Cabinet is paying out millions of dollars in grants to small religious weeklies under an application-only subsidy operated by Heritage Canada. The Canadian Jewish News received $1.8 million in four years though its circulation numbers only 33,000 readers. The Western Catholic Reporter received $1.5 million: "It never occurred to me the Canadian government would fund newspapers".
Transport Canada is being cited by an industry group for a poor job in mandating safety systems in civil aviation. The Northern Air Transport Association said the agency has been impacted by budget cuts: "Has it eliminated crashes? Hard to say".
VIA Rail is hiring tax consultants to help increase its pension revenues. The Crown corporation has forecast a 16% increase in pension contributions this year amid declining passenger revenues: 'There is pressure on the bottom line'.
Canadians appear unenthusiastic over interracial marriage despite a higher level of diversity than most industrialized countries. A Statistics Canada review found fewer than 5 percent of couples include a member of a different visible minority group: "We think of Canada as being so diverse".
Cabinet is being urged to give speedy approval to adjustments on diminishing Great Lakes water levels to save 64,000 acres of wetlands. The International Joint Commission proposed new regulations on the release of water: "It does it free of charge".
Federal surveillance agencies have cut a fraction of the jobs eliminated at Canada Post, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Parks Canada, VIA Rail and other agencies in a government-wide austerity drive, records show. One spy agency cut a total 10 jobs in the past two years compared to 4,000 at the post office: "Wake up".
A bill introduced in the Commons would restrict fictitious tax-avoidance deals in the long wake of a Supreme Court judgment. MP Murray Rankin introduced the bill requiring that courts apply a “substance” test to tax schemes: "We are out of step with other countries".
Cabinet must go further in disclosing everyday information to Canadians, says a Commons committee. MPs recommended casting a wider mandate under the federal Open Data initiative started three years ago: "We are miles and miles away from it".
Canada Revenue has lost a Tax Court battle against a woman who claimed winter holidays as a medical expense. Even a federal judge noted the trips appeared to be vacations, but faulted tax authorities for failing to make their case: "I leave this issue for another day".
In a further sign of a mediocre economy, the number of unemployed per job vacancy has grown nationwide. Statistics Canada counted 6.8 jobless for every vacant position, compared to 6.3 a year ago: "That is a bad sign".
MPs propose a national education campaign on music theft, but stopped short of approving a copyright fee on digital audio recorders. The conclusions came in a report by the Commons heritage committee: "Obviously there's still illegal downloading going on".
Delinquent mortgages sent to bill collectors by federal insurers averaged $12 million a month last year, new data show. Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation is now contracting new debt collectors with the promise of 1% bonuses over the next four years: "The bonus is to stimulate collections".
Canada must beware of complacency over ballooning trade deficits in some food processing sectors, says a national think-tank. The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute said the deficit in goods like wine and pizza will hit $6.8 billion this year: 'An increasing proportion is controlled by international firms'.
MPs propose more detailed study of rail insurance including whether shippers must pay more dangerous cargo. The Commons transport committee says liability questions linger nearly a year after the fatal Lac-Mégantic derailment: "Just asking that question implies making a major change in the status quo".
Finance Canada says sales taxes on electronic downloads are “difficult” but will not commit to repealing the GST. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation called the tax unfair, noting foreign-based firms like Netflix are exempt while Canadian cable providers like Rogers are not: "What's the point?"
