Check your junk mail? Ottawa's anti-spam rules still missing

If you're wondering what happened to the Conservative government's much-publicized anti-spam law, you're not alone.

Many consumers and opposition MPs want to know why the legislation, passed two years ago, still is not in force.

"I think that this demonstrates that the Conservative government doesn't take privacy issues seriously," said NDP MP Charmaine Borg, who notes that another piece of legislation, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act that also governs the Privacy Commissioner's Office, is overdue for a review by Parliament.

"So we're seeing this constant lateness and meanwhile technology continues to evolve and there's new threats that are posed and citizens are more and more concerned about their privacy online."

The federal government has been studying how to fight unsolicited email since 2004.

Canada's Anti-Spam Act, passed in December 2010, aims to regulate all forms of commercial electronic communication including tweets and text messages.

Among other measures, it would prohibit businesses from sending messages to customers without their consent, require them to have an easy mechanism to allow people to unsubscribe and gives the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission the power to enforce the law and impose penalties of up to $1 million for individuals and $10 million for organizations.

"This law will allow the CRTC in particular to take action against unsolicited spam, malware and botnets," said the CRTC's chief compliance and enforcement officer Andrea Rosen. She adds the commission's powers would also extend beyond Canada's borders.

"If the spammer is offshore, we have the ability under the law to co-operate with foreign governments, to share information and to bring proceedings together against individuals that are offshore," Rosen said.

Rosen said the CRTC finalized its regulations in March 2012 and has set up a Spam Reporting Centre where consumers will be able to lodge complaints. She said the commission is ready to enforce the law, once it comes into force.

The holdup is with Industry Canada.

Consultation on regulations continues

No one at the department agreed to be interviewed, but in an emailed response to questions from CBC News, a spokesperson explained that Industry Canada received "significant input" to its first set of draft regulations in August 2011 and is "currently finalizing a new set of draft regulations for pre-publication, which will include a second round of public consultation."

Tricia Kuhl, a corporate, commercial and technology lawyer at Blakes in Montreal, says the legislation is shaping up to be the world's toughest anti-spam law.

"My clients are saying the government has gone too far because it's onerous, it's burdensome, it might actually end up crippling their business because they're unable now to reach certain clients they want to reach," she said.

Kuhl points to one of the proposed rules that would prevent organizations from sending email to clients after two years, unless there was new business. She says a five-year time frame would be more reasonable.

"Businesses are grappling with the difficulty of how they're going to actually get consent from people who actually want to receive their emails or prospective clients they need to reach."

At the rate things are going now, Kuhl says she doesn't expect the law to come into force until late 2013 at the earliest.

That doesn't sit well with Joanna Blink, a Toronto woman who says she gets a lot of unsolicited email. "Pass a law, make it so and get on with it. Do something about it."

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Idle No More spreading beyond Canada's borders

The aboriginal movement known as Idle No More continued to gain strength beyond Canada's borders on Tuesday as activists embarked on a public relations blitz in the United States.

Pamela Palmater, one of the leaders of the movement, travelled to Washington, D.C. to give interviews to the U.S. media. She said the goal of the media campaign was to raise awareness internationally and force Prime Minister Stephen Harper to act.

"The idea is to put pressure on the Canadian government to pay attention and come to the table," Palmater said by phone. "I was invited to come down and do some media about Idle No More, basically answer questions about why it's spreading into the United States."

In addition to recent events held across Canada, rallies have already been staged as far off as Texas, Hawaii and New Zealand with plans for more in the coming days.

'Idle No More feels that any acts that are not in line with peace and solidarity only detract attention from our ultimate mission.'—Idle No More official statement

Palmater said Chief Theresa Spence's hunger strike, now in its fourth week, is part of a much larger protest movement.

The initial spark was the federal government's omnibus budget legislation but it has now become about broader issues like inequality and treaty rights, she said.

Palmater noted an evolution in the form protests have taken over the past few weeks, toward increased civil disobedience.

"We did letter writing and phone calls and trying to talk to MPs and, you know, we took that route and it didn't work," she said. "Then we had to move up to peaceful marches and rallies, and that didn't work. So now we're doing all these flash mob round dances, which are more about working hand in hand with Canadians and also keeping the focus on the media. But now you see blockades."

