The Department of Agriculture is polling growers and food processors on Canadian labeling of genetically modified ingredients. The initiative follows the Commons’ 2017 defeat of a New Democrat bill to mandate GM labels: 'The Canadian government is feeling that push.'
A labour department report hints cabinet should use millions in Canadians' dormant savings accounts to finance loans and grants for charities. A similar U.K. program, the first of its kind, reported net losses in five of its first six years: "The private sector cannot solve all of society's problems."
Cabinet has given itself new powers to skirt public scrutiny in imposing regulations. A parliamentary committee complained the directive allows cabinet to spring new rules on the public without notice: "A citizen has nothing, zero; a small business has nothing. You’re on your own."
Cabinet for a third time has rejected parliamentary hearings on its $4.5 billion purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline. A Liberal majority on the Commons Indigenous and northern affairs committee voted 5 to 4 against summoning the finance minister for questions: "Who would not be frustrated?"
An appliance maker is taking Health Canada to Federal Court in a bid to block public disclosure of records concerning a 2016 washing machine recall. Samsung Electronics Canada Inc. claims a right to scrutinize government records before they’re released: "Health Canada refused."
The Canadian Armed Forces is giving preference to a Belgian sheepdog in buying new animals for its canine units. The Malinois is the same breed used by U.S. Navy Seals in the 2011 capture of Osama Bin Laden: "The dogs will not stop."
Three years after the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris, it is not too soon for a frank analysis of what happened and what it meant. Officialdom’s immediate reaction to the murders of 12 people, including an editor and policeman, was to observe the rituals of mourning and free speech.
The Prime Minister read ghostwritten remarks calling press freedom a “cherished democratic principle”. TV networks mused over whether to broadcast Charlie cartoons: CBC French did, CBC English didn’t. The Parliamentary Press Gallery did not even mention Je suis Charlie at its first directors’ meeting after the shootings, instead debating how to hustle up corporate sponsors for its annual wine and cheese party.
Nobody asked if it could it happen here, because it already did.
The Department of Health predicts Canada will see a crowded market of nearly 2,000 cannabis growers, distributors and retailers once recreational marijuana is legalized October 17. Tax authorities earlier predicted a ten-fold increase in wholesalers alone by 2023: "Organized crime does not share its data with us."
The National Research Council has given a $140,000 grant to an online news publisher for “U.S. market support”, according to accounts. The award comes as the Department of Canadian Heritage reviews a proposed $10 million-a year fund to save jobs at daily newspapers: "I think you can see the reality."
A St. John’s woman is suing for access to her surveillance file held by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The agency’s own research shows Canadians are wary of domestic spying in the name of public safety: "Freedom of information in this country is completely destroyed at this point."
Travelers who leave the country with a big bankroll must be prepared to account for every dollar, says a federal judge. The decision came in the case of a British Columbia man who forfeited $10,296 under the Proceeds Of Crime And Terrorist Financing Act: 'His burden was to remove suspicion it was derived from crime.'
A new federal exhibit on refugees honours a Toronto rapper alongside a Nobel laureate and former governor general. The Canadian Museum of Immigration said it had no complaints to date over the tribute to K’naan Warsame, whose performances include explicit lyrics: "K’naan is an internationally-recognized artist and humanitarian."
The Department of Foreign Affairs says it’s received tens of thousands of emails over NAFTA talks. About half originated from Open Media, an advocacy group one critic accused of using auto-email forms easily manipulated to manufacture a “grassroots backlash”.
Cabinet should consider an electronic guaranteed income plan that would see funds automatically transferred to individual bank accounts, says a Privy Council Office think tank. Future governments might also consider “providing assets at birth”, wrote Policy Horizons Canada: "This could ensure that vulnerable Canadians do not start at a significant disadvantage."
The Department of Employment paid pollsters to pick the name of a brand new federal agency, records show. The department wanted nouns and adjectives that would “grab people’s attention”: "People like a name that is short and straightforward."
