Bringing about a higher level of transparency and accountability in provincial and federal governments to help protect taxpayers from abuse
Websites for fraudulent telecommunications service providers based in the U.K. managed to squeeze $4.7 million out of federal coffers over five years before investigators with the Canada Revenue Agency caught on to the scheme.
The proceeds were put into Canadian banks, then transferred to offshore accounts or used in real estate transactions.
read more at canadianfraudnews.com
TORONTO — Ontario is on the hook for more than $100 million and counting to compensate teachers and education workers for violating their rights.
Deals have so far been struck to pay the Canadian Union of Public Employees, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
A judge ruled last year that the government “substantially interfered with meaningful collective bargaining” in 2012 legislation that imposed contracts on teachers and education workers.
read more at metronews.ca
FRAUD, abuse and errors in government programs had a cost of $136.7 billion in 2015, according to the Government Accountability Office.
In a nation where $2.8 trillion in annual assistance is paid out, that 95.6 percent accuracy rate is not good enough.
A crackdown is long overdue, and some states are showing how to address the problem.
Read more at whig.com
The Canadian government is revamping its advance income tax rulings process and restricting access to its voluntary disclosures program to better address tax evasion and aggressive tax avoidance, the country’s national revenue minister said.
Improvements to the Canada Revenue Agency’s audit process for multinational and large businesses, together with funding commitments of more than C$1 billion ($740 million) to fight tax evasion, are expected to help recover more than C$13 billion in taxes owing in the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2017, National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier said June 1.
Read more at bna.com
Canada took a gigantic leap last week toward realizing its self-identified role as a global human rights leader when Chrystia Freeland announced the government would back global Magnitsky legislation. When it passes, the legislation will empower the government to apply sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes, against the torturers, jailers and murderers of activists around the world.
The five-year battle to adopt this straightforward, yet powerful, legislation has faced serious pushback from Russian, Chinese and Iranian regime supporters and their economic allies in Canada. Sadly, for Canadians, lurking over the brave human rights crusader that they see in the national mirror, is the dark shadow of foreign economic interests.
Read more at thestar.com
The Liberal government today released the carbon-pricing scheme it will impose on any province or territory that, by spring 2018, doesn’t have its own comparable scheme in place.
As of today, 97 per cent of Canadians live in provinces that either already have a price on carbon pollution, or are planning and working toward it, Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said Thursday.
The three per cent of Canadians left out of that equation are in Saskatchewan – the one province that continues to hold out on signing on to the Trudeau government’s climate change plan.
read more at globalnews.ca
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s carbon pricing plan released Thursday by Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna is a political fraud.
It will not achieve the government’s promised industrial greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2020 or 2030.
It will increase the cost of living for Canadians, adding hundreds of dollars to their annual household bills, year after year.
The plan says that by 2022, we will be paying an estimated 11.6 cents more per litre of gas alone, solely due to carbon pricing.
read more at torontosun.com
Federal Crown corporations and government departments are spending tens of thousands of dollars each year at Ottawa’s elite Rideau Club.
According to documents tabled in the House of Commons, Crown corporations with business mandates topped the list of big spenders.
Once the place to see and be seen by top Ottawa business leaders and government mandarins, the Rideau Club’s popularity declined during Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government as spending by public servants came under more scrutiny.
The pricey private club atop a downtown Ottawa skyscraper is still popular among lobbyists and government relations professionals who often invite MPs to receptions at the Rideau Club on behalf of various industries.
read more at cbc.ca
OTTAWA, April 20, 2017 /CNW/ – The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the integrity of federal contracts and real property agreements.
A dedicated telephone tip line and online form to accept anonymous tips from Canadians who suspect fraud, collusion and corruption in federal government contracts and real property agreements is being launched today.
Unethical business practices in public procurement undermine fair competition, threaten the integrity of markets, increase the cost and risk of doing business, and undermine public confidence in government.
Those who witness or suspect unethical business practices in federal contracting, such as bid-rigging, price‑fixing, bribery, undisclosed conflict of interest and fraudulent contract schemes, can provide information anonymously by calling 1-844-365-1616 or by completing an online form.
In 2016, 1,137 members of York Regional Police (65 of whom are civilian members), whose membership totals 2,209, earned more than $100,000
·935 members have a base salary of more than $100,000
·There was no sick bank payout in 2016. Due to negotiations, the payout applicable to 2016 was paid in 2017 and will be reported in the 2017 tax year