Cases of drug overdose in federal prisons have nearly doubled since Parliament passed a Drug-Free Prisons Act, say penitentiary managers. The Correctional Service of Canada described drug abuse as a crisis: 'It is closely tied to the opioid crisis in the community.'
The Canada Revenue Agency paid a pollster nearly $55,000 to confirm taxpayers expect call centre agents to pick up the phone. The research followed disclosures the Agency dropped 29 million calls a year: "We’re still going to see these crappy results coming out of CRA."
The Department of Fisheries in Access To Information memos says it modified a 2018 audit of its own work before the report was published by Environment Commissioner Julie Gelfand. The Commissioner refused comment: "She's declining the interview."
Federal agencies have dismissed a complaint of misleading advertising by the first company to win a Canadian license to sell genetically-modified animal protein. AquaBounty Technologies Inc. claims its engineered salmon is 100 percent North American raised: "The fish are grown in Panama."
Air Canada cannot ban cargo workers from wearing union ball caps, a federal arbitrator has ruled. The airline ordered the ban in a campaign to “refresh and rebrand” its image. Union paraphernalia in the workplace has been the subject of numerous labour rulings: 'It is a legitimate, lawful activity.'
Poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday: “Porter announced their new destination to Florida coast. In the ad, white-sand beach, clear waters, and a space shuttle taking off…”
New Democrats yesterday challenged Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault to enforce a fake news ban in a federal byelection in British Columbia. The appeal at the House affairs committee followed disclosures a Vancouver newspaper published a false claim that the leader of the NDP owns a multi-million dollar home: "It is utterly untrue."
A Saskatchewan investigation has found repeated breaches of private medical records on victims and survivors of the 2018 Humboldt Broncos disaster. A Crown agency responsible for managing a patients’ database identified snooping of young players’ medical files: "I find that privacy breaches occurred."
A federal report says Parliament could face a climate change challenge under the Charter Of Rights. Staff questioned whether “environmental rights” could be written into the Constitution: "What is the state of the law in Canada?"
A defence department campaign to recruit more women will take years to reach its targets, the Commons defence committee was told yesterday. Female focus groups uncovered strong negative views of military life: 'We're not seeing much progress.'
The Commons has given quick Second Reading to a jurors’ aid bill co-sponsored by Conservatives, Liberals and New Democrats. The bill followed agonizing committee testimony from jurors who attended murder trials: "You don't know what you're getting into."
Records on costly construction and design defects in newly-opened Parliament buildings run to more than 100,000 pages, says the Department of Public Works. MPs and senators complain of numerous errors, from doors that don’t open to sound systems that don’t amplify. Renovations cost more than $1.1 billion to date: “We are looking for at least five years to process a request that is over 100,000 pages.”
The Department of Agriculture spent more than $200,000 on focus group tests of Twitter ads including a gag on cow burps, accounts show. Researchers stressed the importance of “fun facts” about farm science: "I really like the cow burps."
The Senate energy committee has voted to hold cross-country hearings on a federal rewrite of oil and gas regulations. One Senator proposed lawmakers “go and see the devastation” from Alberta industry: "That would be new information that I would like to look at."
Hockey Hall of Famer Eric Lindros yesterday told MPs that body-checking should be banned in minor hockey under age 15. Hockey Canada permits checking by players as young as 13: "Why are we starting to hit when not everyone has gone through puberty?"
