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Tax collection agency looking to cut auditors
OTTAWA — The Canada Revenue Agency is planning to cut auditors at the same time it acknowledges difficulty in tracking and collecting billions of dollars in unreported income from domestic and...
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Federal government’s tax evaders whistleblower program delayed
OTTAWA — A whistleblower program announced last March by the federal government that would pay cash rewards to snitches with tips on tax evaders is several months overdue, and isn’t expected to be up...
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Federal government’s proposed branding strategy for Canada still a work in...
OTTAWA — “Impossible happens here.” That could easily be a tagline for Canadian politics in recent months, amid an ongoing Senate expenses scandal, protesters getting within arm’s reach of the prime...
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Government stonewalling on impact of budget cuts, watchdog says
OTTAWA — Nearly two years after a 2012 federal budget that announced $5.2 billion in cuts and eliminated 19,000 jobs, the Conservative government continues to stonewall the parliamentary budget...
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Julian Fantino apologizes for being late to meeting with veterans
OTTAWA – Under fire over his actions and facing demands that he resign, Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino apologized Wednesday for showing up late to a meeting with veterans and then walking...
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Satellite data sound alarm on safety of bitumen extraction
OTTAWA — Satellite imagery used by the federal government to review a major bitumen leak last year in Alberta has found the project’s steam-based extraction caused “measurable levels of ground...
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Axing tariffs has saved Canadians money, retail council concludes
OTTAWA – The federal government’s decision in last year’s budget to eliminate tariffs on baby clothing and sporting equipment is paying off with cheaper prices, and savings are being passed on to...
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Canada Job Grant program to proceed with or without provinces, finance...
OTTAWA — Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says the federal government will proceed with the controversial Canada Job Grant program with or without the provinces, serving notice to premiers that Ottawa...
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Harper government seeks extra $8.5 million for ad campaigns
OTTAWA — The Conservative government is seeking an extra $8.5 million in the current 2013-14 fiscal year for more federal advertising initiatives, including its “Economic Action Plan” ads,...
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Feds need to do more to fight climate change, finds deputy ministers’ report
OTTAWA — A secret report from a committee of federal deputy ministers stresses the need for the federal government to further combat climate change and manage the risks that threaten Canadian...
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Main estimates: Budget cuts pressing down on federal departments
OTTAWA – The Conservative government’s billions of dollars in budget reductions and efforts to eliminate the deficit are firmly taking hold across federal departments and agencies, new spending...
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Cuts to StatsCan won’t harm its mandate, government argues
OTTAWA — The Conservative government says a major review of how Statistics Canada collects its data is necessary because multiple federal departments often gather the same information, and it argues a...
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Former federal minister Vic Toews appointed judge in Manitoba
OTTAWA – Former senior Conservative cabinet minister Vic Toews has been appointed by the federal government to the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench. Toews, a former public safety minister and justice...
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Federal program spending to plunge by $9.7 billion in next fiscal year,...
OTTAWA — A new report from Parliament’s budget watchdog shows years of major spending cuts by the Conservative government are being felt across departments, but also cautions about an increasing lack...
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Cost of Marc Nadon’s Supreme Court nomination: $245K, plus salary
OTTAWA — The Conservative government spent approximately $245,000 on the selection process to get Marc Nadon onto the Supreme Court of Canada — only to have the top court rule he’s not eligible. The...
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Union takes federal government to court over who has right to strike
OTTAWA — The country’s largest federal public sector union is taking the Conservative government to court over legislative changes in last fall’s budget bill that block strikes by federal workers...
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Federal budget bill targets right to strike, public service union charges
OTTAWA — Canada’s largest federal public sector union says changes included in the government’s new sweeping budget bill would erode workers’ right to strike by effectively ripping up agreements over...
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Victim’s Voices to be Heard in Canadian Courts
Cretins, crooks, and convicts beware… the days of focusing on your hurts, habits and hang-ups will soon be superseded by a new Bill of Rights for victims, courtesy of Bill C-32, the Conservative...
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Federal government posts $5.1-billion surplus in February; could balance the...
OTTAWA — The federal government posted a whopping budget surplus of $5.1 billion in February 2014 — the third consecutive month with a surplus — meaning the 2013-14 deficit is only $5.4 billion with...
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Stephen Harper’s dispute with chief justice exposes frustration with top court
OTTAWA — An unprecedented public dispute between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada has laid bare the federal government’s frustration with the court’s...
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Federal government looks to trim paper consumption
OTTAWA — Sometimes it takes a forest to power the bureaucratic jungle. Newly released reports on plans and priorities for dozens of federal departments and agencies show paper-loving bureaucrats are...
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Bad branding: Federal panel’s demise adds to image of clandestine governance
The following opinion column was written by David McLaughlin, former president and CEO of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy: The teapot tempest surrounding the demise last...
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Federal government faces $3.5-billion severance payout, reports show
OTTAWA — The federal government expects to pay more than $3.5 billion in accumulated severance over three years to public servants who remain in their jobs, retired, quit, were fired or laid off. Newly...
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Canada Revenue Agency wants to probe accounts linked to tax havens
OTTAWA — The embattled Canada Revenue Agency says it will investigate the files of potentially hundreds of Canadians included in a massive leak of financial information for alleged accounts in offshore...
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Canadian government vows to ferret out offshore tax haven records
OTTAWA — Under fire to do more to combat tax evasion, Revenue Minister Gail Shea says the federal government will use all legal means available — which could include taking the CBC to court — to obtain...
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Debate over tariffs on bicycles, baby carriages, coffins continues to simmer
OTTAWA — Never before have iPods, baby carriages, bicycles, school supplies, coffee makers and coffins been so politically charged. The Conservative government’s decision to raise tariffs on thousands...