Rail lines disrupted

There have been several disruptions at rail lines over the past week, including one on the main line between Montreal and Toronto on Sunday evening which delayed Via Rail passengers. Protesters have also blocked a CN line in Sarnia, Ont.

There was even a call to set up blockades at Canada-U.S. borders on Saturday, though that move hasn't been endorsed by organizers.

It wasn't clear whether local activists would follow through.

A statement released last week on the Idle No More website urged peaceful forms of protest.

"Idle No More feels that any acts that are not in line with peace and solidarity only detract attention from our ultimate mission," the statement said.

Palmater echoed that sentiment on Tuesday.

"We're trying our best to avoid things that would inconvenience Canadians," she said.

Meanwhile, Spence's hunger strike continued to gain support from across the country. A group of activists travelled from the Maritimes to bring supplies to her protest site, located on an island in the Ottawa River across from Parliament Hill.

Demonstrators block Toronto traffic

Dozens of demonstrators took to the streets of downtown Toronto on Tuesday afternoon in support of Idle No More and stopped traffic at one of the city's busiest intersections.

Actor Tantoo Cardnial was part of the Toronto rally and said she got into acting to tell the world the stories of Canada's aboriginal peoples.

"The blueprint of who we are as a civilization — that was attacked by the church, by the government, by corporations," Cardinal said.

Spence is in support of the treaty rights and the "Canadian people have to understand there are two signers in the treaties," she said.

"Those treaties were signed in a sacred way— they were signed through ceremony, through prayer … and it's a sacred agreement."

Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan has offered to meet with her but Spence has turned that proposal down.

The federal government says it has made an effort to consult with aboriginal leaders and work on pressing issues on reserves like education, clean drinking water and housing.

It points to a meeting held last January with First Nations leaders as proof it is serious about improving their relationship.

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CPP, EI hikes hitting Canadian paycheques

Working Canadians can expect a hit to the wallet as they welcome in 2013, mostly in the form of higher payroll deductions.

Besides the bills many people will face from holiday shopping, there will be increases to Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance premiums.

Canadians earning at least $47,400 will pay $891.12 in EI premiums this year, up $51.50. Employers will pay $1,247.57 per employee, an increase of $71.61.

For anybody earning at least $51,100, Canada Pension Plan contributions are going up $49.50 to $2,356.20, with the employer's share jumping the same amount.

CPP benefits will increase by 1.8 per cent for those already receiving them.

The maximum CPP retirement benefit for new recipients will increase from $986.67 to $1,012.50 per month. This increase is calculated on the average yearly maximum pensionable earnings for the last five years.

In British Columbia, workers will be hit with higher payroll health tax hikes for the fourth consecutive year.

The increased Medical Services Premium in B.C. means an individual making over $30,000 will have to pay $66.50, up from $64.

A family of three or more will end up paying $133 a month, up from $128, and the rate for two-person famlies will increase from $116 to $120.50

In Ontario, the new year means the top tax rate for the biggest earners in the province — those earning more than $500,000 — will increase by just under two percentage points from last year.

Elsewhere, a greater number of taxpayers in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba will enter higher tax brackets and therefore be subject to more income tax.

An extra income tax bracket will be added in Quebec, along with a higher rate of health tax for the wealthiest and greater contribution rates for the province's pension plan and its parental benefits plan.

Quebecers will also be hit with increases in the so-called "sin taxes" on alcohol and tobacco.

With files from The Canadian Press

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Powering up the Speaker of the House

Two former Liberal MPs and a former law clerk of the House of Commons, weary of what they see as a dysfunctional House of Commons, are working on a proposal to give more power to the Speaker.

Former MPs Paul Szabo and Derek Lee, along with Rob Walsh, the recently retired law clerk, have been brainstorming about how to fix Parliament, and are quietly lobbying for change.

For instance, they are aiming to curtail the heckling and noise, and want questions to be answered in question period rather than have "grenades" lobbed at a person posing a question.

The three all agree the Speaker should be more independent.

