Description: A few months ago, Canada Post was crying poor, predicting it would lose over $270 million before taxes. In this climate of loss, Canada Post announced an end to home delivery of mail in an effort to cut costs. This past week, however, Canada Post announced it has income of over $80 million for… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Canadian Government
Full disclosure; still waiting
Description: Canadian banks have improved their disclosures since the financial crisis. But these improvements may not have gone far enough. For instance, many investors may know that bankers have lobbied our federal government concerning its attention to transaction fees on credit cards. Yet, because of the banks’ disclosure practices, many of these same investors would… Read more »
And speaking of corruption . . .
Description: Canadian companies have been lobbying the federal government to delay implementing its new anti-corruption rules. Public Works and Government Services Canada has been threatening to de-list suppliers – including major names such as HP and Siemens – for up to 10 years because of convictions for corruption in foreign countries. Public Works points out… Read more »
Just in case
Description: With oil prices continuing to head south, resource companies have to reconsider their capital plans. Recently, Canada Natural Resources Ltd (CNRL) announced that it may be required to revisit its over $8 billion capital budget in the face of these resource price declines. Investors threaten to punish energy companies that do not show themselves nimble… Read more »
Foreign beer giants block small brewers
Description: Ontario has 90 craft beer makers. Although they control only 5% of the market, these small brewers provide 30% of the employment in the industry. You would think that encouraging this market segment would be something the government would want to do. But the Beer Store, an effective monopoly controlled by 3 large foreign owned… Read more »
Listening to the AG
Description: One thing that emerged from reflection following the tragedy on Parliament Hill was an observation that the Auditor General of Canada had recommended changes to Parliamentary security in a 2012 report. The Auditor General had recommended one united security force for Parliament, but this, and other, recommendations had not been implemented yet. In… Read more »
Sorry – can’t tell you what that cost
Description: I once had a boss who said one of the problems with a government he worked for was the weakness of its cost accounting systems. I was reminded of that once again this past week when I read about our federal government not disclosing the cost for reorganizing Elections Canada. The stated reasons for… Read more »