CBC supporters are accused of deflecting blame for the network’s troubles on federal lawmakers. The advocacy group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting in a fundraising letter accused cabinet of scheming to “kill” the Crown broadcaster as CBC management announced hundreds of job cuts: "Shameful".
A new bill would veto CPP payments for reasons unrelated to an applicant's qualifications. A Conservative MP proposed to deny CPP death benefits to claimants who kill their benefactors. The bill follows years of study by regulators: "I don't think this is very controversial".
Media should get their facts straight on climate change, says a former Environment Canada official. Dr. Gordon McBean told reporters that newsrooms must focus on decades of scientific research confirming global warming: "There is no question".
Parliament has failed to budget anywhere near the actual cost of cleaning up contaminated industrial and military sites, a federal report shows. The Budget Office said environmental damage from Yukon to Labrador will reach $3.9 billion and is growing annually: "We know that they exist".
The Senate has passed a bill to end a 173-year tradition of publishing new regulations for public scrutiny. Critics cautioned the legislation will allow cabinet to rewrite rules without plainly disclosing their scope and impact: "This is death by a thousand cuts".
The Commons has passed a bill that would make it easier to decertify unions at airports, railways, marine shippers and other federally-regulated workplaces: "I have to wonder about the real motivations behind it".
MPs are appealing for an extension of the April 30 tax deadline. It follows Canada Revenue's closure of its entire electronic filing system over security fears. Revenue Minister Kerry-Lynne Findlay noted she has yet to file her own tax return: "They can't even get that right".
Poor ratings at CBC-TV make subsidies a hard sell, a Senate committee has been told. The remarks followed an ACTRA appeal for more CBC support: "Unfortunately ratings are the only thing that we have".
The nation’s postmasters are questioning whether federal cuts will lead to privatization of Canada Post. The Postmasters and Assistants Association in a report noted new cuts follow little-noticed service reductions in many rural districts: "Canada Post doesn't seem to be big on consultation".
The federal anti-trust agency says it would consider a code of conduct on the grocery trade. The remarks by Commissioner of Competition John Pecman follow approval of billion-dollar corporate mergers in food retailing: "This requires new oversight".
Parliament must revoke an “open line of credit” granted cabinet in a little-noticed federal bill, a Senate committee has been told. Senator Wilfred Moore appealed for curbs on cabinet's authority to borrow without consulting legislators: "Canadians will be on the hook".
MPs have failed to agree on the impact of a Canada-E.U.trade pact five months after cabinet signed the tentative deal. A Conservative majority on the Commons agriculture committee issued a report praising the treaty, with New Democrats saying they remain "cautious".
Cabinet has watered down a privacy bill, granting companies new powers to keep and share Canadians’ personal information without their knowledge or consent. Authorities declined interviews on the bill introduced in the Senate: "Too often the privacy rights of individuals are displaced by organizations' business needs".
A European ban on Canadian seal products has “effectively decimated” the commercial industry, the trade department confirms. Authorities said seal exports once worth millions have collapsed under the weight of negative publicity: 'What if they put a camera in a butcher shop?'
The Canadian Teachers’ Federation is appealing for a ban on unpaid internships, and changes to the way Statistics Canada calculates youth unemployment. The federation told a Commons committee joblessness is not accurately captured by traditional methods: "All people should be able to earn a living wage".
