Cabinet’s income splitting tax program does little for 85 percent of Canadian families and will cost billions this year, says the Parliamentary Budget Office. The analysis follows confidential Department of Finance memos that concluded the scheme puts Canada out of line with most OECD countries: "This will only make things worse".
A federal code upholding current wireless exposure limits as biologically safe will be studied by the Commons health committee. The new radiofrequency guidelines come amid claims that exposure to cellphones, Wi-Fi’s, baby monitors and other wireless products may cause illness: "Canadians might be ahead of the regulator".
Cabinet is accused of allowing its Taxpayer Bill Of Rights to languish as it searches for a new ombudsman to fill a 2014 vacancy. The post has been empty since former ombudsman J. Paul Dubé resigned last June: "We still have more work to do".
A motivational speaker who advises clients not to listen to news media has received tens of thousands of dollars in contracts from Employment Canada, according to newly-released records. Payments included $13,703 for services delivered on the same day, last March 31. Employment Minister Pierre Poilievre did not comment: “Have you ever met anyone who complains?”
A Winnipegger fined $800 by Canada Border Services Agency for carrying a home-cooked meal through airport customs has had her penalty dismissed by a federal tribunal. The latest ruling comes amid allegations of racial profiling in a separate case before the Federal Court of Appeal: 'I had no idea it was forbidden to bring food into the country'.
Canada’s telecom complaints commissioner is hailing a federal settlement in a dispute that saw telecom customers unwittingly charged up to $40 a month for “free” trivia text features. Rogers Communications Inc. agreed to issue refunds it estimated may total $5.42 million: 'It impacted thousands of customers'.
Rogers Communications is breaking no federal rule by offering subscribers exclusive NHL broadcasts unavailable to other telecom providers, say broadcast regulators. The CRTC dismissed complaints of preferential treatment from rivals Bell and Telus: "We won't stop".
Senior government officials say irreplaceable cabinet papers are at risk and should be electronically digitized for safekeeping. The Privy Council Office noted numerous records were damaged when a water pipe burst in its Ottawa building: 'Older documents may contain information with sensitivity'.
Industry Canada awarded a contract to an English chauffeur specializing in tours of the Downton Abbey castle of TV fame, according to accounts tabled in Parliament. Officials offered contradictory explanations for the billing to taxpayers. Three cabinet ministers were in London at the time the chauffeur was hired: “Let them come and explain this”.
Canadian banks face daily electronic threats from organized crime and “Putin’s nephews in Russia”, says a senior security officer with one of the country’s largest financial institutions. The executive said all employees now change internet passwords monthly: "There are things that are scary".
A federal regulators’ proposal to allow corporate tracking of Canadians’ TV habits is drawing concerns from privacy advocates. The CRTC proposes to convene an industry “working group” on monitoring subscribers: "This is distasteful".
Cabinet must regulate electronic cigarette sales, says the Commons health committee. MPs of all parties also advocated a ban on e-cigarette advertising and the use of flavours targeted to youth: "We need to figure this out".
Plunging oil prices are bad for the country despite “more money in the pockets” for motorists and transport companies, says the Bank of Canada. Oil’s fall is expected to cost the federal treasury almost $5 billion this year, prompting a delay in the budget till April: "Most of the negative effects will appear in the first half of this year".
Legacy media including local TV stations and daily newspapers will vanish within a decade, the Senate communications committee has been told. The forecast of a media upheaval by 2025 came as senators ended hearings on the future of the CBC: "There will be no local-broadcast TV stations in Canada".
Federal regulators should mandate electronic monitors in all interprovincial trucking to target scofflaws who flout rules on drivers’ work hours, says the Commons transport committee. MPs yesterday recommended that Transport Canada abolish drivers’ paper logbooks, a reform urged by trucking and union executives for ten years: "Paper systems are easier to fudge".