Szabo and Lee believe the Speaker should not have to campaign to be re-elected every new Parliament, currying favour with MPs for their votes.

Walsh doesn't believe Speakers should be elected at all. He would rather see them chosen by consensus and then reconfirmed after every election.

"That would give longevity of tenure, and allow the Speaker to not be so beholden to the membership moods as they change from time to time," Walsh said.

The British House of Commons

Canadians who despair of the cacophony in question period might be heartened by what goes on in the British House of Commons, where the Speaker has the power to evict members, cut off speeches and adjourn the legislature if things get too rowdy.

In a video on the website of the British newspaper the Telegraph, Speaker John Bercow is shown yelling full bore at MPs, ordering them to sit down and be quiet or risk being kicked out. He admonishes one MP for a "bogus point of order" and tells another "to act like an adult."

Bercow has even publicly blasted his own party leader, Prime Minister David Cameron, for refusing to answer questions about the phone-hacking scandal.

Exasperated question period junkies in Canada might look to the Australian House of Representatives, where there is a penalty box, or "sin bin," that the Speaker can employ for an hour to hold errant MPs.

"I was in Australia with [former Speaker] Peter Milliken," said Szabo, "and we went to QP, and there were actually two or three people put in the penalty box while we were there, for good reason."

Canadians saw a near dust-up in early December when government House leader Peter Van Loan angrily crossed the floor to wag his finger at opposition House leader Nathan Cullen. Van Loan apologized later for swearing.

'They just don't trust each other at all'

Walsh thinks the near brawl was a manifestation of a larger problem.

"They just don't trust each other at all. Arguably they hate each other. It's very regrettable. And the institution suffers because of it."

The only way out, he believes, is to vest some powers in the Speaker so he or she is not just the referee, but also the conscience of Parliament, which would enable the MPs to be "better than they are inclined to be."

Walsh suggests changing the rules to give the Speaker more power.

"Put something in the Standing Orders (written rules of the House of Commons) that recognizes the well-established traditions of parliamentary practices and call upon the Speaker to see that those practices are respected and not in some manner abused."

As examples of abuse, Walsh cited omnibus bills that amend dozens of acts, or the constant moving of committee business behind closed doors.

"We're talking about obstruction by majorities, using the majority position to suppress the opposition."

But Peter Milliken, a retired Liberal MP who was Speaker for 10 years, never threw anyone out of the House of Commons.

"Big deal," Milliken said, "You can go out and have a press conference out front in the foyer, you can get on a flight to Vancouver at House expense one day, and come back the next day."

Peter Milliken, House of Commons Speaker for 10 years, never turfed an MP out of the chamber for bad behaviour, but had his own way of imposing discipline. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

Milliken has a much better idea.

"In my view, the guy should be kicked off the Hill for a day, docked a day's pay and all his privileges as a member suspended. No free travel anywhere and no expense paid by the House if he goes out to dinner.... If you ... say something you shouldn't, you're going to pay. It'll cost you something."

He said he raised the issue, but no one was keen to change the rules.

'He never spoke in the House again'

But Milliken had his own method of imposing order.

Bill Matthews, a Liberal MP, once called Prime Minister Stephen Harper a liar, and refused to withdraw the remark.

"The Conservatives were saying, 'Throw him out, throw him out,'" Milliken recalled, "I said, 'I'm not going to throw him out, but he'll have trouble speaking.' And he never spoke in the House again. He sat there for 14 months and never got to give a speech or ask a question."

Matthews decided not to run in the next election.

'It never was a tea party. It's been a tough, difficult place.'—John Fraser, former Speaker

Milliken said the Speaker can't intervene in committee business, and added there's no restriction about what "you can stick in a bill," meaning that omnibus bills can't be stopped.

But another former Speaker, retired MP John Fraser, who emphasizes he has been a Tory since he was 17, said he was outraged by omnibus bill Bill C-38 tabled last spring that among many other things amended the Fisheries Act so salmon habitat wasn't as fully protected as it had been.

"I would have split that bill," Fraser, a former fisheries minister, said, raising his voice over the phone from Vancouver. "The argument would have been put to me that the rules don't say that omnibus bills are forbidden. And I would have said, 'No, maybe they don't. But I'm the Speaker, and my responsibility is to the democratic process.'"

