Cabinet will introduce a bill mandating balanced budgets as promised two years ago, says the Department of Finance. An official said the legislation is being prepared, but provided few details: "They wouldn't know a balanced budget if it slapped them in the face".
Senators are disputing CBC figures that the Crown corporation is one of the world’s most cash-starved public broadcasters. Data commissioned by the CBC estimated per capita funding is the equivalent of $33, one-third the rate in the U.K. and half the subsidy paid in France: "I am disappointed".
A federal bill capping $1 billion corporate liability in case of oil spills or nuclear accidents falls short of actual costs incurred in eco-catastrophes, critics warn. The legislation is the first update of its kind in liability limits since 1986: 'If a company won't pay, that comes back to the taxpayers'.
Railways have been “hung out to dry” for dysfunction in grain shipping with blame rightly resting with regulators and grain companies, says a former Canadian Wheat Board director. Delegates to an Ottawa policy conference were told grain companies pocketed $3.1 billion amid 2014 shipping delays: 'The ones hurt the worst were powerless'.
The Canadian Wheat Board has sold its landmark head office in Winnipeg in anticipation of full privatization. A board official confirmed the sale but would not disclose the price. The property is valued at $15.6 million by city tax assessors: 'We're finalizing our privatization plan'.
CBC journalists took VIP rides aboard government-chartered aircraft as guests of a Conservative minister for stories lauding cabinet’s environmental leadership. The junkets were arranged by Parks Canada at public expense. Journalists who took the trips declined interviews: “We get the ride of a lifetime”.
A federal anti-spam program is running under-budget. Accounts obtained through Access To Information indicate costs are $11.4 million a year, nine percent less than forecast when cabinet passed its anti-spam bill four years ago: 'Spam is still the main vehicle for online threats'.
MPs will revive a five-year old debate on editing the national anthem to remove a reference to “sons” of Canada. A similar cabinet proposal was earlier abandoned amid public protest: "My job now is to round up Conservative votes".
A looming deadline that will see thousands of foreign workers expelled from Canada is unlikely to result in any significant rise in migrants’ applications for permanent residency, says a York University analyst. Cabinet yesterday proposed a "bridging visa" to assist some foreign workers affected by the April 1 cut-off: "This is a little tweak to assist people".
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz is dismissing industry complaints over subsidies for a shippers’ audit of railway performance. Canadian Pacific Rail Co. described the funding as unconscionable: "Details are important".
A confidential Department of Agriculture report faults farmers as lacking higher education, and Canadian food processors for stinting on research and development. The undated research prepared for deputy ministers was obtained through Access To Information: "These low skill levels are an impediment".
The Supreme Court is ordering lower courts to reconsider three challenges of a federal austerity law that capped public employee wage increases. The challenges were brought by CBC staff in Québec and dockyard workers in British Columbia: "It's unusual".
Cabinet will not indicate when it will introduce a pre-election bill and regulations to comply with Supreme Court orders on union rights. The 41st Parliament is scheduled to adjourn June 23 in anticipation of an autumn campaign: "We will be moving forward in the future".
A restaurant chain has lost a federal lawsuit over Employment Canada’s refusal to grant permits to hire full-time migrant workers. The Federal Court ruled employers should try harder to find part-time Canadian students, though it may cost more: "The program was not intended to be used as a means to allow employers to change industry standards".
Parliament must regulate an “imbalance” in the rail system to improve service for shippers, according to a Liberal motion in the Commons. The appeal follows complaints that Canadian National Railway Co. and Canadian Pacific failed to meet cabinet quotas on grain deliveries: "The rail lines are just moving what is quickest and easiest".
