Blacklock's Reporter

The Ethics Commissioner yesterday cited a Transportation Safety Board member appointed on condition of “good behaviour” for breach of the Conflict Of Interest Act. Paul Dittmann did not respond to an interview request. Other “good behaviour” cabinet appointees have been dismissed for non-statutory offences like billing too much for luncheons: "Each case will be examined individually on its merits."

Three Liberal-appointed senators propose to launch an Association of Feminist Parliamentarians to create a “safe space for meeting and discussions”. Membership is $25. Men are welcome but not allowed to serve as co-chairs of the executive committee: 'It's groundbreaking.'

Public Works Minister Carla Qualtrough yesterday banned use of the mail by the publisher of an anti-Semitic attack sheet. The order is rare but not unprecedented: "There is no absolute right to use the mail."

Confidential government records remain private even if they’re leaked and republished on Facebook, the British Columbia Supreme Court has ruled. The decision came in the case of personal records obtained from Nanaimo City Hall: 'The City was likely the source of the leak but I am not sure it matters.'

The incidence of contraband drugs in federal prisons actually went up after Parliament passed a Drug-Free Prisons Act, data show. Authorities report nearly 6,000 cases a year: "We keep passing new laws, plugging up the courts."

The post office yesterday said it will no longer accept any foreign mail for the duration of rotating strikes by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, now in their 24th day. Management also took an unusual step of detailing a take-it-or-leave-it contract offer to workers: "We are unable to accept incoming items."

A Newfoundland & Labrador chocolate factory received thousands in federal grants to create a single job, say Access To Information records. Funding was approved as then-Tourism Minister Bardish Chagger called funding by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency “quite motivational”.

Extra Employment Insurance benefits for chronically-unemployed seasonal workers will cost about $900 per claimant, cabinet yesterday estimated. A similar program ended in 2012. Typical beneficiaries were men over 45: "Times have changed."

An Ontario judge overseeing a murder trial has ruled defence counsel may ask prospective jurors if they don't like minorities. The decision comes as the Senate considers a cabinet bill to ban peremptory challenges: "We would be naïve to assume none of the members of our jury panels hold some racist or prejudiced views."

The labour department in Access To Information records acknowledges it’s late in keeping a promise to revive a Fair Wages Policy. Parliament repealed the law six years ago under lobbying by non-union contractors: "The work is somewhat delayed."

Environment Minister Catherine McKenna has yet to meet in person with her own federal Sustainable Development Advisory Council, a member told the Senate energy committee. McKenna joined in a brief phone call but “had a meeting come up or something”, senators were told: 'Staff were the ones corralling us.'

Ratepayers have little chance of getting plain facts on budgeting in most Canadian cities, says research by the C.D. Howe Institute. Analysts yesterday marveled the simplest information is concealed from the public: "Documents often bury key numbers."

The Federal Court has thrown out a $347,386 wrongful dismissal award to a truck driver due to a botched Canada Labour Code arbitration hearing. A judge cited the arbitrator for “unjustified remarks” against the employer: "There is no doubt that he failed."

The Department of Public Works says its property projects run late and over-budget about 40 percent of the time. The internal audit follow claims from the Clerk of the Privy Council that the department is 100 percent on-target on big projects: "We have the most effective public service on the planet."

The Department of Canadian Heritage says it has no idea how lieutenant governors spend nearly a million a year in federal grants. Staff recommended future audits be dropped due to lack of information: "A few concerns were identified."