Parliamentary committees have passed a contentious amendment to federal law granting cabinet a veto over operations at Canadian airports. Industry executives cautioned the changes will see political meddling in management of airfields: "That seems rather quaint to say at this point".
One year after cabinet’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol, experts have told a Senate climate change forum new federal initiatives are needed to combat greenhouse gas emissions. Canada was the first signatory to the 1997 pact to revoke its endorsement, saving some $14 billion in penalties: "We need to make serious changes".
The Commons finance committee has unanimously passed a federal ban on paper billing fees by telecom companies amid questions on why banks are exempt. Industry Minister James Moore said abolishing identical bank statement fees will require separate legislation: "It's the dog that didn't bark".
The Department of Canadian Heritage is hiring consultants to study the viability of daily newspapers. Authorities ordered a $30,000 report on dailies’ content and viability: “Why don’t they just ask us?”
Two Conservative Senators who voted to kill union bill C-377 say the measure remains flawed, and ripe for constitutional challenge. The two were the only members of the government caucus to support a motion to strike the Conservative bill before Second Reading: “I find it offensive, to tell the truth”.
Seal hunters are asking MPs to expand a security cordon around their annual harvest for fear media and protesters will use camera drones to take video and photographs. The Seals & Sealing Network said media scrutiny is stressful for hunters: “They cannot work as well when they have a camera filming them".
Aquaculture fees are “not the right tool” to regulate the environmental impact of fish farms, says a federal official. A proposed fee schedule to take effect by year’s end will see British Columbia operators pay 10 percent of the cost of federal oversight of the industry: "The world needs fish".
Canada Post reports another surprise quarterly profit, and says original forecasts of a disastrous drop in 2014 revenues appear unfounded. The Crown corporation estimated revenues on its core post office business increased $100 million since January to $4.5 billion to date: 'They panicked and cut, cut, cut'.
One of the country’s largest media publishers has been hit with a $28,000 judgment over trademark infringement. A Federal Court judge cited Black Press Group Ltd. for a copycat publication that violated an Alberta company’s trademark: 'They kept on using it'.
Cabinet will not reopen energy regulatory hearings to the general public despite clashes over a British Columbia pipeline project, says the Minister of Natural Resources. Greg Rickford reaffirmed only Canadians “directly affected” by projects should be permitted at hearings of the National Energy Board: "There will always be a difference of opinion".
A contentious Conservative labour bill C-377 last evening survived its first test in the Senate on word the government aims to pass it within sixty days. Senators voted 42 to 28 to reject a motion to defeat the bill. Two Conservatives supported the motion declaring it “erroneous” and unconstitutional: “I don’t know the appetite yet for a flat-out mutiny”.
An Ottawa think tank accepted funding from the tobacco industry to finance, in part, a seminar on Aboriginal tobacco smuggling. The Macdonald–Laurier Institute acknowledged a portion of its budget is financed by cigarette manufacturers, but declined to name the amount: "I didn't organize the panel".
Canada Revenue was bilked of some $4.7 million in fraudulent claims under a crude tax dodge detailed in court documents. A Vancouver accounting firm is accused of forging millions of dollars in fake charity receipts and selling them to clients at 8¢ on the dollar: "I find it implausible".
A federal program that assigns Mounties to one-person foreign posts from Miami to Panama City should be reviewed for the first time in 11 years, say auditors. The RCMP Liaison Officer Program is intended to work with foreign police and Interpol in combatting crime: "The RCMP does not know".
A bid to “demote” Canada’s chief public health officer is drawing protest. Cabinet proposes to appoint a non-medical CEO of the Public Health Agency of Canada, with medical professionals reduced to an advisory role: "There may be all sorts of pressures to limit what you decide to say publicly".
