The Commons industry committee yesterday by a 5-to-4 vote rejected hearings on copyright terms of a tentative U.S. trade pact. MPs complained cabinet negotiated legal changes at the very moment the committee is conducting a statutory review of the Copyright Act: "That would simply be odd."
Cabinet yesterday ordered a fresh review of school bus safety. The initiative followed a TV report that Transport Canada concealed crash-test data confirming seatbelts would prevent injury: "This problem needs to be fixed now."
Statistics Canada is planning a first-ever national questionnaire on children’s addiction to electronics, according to Access To Information records. The 2019 survey of 30,000 to 50,000 families, the first of its kind, includes questions ranging from breastfeeding to bad friends at school, and how often families eat take-out food: "We need to understand this."
The Federal Court of Appeal has disclosed a case of sexual assault at a Customs office. The Court upheld an ex-employee's claim for compensation for workplace harassment and assault that a labour board earlier dismissed as an office prank: "It is necessary to take care not to inappropriately downplay or diminish the seriousness of unacceptable conduct."
The Department of Finance in an Access To Information memo estimates up to $1 trillion is needed to pay for unfunded repairs to Canada’s roads, bridges and utilities. The figure was attributed to third-party estimates; no federal agency to date has calculated the “infrastructure deficit”.
Department of Canadian Heritage in-house research shows after decades of official bilingualism, 43 percent of Anglophones disagree or have no opinion on whether two official languages is “an important part of what it means to be Canadian”. The department plans 2019 observances marking the 50th anniversary of the Official Languages Act: "Canadians are divided."
Poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday: “They want to consult ‘at length’ where to sell pot in Ontario. Will delay store openings by half a year..”
Fighting Words is a document of war, intriguing because so many of us know only peace. So, we learn the hanging of 1837 rebels was bungled so badly one prisoner was nearly decapitated; that rifles fired by Canadian troops in the Boer War sounded “like lightning humming birds” — Zzz-Zzz-Zzz-Zzz-Zzz; that Hitler on weekends wore a tweed coat one size too small.
These are anecdotes of Canadian war reporting from the age of Vikings to al-Qaeda. “People seem to have a pathological need for conflict,” writes Mark Bourrie. “They also have a very strong urge to tell stories about it.”
Cabinet faces a $1 billion NAFTA claim for copyright theft by federal agencies. A Texas family-owned business yesterday served notice it will seek arbitration against the Government of Canada for breaching international copyright law: “This is a wake-up call for American investors looking at Canada.”
A labour board has upheld the firing of a federal employee for misuse of a government-issue Blackberry. The firing came after an account manager spotted unusual billings linked to internet gaming sites: "Integrity is the cornerstone."
A self-described “grassroots movement” yesterday petitioned Health Canada to repeal plain packaging rules on legal marijuana. The Consumer Choice Center claimed endorsements from thousands of Canadians, but acknowledged the number of paid donors is closer to 300: "You can certainly sign up."
Parliament should amend bankruptcy law to protect retirees’ pensions ahead of other creditors, advocates have told the Commons finance committee. Pension losses in the 2017 bankruptcy of Sears Canada have prompted three separate bills in Parliament to shield retirement benefits: "We will see this happening time and time again."
Legal marijuana growers warn pending taxes are so steep the industry cannot compete with price-cutting by drug dealers. Industry executives told the Commons finance committee they face an “immense cost burden” once cannabis is legal October 17: 'It's a cascade of taxes.'
The Department of Public Works yesterday said it would begin compiling a list of women-owned firms for preferential treatment in contracting. The year-long pilot project, starting with catering services in Atlantic Canada, is intended to “support socio-economic objectives”, wrote staff.
A senior manager is suing the Department of National Defence alleging unfair treatment on a staff complaint. The manager was cited for wrongdoing but never given a chance to face her accuser, according to a Federal Court claim: "You have a right to see a disclosure."
