Blacklock's Reporter

The long-disbanded Cooperative Commonwealth Federation party would return to the Commons for the first time since 1961 by a legislator’s request. Independent MP Erin Weir (Regina-Lewvan) yesterday said he is petitioning the Speaker to sit as a Saskatchewan CCFer: “This is a tradition that is worth carrying on.”

A bestselling children’s author has told the Commons industry committee she took a 90 percent pay cut due to free photocopying under the Copyright Act. MPs are conducting a statutory review of the Act for the first time since 2012: ‘It is government-sanctioned theft.’

Federal agencies tripled their spending on Facebook ads last year even as Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly lamented the state of local Canadian media. Joly’s own department increased its Facebook spending seven-fold. Newspaper publishers have cited cuts to federal advertising as a threat to newsroom jobs: "The aim of our government is to improve the fate of the industry."

Cabinet is extending federal deposit insurance to foreign currency accounts for the first time, but will not raise its $100,000 limit on protected savings in case of bank failure. Canada has the lowest deposit insurance rates of any G7 country: "I have no idea of why that makes sense."

The Senate yesterday blocked passage of a rail bill with demands that cabinet heed shippers’ rights. The close vote marked only the fifth time since 1960 that senators insisted the Commons rewrite legislation: “If you are willing to fight on it, then let’s fight.”

Federal agencies have failed to report millions in spending in breach of a Treasury Board directive, says an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons. The 2004 order requiring prompt disclosure of contract spending was made after the sponsorship scandal: "That's real money."

A federal tax on legal cannabis is so onerous it could drive 270,000 medical patients to buy from unlicensed drug dealers, the Commons finance committee was told yesterday. Cabinet would tax cannabis at about 15 percent: "Ethically it’s wrong."

One of Canada’s poorest provinces yesterday appealed to the Senate social affairs committee to speed the legalization of marijuana. New Brunswick is counting on $7.2 million in revenue from cannabis sales this year: "It's an opportunity, for sure."

Rideau Hall blames a hapless staffer for displaying a German flag to welcome the King of Belgium on a state visit. The Office of the Secretary of the Governor General formally apologized for the gaffe, according to an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons: "There was a mistake."

Environment Canada yesterday acknowledged a $50 national carbon tax will not meet its 2030 greenhouse gas emission targets. John Moffet, associate assistant deputy minister, told the Commons finance committee the future tax rate is undetermined: "The federal government may change the pricing system."

The national carbon tax will see more border city Canadians go to the U.S. for cheaper air fares, the National Airlines Council yesterday told the Senate energy committee. The Council estimated five million Canadians a year already drive to the U.S. to catch discount flights: "That's huge."

Senators yesterday protested a railway bill as an “egregious” precedent on privacy rights, but said they will not defeat the measure. The Transport Canada bill exempts rail workers from protections under federal privacy law: "This fight isn't over."

A change in the tax code for small business is “pretty sad”, the Senate national finance committee was told yesterday. The cabinet proposal would strip preferential tax rates from small operators with large savings: "This is all about government revenue."

Federal departments and agencies spent more than $300,000 on paper calendars last year. Printers yesterday said they appreciated the business: "Calendar production has dropped considerably over the past ten years."

A federal report predicts workplace drug use may rise with legal marijuana. A government agency recommended employers hire a lawyer before attempting any cannabis testing program: 'The impact of legal cannabis is unknown.'