-setting judgment."
Music Canada yesterday faulted the Commons industry committee for an “unfortunate” study it says did not properly focus Copyright Act reforms on creators. Parliament received contradictory recommendations from MPs on revisions expected to be introduced in 2020: "We need to help creators."
You can’t shoot a woodland caribou on Crown lands under a cabinet order issued yesterday. Environment Canada acknowledged the order applies only to army bases, lighthouse stations and other federal property, and would have little impact: "It is an iconic Canadian wildlife species."
Canadians are skeptical of carbon tax rebates, says in-house research by the Privy Council Office. Federal claims that most householders will get more in rebates than they’ll pay in higher fuel taxes were dismissed as unlikely: "There was confusion about the calculations and mistrust of the math."
A U.K. index that rated Ottawa number one in public service has lowered Canada's rating amid worries on “openness”. Former Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick repeatedly cited the old results prior to his resignation over SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. allegations: "We have the most effective public service on the planet."
Elections Canada confirms voters lie about casting ballots. Newly-released research from one 2018 byelection found 66 percent of people surveyed were positive they voted, double the actual turnout: "People have a sense of civic duty and might be embarrassed to say."
The Federal Court of Appeal has rejected a challenge of employee benefit cost hikes by 174,500 government retirees. The Treasury Board defended the 2014 changes as “fair to members and to Canadian taxpayers”.
An anonymous Twitter user so profane he was blocked by MPs is a federal employee. The Public Sector Values And Ethics Code prohibits staff from outside activities that “cast doubt on your ability to perform your duties in a completely objective manner”.
Arctic sea icefields grew by nearly a third overall last year, according to newly-released federal data. The figures contradict claims by Environment Minister Catherine McKenna that the Arctic “is literally melting”.
