A federal probe of meat poisoning at Canada’s largest beef processor underscores the need for clear public information on food safety, says an Alberta analyst. The XL Foods contamination left consumers, distributors and media without "timely" news as tainted beef was sold and eaten, investigators found.
Millions of insurance policyholders and mutual fund clients face intrusive questions and publication of personal data on the internet under a federal bill, say industry executives. Insurers warn Bill C-377 will have “unintended consequences” for Canadians with benefit plans, funds and policies: "Would you want your next-door neighbour to know you are receiving reimbursement for cancer medication?”
The government is speeding passage of a bill to permit gas exploration at Sable Island, N.S. amid protests it sets a precedent for drilling in national parks. Bill S-15 permits horizontal drilling and seismic exploration at the island, famed for its wild ponies. “This is a Trojan Horse,” said Green Party MP Elizabeth May; “This is unprecedented.”
A wiretap case involving a federal probe of Quebec gas retailers is headed for the Supreme Court. Justices agreed to hear two appeals over use of criminal wiretap evidence in a subsequent class-action lawsuit. Retailers in four Quebec cities were convicted of scheming by telephone to fix pump prices.
Inspectors report most tested fruits and vegetables comply with federal pesticide limits, though analysts say standards are not rigorous. “Canada should not be taking comfort from these numbers,” said the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment.
Cabinet paid millions in grants to Canadian manufacturers to move production and jobs overseas in the name of foreign aid, documents show. International Cooperation Minister Julian Fantino refused Blacklock’s interview requests. Fantino’s office said it never heard of the grant scheme, the Industrial Cooperation Program. Newly-released records show, in one case, it paid an Ontario manufacturer $450,000 to "establish ourselves in Mexico so we can offer lower costs."
Canadian history is being reworked by federal agencies into “simplistic” narratives that serve a “political agenda,” says a scientists' group. The criticism came over C-49, a Heritage Canada bill to refocus a federal museum into a celebration of Canadiana. Heritage Minister James Moore denied propagandizing, but told MPs that young Canadians are "largely illiterate about Canada's history."
Global warming is affecting Arctic fisheries without any federal management strategies to monitor its impact or effects, officials say. The Commons fisheries committee said it has little research on the Arctic industry amid forecasts the $23 million fishery will grow with climate change.
A House committee has voted to conceal details of thousands of public service salaries as one MP dismissed the disclosure as pointless. “What’s the benefit?” said Brad Butt (Conservative-Mississauga Streetsville); “I’m trying to wrap my head around what the real public benefit is of average citizens filing these requests all the time to find out what someone’s salary is.”
Attorney General Rob Nicholson is being taken to court on complaints his department broke federal law. A federal commissioner says the Department of Justice broke the Privacy Act by withholding documents. "Government must follow the law," said MP Pierre-Luc Dusseault, chair of the Commons privacy committee.
Consumers were poisoned by tainted beef while federal inspectors dithered and the Department of Agriculture withheld crucial information from the public, according to a federal report. The review of the biggest beef recall in Canadian history lamented the “underwhelming” competence of XL Foods Inc.,the Alberta slaughterhouse that was the focus of the scare, and the lack of urgency by meat inspectors: “Did 18 people need to get sick? Did so much meat have to end up in landfills?”
A former Supreme Court justice says contentious labour legislation before the Senate is “valid” and constitutional. "I give my legal opinions to clients, not the press," Michel Bastarache told Blacklock's. But in a letter to non-union contractors, the retired Liberal appointee wrote Bill C-377 “is consistent with the Charter” despite contrary views from the Canadian Bar Association.
Shipowners face a million-dollar hike in federal fees to pilot Great Lakes vessels, the second increase of its kind for shipowners. Authorities confirmed a 5 percent increase in fees over the next two years, following an increase of up to 9% at East Coast ports: "We think it is disproportionate."
A federal agency paid cash grants to journalists and media to report on its work, records disclose. The Canadian International Development Agency paid more than $4.7 million over four years for coverage of CIDA and related programs. Subsidies included $12,956 paid to a TV reporter, now with the CBC, and $38,493 to Le Devoir for a story that "reminds readers" of CIDA's role in Afghanistan, the agency said.
English-speaking Ontario men are the most typical officer cadets at Canada’s Royal Military College. New data show demographics remain unchanged from past decades, despite efforts to draw a broad mix of Canadians to military life: "They must find a way to attract more diverse talent."
