The Canadian Coast Guard is bracing for another federal audit on the state of oil spill preparedness. The Commissioner of the Environment is to publish a report this fall, the third performance audit of its kind in eight years: "We are in charge."
Two Canadian brewers are in a Federal Court trademark battle over the right to sell a nice cool beer. Trademark disputes between breweries are commonplace: "We need to bring these claims forward."
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A Privy Council think tank in a sardonic notice says Santa has fled the North Pole as a climate change refugee. One MP described the mocking write-up as unfunny: “If people who work there have nothing better to do than this — “
The Department of Canadian Heritage will observe the 100th anniversary of Pierre Trudeau’s birth but stopped short of reviving plans for a Parliament Hill statue, according to Access To Information records. One unsigned department document described the elder Trudeau as a polarizing figure: "Anniversaries must be nationally significant."
The Department of Foreign Affairs in an Access To Information memo says Canadians are skeptical of secretive, corporate-friendly trade talks. Staff cited growing public wariness over free trade agreements: "Clear up misconceptions as needed."
A federal judge has rejected a bid by a former government researcher for access to Department of Health records on the impact of wireless devices. Regulators have repeatedly dismissed claims that Canadians are unknowingly exposed to risks from cellphone towers, Wi-Fi and other devices: "Where are the studies?"
Health Canada in response to industry lobbying orchestrated a “detect and correct” media campaign to promote a regulatory change, say Access To Information memos. The propaganda blitz included confidential emails to unnamed friends who were to pose as “trusted experts” in providing reporters with helpful statements: “If the gun isn’t smoking, it’s pretty hot.”
Federal reviews of three common pesticides are being extended for years. The Department of Health says no final decisions are now due until as late as 2020: "Why?"
A Commons committee report urging sweeping changes to Canada’s anti-spam law is flawed and should be reconsidered, says the committee’s New Democrat vice chair. Members of the industry committee said the 2014 law is overly broad and should be rewritten: "This means opening up the legislation."
The Federal Court of Appeal in a rare split decision has ended a three-year legal battle over preferential hiring in the public service. An agency was faulted for skewing a bilingual job search to hire a single candidate who didn’t speak French: "The language of work is no trifling thing."
The Department of Health in Access To Information files says a proposed national ban on food ads targeting children is problematic and possibly unenforceable. The department concealed 512 pages of redacted memos for two years: "It is incumbent on Parliament to make sure they get this right."
An airport security contractor is appealing a federal order that baggage x-ray machines pose a workplace health hazard. The labour department upheld a complaint by two Nova Scotia security agents: "I feel 100 percent the x-rays are unsafe."
The Department of Foreign Affairs fears fraudsters will attempt to compromise its lucrative international student program. The department yesterday said it would take action to prevent “unscrupulous” vendors from copying its EduCanada brand: "It has a unique look and feel."
