Prosecutions for piracy accounted for less than a tenth of one percent of federal cases last year, says the Public Prosecution Service. The agency opened 34 piracy cases under the Copyright Act, compared to just four cases the year before: "Incarceration is extremely unlikely".
Mexican cocaine smugglers can see a 300 percent margin or more on narcotics smuggled into Canada, says a Border Services Agency report. The data obtained through Access To Information detailed a wide fluctuation in cocaine prices in cities nationwide: 'It represents a premium'.
Canadian harbours are home to at least 550 derelict boats and “the actual number is expected to be higher”, says a cabinet report. MPs have proposed legislation to federalize all abandoned boats. The Coast Guard has ordered removal a British Columbia wreck that inspired the national clean-up bill: "There are no cost estimates".
Canadians are deeply divided over Syrian refugees, according to in-house polling by the Department of Immigration. Cabinet has committed to adjusting immigration policies by “engaging with Canadians”: "How concerned are you about possible terrorist attacks?"
Parliament’s Budget Officer is proposing reforms that would make the office independent and answerable only to MPs. The watchdog has repeatedly complained of inadequate funding and federal stonewalling on the release of records: "It's significant".
Parks Canada is prepared to commission hundreds of statues of its little-known mascot Parka The Beaver in a bid to boost receipts. The agency in 26 pages of contractors’ specifications carefully explained the statues must be weatherproof and childproof: 'The tail must be positioned in a way that makes it impossible for visitors to jump on it'.
Most Canadians couldn’t buy an electric car even if they wanted one, says a federal report. The Access To Information disclosure follows cabinet’s funding of $62.5 million for new electric recharging stations: 'It can only be characterized as difficult'.
Taxpayers have offered Canada Revenue Agency employees wine, gift cards and jewelry, all returned under a cabinet directive against payola. Employees must decline gifts in the name of integrity, the Agency says: "Sometimes it is difficult".
The Library of Parliament in two years has spent more than $100,000 on social media ads, though the public is not allowed to take out a book. The Library said it wanted to “build awareness” of services that are closed to the public: "Why?"
Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson faces a federal lawsuit on allegations she breached the Conflict Of Interest Act. The challenge by the advocacy group Democracy Watch asks that the Court of Appeal quash a Commissioner’s ruling as unlawful: "It's a charade".
Access To Information records disclose in-house bickering between federal departments over promised aid to farmers hurt by a European Union trade pact. The agriculture department “pushed back” for “a stronger message” on compensation for dairy producers, documents show: "My question is, how does Canada prepare for trade talks?"
The equivalent of nearly half of Health Canada employees have contacted social workers for counselling on “psychological issues” and other worries, documents show. Only 12 percent of complainants said they were happy to go to work in the morning: "We do see trends".
The justice department in a classified memo says years of inadequate Legal Aid funding affected “a fundamental service for vulnerable Canadians”. The Memorandum For The Minister noted Canada spends less per capita on legal services for the poor than England or Australia: "It only works for people with money".
A financer called one of Canada's top investment bankers has been cited for failing to report more than $18 million in taxable income. A federal judge upheld 50 percent gross negligence penalties in the case of the “drive-by” tax return: 'He was willfully blind'.
An Olympian hailed for good sportsmanship has won a tax judgment against the Canada Revenue Agency. A federal judge ruled the Agency was wrong to levy late-file penalties against Lawrence Lemieux, hero of the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul: "I'm not one to ask for help".