Fraser concluded, "The Speaker's first duty is to the people ... and among his absolute first duties is to the democratic process."

But even Derek Lee doesn't want the imposition of order to go too far.

"It's a house of debate," he said, "not a church."

Fraser, raising his voice again, stressed, "It never was a tea party. It's been a tough, difficult place."

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U.S. fiscal cliff averted but more spending battles ahead

A weary U.S. Congress went past its New Year deadline, but finally approved a compromise deal late Tuesday to avoid middle-class tax increases and spending cuts that would have sent the country over the fiscal cliff, with the measure now in the hands of President Barack Obama.

The measure also prevents House Republicans from facing blame for blocking tax cuts for most American households, though most GOP lawmakers parted ways with Speaker John Boehner and opposed it.

Passage also lays the groundwork for future battles between the two sides over federal spending and debt.

World markets breathed a huge sigh of relief Wednesday, starting 2013 with hefty gains as investors welcomed Tuesday night's vote in which the GOP-run House voted final approval for the measure by 257-167. That came after the Democratic-led Senate used a wee-hours 89-8 roll call to assent to the bill, belying the partisan brinkmanship that coloured much of the path to the final deal.

The loonie gained more than a cent on the news, trading at 101.6 cents US on Wednesday. That's the largest gain for Canada's currency in more than two months.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares jumped 2.2 per cent to 6,028, its first foray above the 6,000 mark since July 2011.

Earlier, in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shot up 2.9 per cent to close at 23,311.89, its highest finish since June 1, 2011.

Wall Street was likewise set to rally on the open — Dow futures were up 1.3 per cent at 13,195 while the broader S&P 500 futures jumped 1.5 per cent to 1,441.

'If Congress refuses to give the United States government the ability to pay these bills on time, the consequences for the entire global economy would be catastrophic — far worse than the impact of a fiscal cliff.'—U.S. President Barack Obama

The bill would boost the top 35 per cent income tax rate to 39.6 per cent for incomes exceeding $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples, while continuing decade-old income tax cuts for everyone else. In his re-election campaign last year Obama had vowed to boost rates on earnings at somewhat lower levels — $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for families.

"A central promise of my campaign for president was to change the tax code that was too skewed towards the wealthy at the expense of working middle-class Americans," Obama said at the White House before flying to Hawaii to resume his holiday break. "Tonight we've done that."

Scores of GOP lawmakers voted for the measure, reversing a quarter-century of solid Republican opposition to boosting any tax rates at all.

The bill would also:

• Raise taxes top earners pay on dividends, capital gains and inherited estates.
• Permanently stop the alternative minimum tax from raising levies on millions of middle-income families.
• Extend expiring jobless benefits.
• Prevent cuts in Medicare reimbursements to doctors.
• Delay, for two months, billions in budget-wide cuts in defence and domestic programs slated for this year.

Both sides lamented their failure to reach a significant deficit-cutting agreement. But neither much mentioned another omission: The immediate expiration of a two-year, two-percentage-point cut in the Social Security payroll tax.

That break, which put an extra $1,000 in the wallets of typical families earning $50,000 a year, was an Obama priority two years ago as a way to boost consumer spending and spark the flagging economy, but it fell victim this time to other priorities.

House Democrats voted by an overwhelming 172-16 for the agreement, which was crafted over the weekend by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, and Vice-President Joe Biden.

Boehner gave no public stance

But Republicans tilted against it 151-85. It is rare for leaders to bring a bill to the House floor that will be opposed by most lawmakers from their own party, and the decision underscored the pressure GOP leaders felt to approve the legislation.

Boehner, the Representative from Ohio, took no public stance on the measure before the vote. But he guided the compromise to the House floor after an unsuccessful attempt by many conservatives to persuade leaders to add spending cuts to the bill.

U.S. President Barack Obama, winking as he arrives at the White House press briefing room, still needs to sign the bill. (Charles Dharapak/Associated Press)

Had the House inserted those budget cuts and the Senate refused to consider them, the legislation could have died. That left House Republicans worried that voters might blame them for a huge, sweeping tax increase and for any swoon the nation's financial markets might take when they reopened Wednesday.