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Canada Revenue Agency’s uncollected tax debt up by 60 per cent since 2006 audit
OTTAWA — The Canada Revenue Agency’s total uncollected tax debt has soared about 60 per cent to $29 billion in the last seven years, at the same time the cost of “doubtful accounts” unlikely to be...
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Canadarm unveiled at museum, but first Canadian in space Garneau feels snubbed
OTTAWA — Marc Garneau, the first Canadian in space, is “ticked off” and says he feels insulted he wasn’t invited to Thursday’s unveiling of the permanent Canadarm exhibit at the Canada Aviation and...
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No personal comments about us, Statistics Canada warns employees
OTTAWA — Number-crunchers at Statistics Canada are expected to refrain from making personal comments about the organization and government, including on social media and during their personal time, as...
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Tories, under fire for ads, seek $20M to run additional campaigns
OTTAWA — As the federal government comes under fire for running its economic action plan ads during the NHL playoffs, the Conservatives are asking for $20 million in new cash for a series of ad...
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Canadians have $170B stashed in top 12 global tax havens
OTTAWA — Canadians have stashed a staggering $170 billion in the top 12 global tax havens around the world, says a watchdog group that is calling on the federal government to do more to combat offshore...
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Enemies of the state: The (almost) Complete List
Like many of you, I was shocked to hear that a member of the Prime Minister’s Office had sent an email asking staff in other ministers’ offices to compile lists of “enemy stakeholders.” This did not...
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Federal public service pension board executives’ earnings rise by half to $16...
OTTAWA — The five top-paid executives at the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, a federal Crown corporation, were awarded more than $16 million in total compensation for the 2013 fiscal year — a...
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Why Prime Minister Stephen Harper steers clear of premiers’ meetings
OTTAWA — Provincial leaders meeting this week are calling for a new infrastructure strategy, reforming or abolishing the Senate, enriching the Canada Pension Plan and overhauling Ottawa’s proposed jobs...
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Stop closing post offices, NDP and union demand
OTTAWA — As Canada Post cautions Canadians about fundamental changes coming to its services, the official Opposition NDP and postal workers’ union are raising concerns about continued closings of post...
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Canada’s hard line on drugs contrasts with Latin American shift in tone
OTTAWA — Canada‘s steadily increasing role in the U.S.-led war on drugs is bumping up against calls for change in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Conservative government has made tackling drug...
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Government relaxes new green-light-bulb rules
OTTAWA — What’s retro could be new again in light fixtures across Canada. The Conservative government is easing Canada’s energy efficiency regulations for light bulbs, in a move that will align...
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As National Defence looks to cut costs, it faces tough decisions on the...
OTTAWA — An auditor general’s report to be released this fall on the federal government’s vaunted national shipbuilding plan is expected to blow last year’s F-35 stealth fighter controversy out of the...
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Federal auditors found $1.5 billion in ‘significant’ defence department...
OTTAWA — Federal auditors found “significant” accounting errors worth an estimated $1.5 billion during a routine study of the Defence Department’s books last year, never-before-released documents show....
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Panda-monium: Panda diplomacy continues for Canada
It has seemingly become a mandatory photo op for federal government ministers travelling to China — cuddling up with an adorable panda. Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Foreign Minister John Baird and...
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Brazil spy allegations pose yet another hurdle for Canadian firms operating...
OTTAWA — Canada’s alleged spying on Brazil’s mines and energy ministry could prove the latest political and economic headache for Canadian extractive companies already encountering problems operating...
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Opposition, unions say watered down labour code will endanger Canadian workers
OTTAWA — New federal labour code regulations introduced in the Conservative government’s fall budget bill will gut health and safety protections for Canadian workers and make it more difficult for...
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Rising writeoffs cost Ottawa over $4B last year
OTTAWA — The federal government wrote off or dismissed more than $4 billion last fiscal year in money it was owed — a 38-per-cent increase from just two years ago — at a time it has been trying to...
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Baird newspaper column critical of President Hassan Rouhani sparks angry...
OTTAWA — A new war of words has broken out between Canada and Iran after Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird criticized the Islamic Republic’s new president Thursday, and his Iranian counterpart fired...
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Injured Canadian Forces members could be front of the line for other public...
OTTAWA — Veterans injured in the line of duty could soon find themselves at the front of the line when it comes to federal job openings thanks to a proposal unveiled by the Conservative government...
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Jason Kenney calls for Rob Ford’s resignation after bringing ‘dishonour’ to...
OTTAWA — One of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s top cabinet ministers is calling on Toronto Mayor Rob Ford to resign after bringing “dishonour” to Canada’s largest city — as some differing opinions...
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Federal government losing data that should be available to public, watchdog...
OTTAWA — A recommendation by Canada’s information watchdog that federal institutions disable instant messaging on government-issued wireless devices is “nonsensical,” says Treasury Board President...
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UN disarmament rep Angela Kane encourages Canada to approve arms trade treaty
OTTAWA — The UN’s top disarmament chief is encouraging Canada to sign an international arms trade treaty, disputing the gun lobby’s suggestions that the agreement will hurt lawful gun owners. “It does...
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Want federal tax relief? Here’s what it would cost taxpayers
OTTAWA — As the Conservative government promises to balance the books in 2015 and eyes more tax relief heading into the next election, a new analysis from the Parliamentary Budget Officer shows how...
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Canada Post’s pension shortfall just the tip of multibillion-dollar headache...
OTTAWA – Canada Post’s $6.5-billion pension shortfall is just a fraction of the more than $150 billion in unfunded pension liabilities facing the federal government for its employee pension plans,...
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