A parliamentary report on the impact of cabinet’s carbon tax is due in February, says the chair of the Senate energy committee. The study, the first of five, will weigh the impact on electricity rates of a $50 per tonne tax on carbon emissions: "Nobody talks about the costs."
The Bank of Canada knowingly purchased banknotes from an Australian supplier implicated in a corruption scandal, according to an Access To Information memo. Management feared questions in the press or Parliament “as to why the Bank of Canada would be in business with such a firm.”
Genetically modified fish should not require mandatory labeling despite findings of federal consumer surveys, says the Commons agriculture committee. MPs yesterday rejected labels on engineered Atlantic salmon to be sold in Canadian supermarkets within two years: "This is very worrying."
The Senate last night took up Third Reading debate of a bill sanctioning first-ever roadside tests of drug-impaired drivers. A federal task force today will detail its recommendations to cabinet on legalizing marijuana: "Victims are counting on us."
The Department of Canadian Heritage is introducing a new media subsidy – for university students. The department, after warning of the bankruptcy of the nation’s largest newspaper chain, said it must “encourage the next generation of young Canadian publishers.”
A bill mandating prompt payment for federal contractors could become law in 2017, says its Senate sponsor. Cabinet has said it’s reviewing the legislation guaranteeing prompt payments to all trades and contractors on public works: "People are going bankrupt."
MPs seek to amend a cabinet bill on management of large private corporations. The bill should target “out-of-control executive compensation,” said one legislator: "The Government of Canada can and should address this problem."
Career criminals typically cost taxpayers $1.4 million by age 30, says the Department of Public Safety. Federal researchers based the estimate on demographic data drawn from federal inmates: "I’ve come across individuals who’ve spent 20 or 30 years behind bars, so you can add up the costs."
Cabinet proposes to list a common soap additive as environmentally toxic. Manufacturers import 100,000 kilograms of triclosan annually, by official estimate. Environmental groups and the Canadian Medical Association have sought a triclosan ban since 2009: "Triclosan meets the environmental criterion for a toxic substance."
Cabinet in an unusual concession is offering to delay full enactment of a budget bill amid Senate protests. Lawmakers yesterday threatened to remove a clause exempting banks from provincial consumer protection laws. The Senate hasn’t defeated a budget bill since 1993: "We are trying to find a way forward."
The Commons last night unanimously passed a motion to investigate pornography, the first federal initiative of its kind since 1985. Proponents said Parliament should be prepared to regulate the internet: "It has to stop."
MPs have completed a report on whether to mandate labeling of Canada's first genetically-modified animal protein. A final decision will rest with Health Canada, said the chair of the Commons agriculture committee: "My personal opinion is eventually it will be."
A bill to raise Canada Pension Plan premiums is closer to law following endorsement yesterday by the Senate social affairs committee. Union executives and the National Pensioners Federation support the bill; a small business group called it a “bulldozer” that will hurt employers: "Nothing is perfect."
Cabinet continues to ignore the Fisheries Act by licensing new pipelines and advocating hydroelectric dams to meet climate change targets, says a leading Canadian researcher. The remarks came on the last day of Commons fisheries committee hearings on a new Act to be introduced in 2017: 'It's business as usual.'
Senators are considering amendments to a bank-friendly budget bill that exempts the nation’s largest financial institutions from provincial consumer protection laws. The Senate will also vote on whether to investigate the bank-funded Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: "We know about the power of the banks in this country."
