A Liberal senator says a cabinet bill promising greater independence for Statistics Canada still sanctions political coercion. Three former chief statisticians have protested the bill fails to outlaw cabinet influence in data gathering: "The public would not be aware."
A Tax Court judge has dismissed thousands of dollars in business write-offs claimed by a former child actor. Claims included $4,256 for DVDs and theatre tickets written off as “research and development”.
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Comptroller General Bill Matthews says fraud occurs within the federal government, though total costs are unknown. Matthews’ testimony at the Commons public accounts committee followed an audit that faulted federal agencies for a lack of staff ethics training: "There is no reliable estimate on the financial impact of fraud."
Attorneys and executives yesterday urged the Commons industry committee to rewrite a 2014 anti-spam law. MPs were told current regulations are too broad, target the wrong people, and are largely ineffectual in combating malware: ‘It is breathtakingly large in scope.’
Cabinet has no plans to introduce a so-called “sunshine list” detailing salaries of its highest-paid executives. Cabinet in 2015 Ministerial Mandate letters had pledged, “It is time to shine more light on government”.
MPs yesterday took up a motion to negotiate a national pharmacare program with provinces. The Parliamentary Budget Office in a September 28 report said universal drug coverage would cost $19.3 billion a year, but reduce prices and administration costs: 'Do not take my word for it.'
The Commons languages committee yesterday explored the prospect of fining Air Canada for bilingualism complaints. MPs questioned two federal agencies on how to deal with scofflaws: "We're not talking about the private sector."
Repeal of a ban on recreational marijuana is closer with approval of two cannabis bills by House committees. MPs adopted technical amendments in anticipation of a July 1, 2018 legislative deadline, and dismissed a Conservative proposal for a national referendum on legal cannabis: "I dare you."
The Department of Finance paid researchers $55,756 for real-time emotional responses to Minister Bill Morneau’s March 22 budget speech, according to newly-released records. Morneau’s repeated references to “middle class” were rated tiresome: "The speech used too many buzz words."
The Senate social affairs committee yesterday approved a private Conservative bill to ban animal testing by cosmetics companies. The bill would not take effect until four years after its passage: "The world is actually moving this way."
Federal research cites occasional discrimination and harassment of Indigenous government employees. Nearly 1 in 5 who quit their jobs told researchers, “I felt like an outsider”.
Builders propose a permanent tax credit for homeowners’ renovations to meet climate change targets. A one-time tax credit introduced by the previous Conservative cabinet cost $2.3 billion: "That program was very good for a variety of reasons."
Finance Minister Bill Morneau says cabinet will have to “figure out” how to tax legalized marijuana. Morneau yesterday told Senate Question Period that taxes should not be so steep they fuel illegal production: "I just don't know."
The Commons transport committee last night voted to exempt train crews from federal privacy law. The panel’s Liberal majority rejected amendments to restrict railways’ access to data from mandatory locomotive video and voice recorders: "Most of us don't work under constant surveillance."
