Regulators should more closely track the growth of genetically-modified crops in the nation, says an advocacy group opposed to the practice. A majority of soybeans and corn in Canada are engineered, while the Department of Agriculture has contemplated “plausible scenarios” for first-ever licensing of engineered wheat: "That is a problem".
Cabinet claims a proposed billion-dollar liability limit on oil spills reflects “historical data”, though an Enbridge pipeline break in Michigan has cost the company 50% more to date. The Department of Natural Resources miscalculated actual costs of the 2010 Kalamazoo River spill in justifying its liability cap: "A billion dollars is actually just a rounding error".
Canada has lost 4% of its farmland, some seven million acres, since 2006 due to urban sprawl, says a report by the National Farmers Union. The group cautioned remaining land has become a prize for foreign investors, echoing an Agriculture Canada memo that officials have little insight on offshore ownership: 'Who is buying farmland?'
Federal regulators in a decision one MP called “nonsensical” have ruled scooter batteries run afoul of Dangerous Goods Regulations. The judgment came in the case of a disabled Winnipeg woman ordered to ship her back-up battery as cargo: "They have taken a very narrow view".
Most gun robberies occur in British Columbia while Saskatchewan leads the nation in suicide by firearms, according to Department of Justice records. Canadians own more than 7.8 million rifles, shotguns, handguns and other firearms: 'There's security'.
MPs are demanding the RCMP justify a $19 million program that’s seen officers assigned to foreign posts from Bangkok to Panama City. The Commons public accounts committee has given the Mounties a 2016 deadline to submit a performance management report on its Liaison Officer Program: 'There are deficiencies'.
A federal spy agency has scrutinized Canadians’ bank accounts without a warrant, according to evidence disclosed in an Ontario court case. Attorneys questioned the practice that saw the Royal Bank surrender customers’ records to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service: 'This does raise flags'.
Fresh-cut flowers for the Prime Minister’s home and other official residences are costing $63,000 a year, according to the National Capital Commission. Financial records tabled in Parliament documented the previously-undisclosed spending, typically doled out in $5,000 contracts unreported in Public Accounts: "We'd appreciate the Prime Minister spending more on flowers".
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".
