Imperial Oil pays less tax today than it did in 1960. Bus drivers pay more. In this statistic we see the case for Inequality and the Fading of Redistributive Politics. Editors and contributors from leading universities document a phenomenon with scientific precision. Canada’s rich are definitely richer, the poor are not really much poorer, but recent years have put the middle class in a vise-like squeeze. In response Parliament passed a bill offering tax credits for hot tubs.
Canada Post is being flayed for its rollout of plans to suspend home mail delivery nationwide. MPs and authorities in the first communities to see service cuts complained of a lack of consultation: "It tells me they don't give a rat's ass".
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case of stock losses triggered by misleading media reports. The appeal in a Québec class-action lawsuit followed a 2010 incident in which a pharmaceutical firm saw trading suspended based on speculative reports its latest drug was a bust.
A U.S. trade practice blamed for more than $5 billion in Canadian losses is expected to drag into next year without resolution. Exporters expressed irritation with the process that’s already seen six years of protests, hearings and lawsuits: "It is taking much longer than we believe it should".
Federal regulators have approved payment of cash for news at CBC-TV, calling it a management responsibility. The CRTC dismissed a public complaint over a $97,729 payment from Parks Canada to have CBC cover an exclusive story two years ago: “Broadcasters are responsible for the content they air".
Cabinet will enact new regulations next Wednesday in a bid to stem the spread of a pig-killing virus confirmed in three provinces to date. The virus is raising fears of the 2003 mad cow outbreak that cost the cattle industry $6.3 billion: "It's a national event".
Price swings in the billion-dollar lobster sector will make it very difficult to sell in new markets, says an industry group. The Fisheries Council told a Commons committee lobster marketing remains a problem due to up and down pricing: "The marketplace hates that. Retailers hate it. Food services hate it”.
Spammers, marketers and firms suspected of violating commercial law are targeted under a cybercrime bill, confidential records show. Department of Justice briefing notes disclose the legislation, depicted as targeting child pornographers and drug lords, was also planned to aid Competition Bureau attorneys: "Can we be cynical with reason?"
Parks Canada and other agencies spent millions on a three-week search for 19th century Arctic shipwrecks, confidential accounts show. The expensive mission came amid cuts in national parks budgets and unfunded maintenance for historic sites: "This smacks of public relations to me".
Police have a constitutional right to conduct random Breathalyzer tests of drivers leaving a liquor store parking lot since it’s “not as if the officer had targeted a daycare or church”, an Ontario court has ruled. The judgment comes as MPs consider legislating random breath testing: "At issue here is only location targeting".
Transport Canada’s fleet of oil spill surveillance aircraft will remain at three planes to spy three oceans, the Great Lakes and 243,000 km of coastline. However officials promise to spend more time in the air: 'We feel that any risks can be mitigated'.
Refits of puncture-prone tank cars like those in the Lac-Mégantic disaster will take years to complete, warns a Transport Canada panel. Authorities recommend a feasibility study on getting rid of unsafe cars: "The longer those cars are out there, the longer they will be a danger to the public".
A 149-year tradition in Government of Canada cheques will end in 2016 with the substitution of paper payments by prepaid cards, officials say. The Receiver General said anyone receiving a paper cheque for tax refunds, pension or benefits will automatically be switched to prepaid cards: “The question is, are we changing the nature of cash?”
Mounties attempting to unionize say they're optimistic the Supreme Court will lift a 94-year ban on collective bargaining in the federal force. The Mounted Police Professional Association of Canada noted the RCMP remains the only civilian police force forbidden by executive order from joining a union: "We're seeking equal treatment".
The CBC did not pay the Canadian Coast Guard for a “fun” Arctic cruise aboard an icebreaker for anchorman Peter Mansbridge and a television crew, authorities confirm. Memos show the government put the vessel at the network's disposal for a 2012 TV story, though policy states no media are to get a free ride: 'The Coast Guard did not charge journalists'.