"You can be right and you can be dead right. Which is it?" said Representative Rich Nugent, a Florida Republican, of the quandary Republicans faced. "Right now you need to take the tax issue off the table" and move on to a focus on curbing spending, he said.

Boehner voted for the bill, an unusual step because speakers seldom vote, and he was joined by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the GOP's vice-presidential candidate last fall. Voting "no" were the other two top GOP leaders, Reps. Eric Cantor of Virginia and Kevin McCarthy of California.

'I'm embarrassed for this generation'

Passage came nearly 24 hours after a decade's worth of tax cuts enjoyed by tens of millions of Americans expired with the stroke of the new year, technically raising taxes by more than $500 billion in 2013 alone.

Those tax increases — plus $109 billion in defence and domestic spending cuts that were to be automatically triggered Wednesday — became known as the fiscal cliff. Economists warned that their combined impact would hurl the economy back into recession, but Obama's signature on the bill would prevent the "cliff" from taking hold.

Obama can sign the bill remotely using a machine called an "autopen," or the bill can be flown to Hawaii for his signature.

Overall, the legislation would add nearly $4 trillion to federal deficits over the next decade compared with what would have happened had all the tax cuts expired, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

"I'm embarrassed for this generation. Future generations deserve better," complained one foe, Representative Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican.

The agreement's journey to passage was a tortured one. It included negotiations between Obama and Boehner on a larger, deficit-cutting deal that collapsed, and a failed effort by the speaker to drum up enough GOP votes to pass a "Plan B" that would have limited tax boosts to incomes exceeding $1 million.

'Focus turns to spending,' Boehner says

It took weekend talks between McConnell and Biden, former Senate colleagues, to craft the more modest package that focused on averting the worst impacts of the fiscal cliff while postponing any deficit reduction efforts to coming months.

Those first showdowns will come over the next three months, when the government's legal ability to borrow money will expire and temporary financing for federal agency budgets will expire. Republicans have already said that, as they did in 2011, they will demand spending cuts as a condition for extending the debt ceiling.

U.S. House Speaker John Boehner says the GOP will fight for "significant spending cuts and reforms to the entitlement programs that are driving our country deeper and deeper into debt." (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)

"Now the focus turns to spending" and overhauling the tax code, Boehner said in a written statement after the vote. He said the GOP will fight for "significant spending cuts and reforms to the entitlement programs that are driving our country deeper and deeper into debt," a reference to costly benefit programs like Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid.

In his White House remarks, Obama said that while he was open to compromise, he would demand deficit-cutting savings from added revenue on the well-off, not just spending cuts.

He also pointedly said he would "not have another debate with this Congress" over extending the federal borrowing limit.

"If Congress refuses to give the United States government the ability to pay these bills on time, the consequences for the entire global economy would be catastrophic — far worse than the impact of a fiscal cliff," he said.

Though its focus was on taxes, the measure approved Tuesday would prevent a potential doubling of milk prices and prevent a $900 salary increase for members of Congress in March. Its extension of jobless benefits would help 2 million people out of work at least six months, and it would prevent a 27 per cent cut in reimbursements doctors get for treating Medicare patients.

Weighing in with criticism of the compromise were the chief authors of an influential bipartisan deficit-cutting proposal, former GOP Sen. Alan Simpson and Democrat Erskine Bowles, a former White House chief of staff under President Bill Clinton. They called the measure "truly a missed opportunity to do something big to reduce our long term fiscal problems."

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Take The House's 2012 political quiz

It's that time of year again! Time to test how much you remember about what happened this year in political news.

Grab a pen and paper and take the quiz at home while the CBC's National Affairs Editor Chris Hall, the CBC's political blogger and House contributor Kady O'Malley, and PostMedia columnist and long-time member of the CBC's popular At Issue panel on The National Andrew Coyne face off for the first time against one another! Who will ring in 2013 with bragging rights to boot?

You can follow along with our three contestants by taking the quiz below but no cheating or web searches allowed!

Good luck!

