Blacklock's Reporter

Federal contractors should be covered by whistleblower protection, the Commons committee on government operations has been told. Witnesses yesterday complained of an active federal blacklist of contractors who report wrongdoing: “I was put out of business by the federal government.”

Canadian steelmakers say cabinet must account for carbon emissions in combating the dumping of subsidized steel from polluting Chinese mills. Executives yesterday told the Commons trade committee a federal carbon tax would put Canadian plants at even greater disadvantage: "What happens with our competitors in China?"

Ninety percent of Syrian refugees let into Canada are unemployed, by official estimate. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said provinces must meet welfare costs for Syrians unable to find work: "Now there is a problem."

Canadian cyber security enforcement is weak and police are considered ineffectual, says a Department of Public Safety report. The review of public and industry comments recommended stricter laws: 'There is a lack of faith in law enforcement.'

Air Canada is in Federal Court to block release of what it claims are confidential records under the Access To Information Act. The case follows a 2015 lawsuit by Porter Airlines Inc. to prevent Transport Canada’s publication of safety audit reviews: "This is a highly competitive industry."

French-speaking people are less financially literate than Anglophones, says the Canada Revenue Agency. Staff in an Access To Information report made the claim in attempting to explain the fact few Francophones follow the Agency on Twitter: "French Canadians discuss taxes less than English Canadians."

Skeptical MPs are challenging the Canada Revenue Agency to sharpen its practices following a critical audit. The Commons public accounts committee yesterday examined findings the Agency spends months, even years processing tax disputes: "Taxpayers have no way of knowing how long they have to wait."

Environment Canada is again researching methods to stop contamination from road salt. The department stopped short of reviving a 1995 proposal to list the substance as toxic: “Environment Canada is such a wimpy organization.”

A Conservative bill introduced in the Commons would deny cabinet billions in federal revenue from any carbon tax mandated on the provinces. The private bill strips 5 percent GST collections from carbon taxes on fuel: "This is not fair."

Federal regulators should sponsor a bigger “sustainable and responsible” seal hunt to restore Atlantic cod stocks, says the Commons fisheries committee. MPs acknowledged there is no Canadian scientific data confirming seals are to blame for declines in groundfish populations: "They don't eat vegetables."

The RCMP Security Service in a declassified 1976 memo complained “liberal thinkers” were forcing police to accept gays and minorities as recruits. Mounties had used height requirements as cover for disqualifying unwanted applicants, wrote police. The memo was obtained through Access To Information: "Some police departments have already hired homosexuals because, no doubt, of political pressure."

Employers must make a genuine effort to hire Canadians before applying for migrant labour, a federal judge has ruled. The decision came in the case of a small trucking company that complained it could not find Canadian drivers with as little as a year’s experience: "This decision is so unfair."

Liberal and Conservative Senators are demanding cabinet explain the hiring of Red Cross investigators to monitor human rights in Canada Border Services Agency detention centres. The Agency is paying the Canadian Red Cross Society $1.8 million to check on thousands held in detention, including children: "There must be transparency."

Statistics Canada is underestimating the number of non-resident foreigners in the country by more than 40 percent, says a federal agency. Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation commissioned its own research to counter StatsCan figures: 'It is skewing the results.'

Transport Canada proposes to mandate seatbelts on highway motor coaches but not school buses. Refitting the nation’s 20,000 school buses with belts would be costly and unnecessary, regulators said: "Children are more likely to be killed walking to school when compared to taking a school bus."