Blacklock's Reporter

Canada’s consul general in Los Angeles yesterday declined to speak to Canadian media after contacting a U.S. newspaper to complain about a YouTube video. The consulate explained all contact with Canadian journalists must be screened by the Department of Foreign Affairs: “The marching orders are really strict.”

One of Canada’s most acclaimed independent publishing houses has told MPs its copyright royalties dropped 80 percent with free photocopying under federal law. Publishers and authors appealed to the Commons industry committee to tighten regulations that allow mass copying of works in the name of research: "For every cent we get, the author gets a cent."

Regulations are costing Canadian homebuyers an average of more than $100,000 over the actual cost of construction, say analysts. The C.D. Howe Institute yesterday said costs of restrictive zoning and development charges artificially raised prices in eight cities surveyed nationwide: "There is clearly some market dysfunction."

The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed a British Columbia woman’s claim for First Nations tax-exempt status on millions in income. The Canada Revenue Agency complained of “improper manipulation” of tax laws in the case: "It is abusive of the exemption."

The number of executives in the federal public service has grown 56 percent since 2000, says the Treasury Board. Three departments combined – environment, finance and justice – now have 31 deputy, assistant deputy and associate deputy ministers: "During the same period, the overall federal public service grew by 24 percent."

A Winnipeg novelist has told the Commons industry committee her income from royalties and licensing fees totaled $103 last year due to free photocopying under the Copyright Act. “Most artists have not seen compensation,” said one MP: "There is something deeply wrong."

The federal airport security agency yesterday declined comment on how it proposes to regulate legal marijuana. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority in 2017 suspended a longstanding policy of calling police whenever cannabis was found in travelers’ luggage.: "It is expending increased effort to manage marijuana incidents."

Cabinet yesterday had no proposals to break a parliamentary deadlock over shippers’ rights in a federal rail bill. Two Conservative senators challenged Atlantic MPs to defy their leadership and amend the legislation: "They can end this really quickly."

A Crown corporation has fired a senior employee for illegal conduct involving contracting and leaked data. Managers at Export Development Canada made no mention of the incident in April 24 testimony at the Commons trade committee: "We're not perfect."

Parks Canada is defending an obscure regulation allowing staff to censor permit holders’ signs or literature for objectionable content. A parliamentary committee said the rule is a clear violation of free speech: 'Change the regulation or it's wiped off the books.'

Access To Information records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation detail menus approved for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and cabinet when traveling aboard Canadian Armed Forces aircraft. Catering charges totaled $576,723 in a fourth-month period last winter: "If you have any edible flowers that would be ideal."

The Commons on May 22 will vote to reject shippers’ amendments to a rail bill twice approved by the Senate. One MP described the impasse as a game of ping-pong over the rights of freight customers: "How can we explain the refusal to treat all regions of Canada fairly?"

Poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday: “No two could be more different than the North Korean Leader and the American President…”

Cabinet’s climate change program is a demonstrable fiasco swallowed in acrimony, evasion and costly litigation. Authors of Public Deliberation on Climate Change ask, is it possible Parliament is incapable of getting the big jobs done?

The Commons finance committee was in session May 1. MPs noted the finance department had a 2015 memo detailing the cost of a carbon tax to Canadian households, but censored all the numbers. How much would it cost? “I would prefer not to expand,” replied Gervais Coulombe, a department tax director.

On March 22, the Commons environment committee met. MPs asked, what’s the impact of the carbon tax on emissions? “I don’t have that number offhand,” replied Deputy Environment Minister Stephen Lucas. He coughed up the data five weeks later. It’s 55 percent short of the emissions target.

Public Works Minister Carla Qualtrough yesterday cited Canada Post for an unacceptable culture of harassing employees. Qualtrough told the Commons government operations committee she personally interviewed postal workers who complained of workplace bullying: "There are tensions."