Question 1: The year began with Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointing, on January 6th, seven new senators to the upper chamber. Name three of the seven.

Bonus Question (1) : Of the seven new senators, which one was actually elected in a provincial Senate nominee election?

Question 2: Liberals gathered in Ottawa for their national annual biennial convention. What MP crossed the floor days before the Liberal convention, and what riding does he/she represent?

Question 3: We've seen it recently, there's growing frustration among First Nations leaders. Remember back in January, the highly anticipated Crown-First Nations gathering took place in Ottawa following the housing crisis in Attawapiskat. Name one of the five steps the federal government and First Nations agreed to take:

       
Question 4: Name at least two policy changes Prime Minister Stephen Harper floated, to the surprise of many, during a major speech on January 26th, and where was he when he did that?

       
Question 5: In early February, Prime Minister Stephen Harper made his second official trip to China. In a symbolic gesture, Beijing entrusted Canada with a pair of pandas. Name one of the two pandas.

Bonus Question (2): What's the name of the monkey that escaped at a north Toronto Ikea?

Question 6: What did Public Safety Minister Vic Toews say in response to Liberal public safety critic Francis Scarpaleggia during question period on February 13th, after Scarpaleggia asked about a Bill C-30, a controversial internet surveillance bill?

Bonus question: Where is the bill at right now?

       
Question 7: In March, Elections Canada confirmed for the first time it was investigating complaints received about robocalls placed in the last federal election beyond the riding of Guelph. We now know that an investigation is underway in 56 of the 308 federal ridings. Voters from how many ridings have taken this to court?

       
Question 8: Labour Minister Lisa Raitt intervened in what labour dispute this past March?

        A. VIA Rail
        B. Air Canada
        C. Canada Post

Question 9: Still in March, federal New Democrats gathered in Toronto to elect a successor to Jack Layton. Who did Tom Mulcair beat, and in what round?

       
Question 10: When Nathan Cullen finished last in the third round of voting, he released his supporters but did not tell them who to vote for. What controversial proposal did Cullen make during the leadership race?

Bonus Question (3): Which federal Liberal leadership contender is proposing the same thing?
       

Question 11: The Conservatives tabled a budget in March that promised to cut $5.2 billion in spending over the next three years. Who will be paying more taxes in 2013 than they were paying before, as a result of Budget 2012?

       
Question 12: Alison Redford was elected Premier of Alberta in April. How many women currently serve as Premiers and Territorial Leaders?

Bonus Question (4): Who was the first woman to ever serve as Premier in Canada?

       

Question 13 : Do you recognize this voice?

           

Question 14: May 4th marked the end of an era in Canada. A measure that had been announced in the budget -- and is expected to save taxpayers 11 million dollars a year -- took place. What am I talking about?

       
Question 15: On May 18th, a controversial bill -- C-78 -- passed Quebec's National Assembly. Among many things, it would force organizers of this summer's student protests to submit their public venue and route for approval to police. How many people could be present without police approval?

       
Question 16: New cross-border shopping rules came into affect on June 1st. The new limit for Canadians who go to the U.S. for 24 hours jumps from 50 dollars worth of goods to 200. What is the new limit for Canadians who go south of the border for 48 hours?

       
Question 17: On June 15th, after more than 22 hours of voting, the 425-page omnibus budget implementation bill -- C-38 -- passed the House of Commons. How many votes -- forced by a number of opposition amendments -- did MPs have to go through?

        A. 142
        B. 151
        C. 157

       
Question 18: On July 3rd, a controversial member of the Conservative cabinet announced plans to step down following a string of controversies. Name that now former cabinet minister.

       
Question 19: In late July, premiers gathered in Halifax for their annual summer meeting. What issue overshadowed the rest of the council of the federation's agenda?

       
Question 20:  Early August, Jean Charest called a provincial election for September 4th. The Parti Quebecois ended up defeating Charest's Liberals, but only won a minority. How many more seats than the Liberals did the PQ get?

       
Question 21: On August 24th, the Liberal riding association in Guelph was found guilty and fined for its use of an automated robocall in the last federal election. Which Act did the association violate?

Bonus Question (5): What's the name of the Conservative campaign staffer in Guelph who broke his silence about what he says happened during the last election?

