Budget cuts threaten access to information, watchdog says

Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault reported today that the federal government's budget cuts could jeopardize a "fragile" access to information system that has been improving.

Legault's report, the third in a series on delays in responding to information requests, showed that a majority of government departments she investigated have improved since her first report in 2008-09, but there are still many concerns.

"While the overall results are initially positive and encouraging, I remain concerned that the system as a whole is fragile. The cuts announced in the latest budget challenged all departments and institutions to scrutinize every corner of their operations to save money," said Legault at a news conference.

Mercury contaminating bird eggs in oilsands region: Environment Canada

OTTAWA — Environment Canada scientists have observed evidence of toxic contamination of wildlife upstream from Alberta's natural bitumen deposits that coincides with the oilsands industry's expansion, Environment Minister Peter Kent was told last summer.

According to internal documents obtained by Postmedia News, the government was urged to investigate recent scientific observations of a 40 per cent increase of mercury in bird eggs, considered to be a key environmental indicator of contamination of the natural ecosystems.

"Environment Canada has already undertaken contaminants monitoring in wildlife and that work is continuing," said an internal document outlining the government's communications plan for the launch of its oilsands monitoring initiative from last July. "We have seen an increased exposure of mercury in bird eggs which is why more research is required to evaluate trends and sources of the contamination."

The Commons: Peter Kent promises two hours of enlightenment, delivers only one

The Scene. The Honourable Thomas Edward Siddon, our 36th minister of fisheries, he haunts us still.

“Mr. Speaker, former Conservative fisheries minister Thomas Siddon is again sounding the alarm on the Conservatives’ Trojan Horse bill,” the NDP’s Nathan Cullen reported this afternoon. “Last night he testified that he deplored this attack on environmental protection and that rushing these changes through is ‘not becoming of a Conservative government.’ His message to the Prime Minister was clear, ‘Take your time, get it right.’ Will the Prime Minister take the advice of his Conservative colleague? Will he split this reckless bill and allow for proper study?”

The government would eventually take to quoting something Mr. Siddon had said in 1986 in an attempt to cancel out what Mr. Siddon said last night, but the Prime Minister opted here to boast only of his own government’s magnanimousness. “Mr. Speaker, in fact, the particular set of changes in the economic action plan will have more committee study than any budget bill in recent history by quite a magnitude,” Mr. Harper claimed.

Federal Budget 2012: Canadian government plans to scrap fair wages law

OTTAWA—Hidden in the Conservatives’ massive budget legislation is a measure removing the federal fair wages act — another in a flurry of measures by the Harper government that critics say will keep wages low for a middle-class that has seen little improvement in income for decades.

Scrapping the wages act is one of approximately 70 changes to federal law crammed into the 425-page budget bill. The move went largely unnoticed until spotted by New Democrat MP Pat Martin a few days ago.

Known in full as the Fair Wages and Hours of Labour Act, the law requires contractors who have been awarded federal government construction projects to pay their workers the prevailing wage in the region as well as overtime.

Whistle-blowers, war criminals and the extradition of Julian Assange

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's protracted effort to fight extradition to Sweden suffered a body blow this week. Britain's Supreme Court upheld the arrest warrant, issued in December 2010. After the court announced its split 5-2 decision, the justices surprised many legal observers by granting Assange's lawyers an opportunity to challenge their decision -- the first such reconsideration since the high-profile British extradition case from more than a decade ago against former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. The decision came almost two years to the day after Pvt. Bradley Manning was arrested in Iraq for allegedly leaking hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. government documents to Wikileaks. The cases remind us that all too often whistle-blowers suffer, while war criminals walk.

Quebec student talks collapse and more protests loom

The Quebec government has pulled out of talks with student leaders meant to end the province's months-long tuition crisis.

Premier Jean Charest said a "big gap" remains between the province and students on the issue, and he's "the first to be disappointed" at the lack of a deal.

Student leaders, however, say the government is image-obsessed and is refusing their cost-neutral proposals because it doesn't want to lose face over the issue.

Bev Oda refuses to explain tinkering with expense claims

International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda refused to reveal Thursday whether she has reimbursed the government for more of her international travel, after some of her expense claims were modified.

Ms. Oda paid back the government last month after it was revealed by The Canadian Press that she had rejected one five-star hotel in London in favour of the swankier Savoy at double the cost.

She had also used the services of a car and driver at a cost of $1,000 a day, and purchased a $16 bottle of hotel orange juice.

Oil pricing loses the ‘fear premium’

Oil producers have been hit by the biggest monthly price drop since the beginning of the Great Recession and see little prospect for a significant upturn, short of sharply escalating tensions in the Middle East.

Crude prices haven’t hit rock bottom as natural gas did earlier this year when producers faced financial losses and were forced to shut in production. But investors have pummelled oil company share prices in recognition that stellar first-quarter results will not be repeated.

Oil markets are being driven by increased anxiety about recession in Europe and an economic slowdown in China, as well surging North American production that has sent inventories to 22-year highs in the United States.

Quebec tuition talks collapse; province braces for more protests

Quebec is bracing for social unrest after talks with the government to settle the tuition fee strike broke down and student organizations vowed massive demonstrations in response to the collapse.

Four days of negotiations ended in an impasse on Thursday when Premier Jean Charest’s government refused to budge on its plan to increase tuition fees. It was likely the last chance for an immediate resolution to the social crisis that has gripped the province for almost four months.

Mr. Charest appealed for calm.

“We made important efforts. And we now see that we are at an impasse. So what happens now? We hope that in the coming weeks it will be a period of calm,” Mr. Charest said, ruling out calling a snap election to settle the conflict. “Ultimately, there will be an election some time over the next 18 months. And it will be in a democratic context for us to express ourselves on these issues.”

Awed by oil sands, Mulcair calls for more environmental oversight

Precisely one thing surprised Thomas Mulcair on his visit to Alberta: the scale of the oil sands.

During his first visit, including a helicopter flight over several oil sands mines, to a region he has criticized, Mr. Mulcair was overwhelmed by the “awe-inspiring” display.

He stopped short, however, of calling the mines dirty.

“These are extraordinary undertakings on a human scale. I mean, they’re massive,” Mr. Mulcair said. “It’s extraordinarily impressive, but it also brings with it real challenges. Real challenges that if we don’t assume in this generation, we’re going to bear in future generations.”