A labour board has upheld the firing of a federal employee accused of secretly recording a supervisors’ meeting. The case unraveled when a manager spotted a tape recorder atop a six-foot filing cabinet: "It is not government policy to record employees."
Labour Minister Patricia Hajdu in a confidential 2018 order waived penalties against major corporations that illegally hired migrant workers, according to Access To Information records. Staff urged Hajdu to keep it “low profile”.
The chair of the Senate human rights committee says she has encountered anti-Black bigotry on Parliament Hill, aboard commercial airline flights and in “countless” other circumstances. “I am feeling emotional just telling you this,” said Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard (Independent-N.S.): “It’s like a thousand little cuts.”
A locomotive engineer fired by Canadian Pacific for drinking rye on duty has been ordered reinstated by a labour board. An arbitrator ruled alcoholism is a disability under the Canadian Human Rights Act: "The duty to accommodate does not excuse the conduct."
A charity cited for poor bookkeeping and unexplained consulting fees to a director has lost a bid to keep its license. The Federal Court of Appeal noted the same man was involved with the Humane Society of Canada Foundation that was also stripped of its charitable status: "It is difficult for a charity to reverse a decision of the Canada Revenue Agency."
A Tax Court judge has delved into the inner workings of casinos where staff pocket lucrative tips worth as much as $1,000 a week. Details came in the case of a minimum-wage slot attendant with a Master’s degree who failed to pay tax on tips worth 112 percent of his income: "So, are these amounts taxable or not?"
The Department of Public Works has delayed introduction of a new policy on blacklisting federal contractors implicated in wrongdoing. Staff yesterday would not say why the deadline was skipped, or whether delays were due to an ongoing corruption probe of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.: "The government is committed to taking action against improper and unethical business practices."
Newly-hired federal managers complain they are overworked and literally underpaid. Nearly two-thirds of executives surveyed, 61 percent, say they have not received cheques they're owed due to ongoing foul-ups in a payroll system that has cost taxpayers $1.2 billion to date: 'There is missing and incorrect pay.'
Electing more women politicians is good for the nation’s health, says a University of Waterloo study. Researchers suggested women in office, regardless of political party, are more likely to spend on programs that lower mortality rates: "Yes, women in government do in fact advance population health."
Labour organizers yesterday protested the dismissal of criminal charges against a concrete company accused of negligence in a truck driver’s death. Cabinet two years ago promised to step up enforcement of a law that made employers criminally liable for needless industrial accidents: 'Consequences must be more than a cost of doing business.'
The Commons justice committee yesterday voted 5 to 4 against summoning ex-attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to testify on alleged political interference in the Department of Justice. Liberal MPs agreed to investigate allegations, but set no hearing schedule or deadline to report to Parliament: "This is really a joke."
A proposed climate change rewrite to the National Building Code will not force homeowners to renovate older properties, the National Research Council said yesterday. Realtors and builders had protested owners could face costly refits when selling: "It is not mandated that everyone refit their homes."
A press ombudsman has dismissed a complaint against the National Post for ridiculing a woman’s name. Snide or derisive remarks about private citizen’s family names are “juvenile” but meet newspaper standards, ruled the National News Media Council: "This was an atrocious example of bad journalism."
Fewer than 4 in 10 Canadians get a winter flu shot though influenza kills more people than car accidents, says a new federal report. The Public Health Agency of Canada blamed a CBC news story in part for low vaccination rates: 'Recent media reports may be contributing.'
The Commons justice committee is expected to vote today on whether to investigate lobbying by SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. to avoid prosecution on corruption charges. The hearing follows the abrupt cabinet resignation of Jody Wilson-Raybould, former attorney general: "We must stand together."