Question 22: In early September, while at the APEC Summit in Vladivostok, Russia, Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper signed an investment treaty with China, formally known as a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement. When did the two countries start negotiating that agreement, known as a FIPA?

       
Question 23: What former Premier released his memoirs on September 12th, and in doing so, called into question the details surrounding the "Kitchen Accord", the 1982 patriation of the Constitution.

       
Question 24: In late September, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird announced a deal with the U.K. to share space in embassies. Where will the two countries first be "roommates"?

       
Question 25: October 2nd, Justin Trudeau confirms he will run for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. How old was his father Pierre Elliott Trudeau when he became the leader of that party?

Question 26: On October 15th, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announces he will step down and that he's decided to prorogue the legislature. Once his replacement is chosen, who will be the current premier who's been in office the longest?

       
Question 27: On October 16th, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, James Moore made an announcement at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau Quebec.     The government announced that the Museum would be renamed. What is the new name, and what rationale did the Minister give for renaming it?

       
Question 28: On October 18th, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tabled the omnibus budget implementation bill. In it were a number of controversial measures, but one that got the biggest immediate reaction were the changes to the Navigable Waters Protection Act. According to Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Canada has "tens of thousands of rivers and millions of lakes". How many of these rivers and lakes were protected in the new Budget?

       
Question 29: On October 19th, in a surprise move, the Government agreed to hive off the MP Pension portion of the Budget. Who announced the decision in the House of Commons that day?

       
Question 30: On October 25th, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on the Etobicoke Centre case. This is a two-part question. Who launched the case, and what was being disputed ?

 
Question 31: On November 6th, the United States re-elected Barack Obama as President. That evening, Michigan voters also defeated Proposal 6. What was Proposal 6, and why was that significant to Canada?

       
Question 32: On November 13th, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty made a surprise announcement that would affect certain Conservative campaign promises. What did he announce?

Question 33: The Governor of the Bank of Canada, Mark Carney, will become the next governor of the Bank of England. Who is the current governor of the Bank of England?
       
Bonus Question (6): Mark Carney will become the first foreigner in how many years to lead the Bank of England?

Question 34: On November 29th, Canada voted to oppose upgrading the UN observer status of the Palestinian Authority from "entity" to "non-member state." 8 other countries did the same. Name 3 of those countries.

       
Question 35: On December 7th, Prime Minister Harper announced the government was approving the two separate takeovers of Canadian companies by foreign state-owned companies. One was the CNOOC takeover of Nexen. Name the other one.

       

Answers:

Answer 1:    -JoAnne Buth of Manitoba served as president of the Canola Council of Canada
                   -Jean-Guy Dagenais, was a failed candidate in the Quebec riding of Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot
                   -Norman Doyle served as a Conservative MP in Newfoundland and Labrador
                   -Ghislain Maltais, a former member of Quebec's provincial legislature, and a key party organizer for the Tories in Quebec
                   -Dr. Asha Seth, a Toronto-based physician with more than 30 years of medical experience
                   -Betty Unger, worked as a registered nurse before founding a nursing services company with offices across Alberta.
                   -Vernon White, former Ottawa Police Chief, former RCMP

Answer Bonus Question (1):     Betty Unger. She was one of four candidates elected in Alberta in 2004. Her appointment to the upper chamber makes her the first elected woman Senator, and the third elected Senator. (Bert Brown and the late Stanley Waters are the second and first, respectively.)

Answer 2: Quebec MP Lise St-Denis decided to leave the NDP for the Liberals on the Tuesday before the convention. The backbencher represents the riding of Saint-Maurice-Champlain.

Answer 3:     -Reviewing the structure of financial arrangements between the federal government and First Nations
                   -Removing barriers to First Nations governance
                   -Advancing claims resolution and treaty implementation
                   -Education reform
                   -Launching an economic task force within three months of the meeting

        The two sides committed to a progress report no later than Jan. 24, 2013.

Answer 4:     Harper said the "major transformations" were coming in areas such as the retirement pension system i.e. raising the age of eligibility for OAS from 65 to 67.     Harper said changes would also be coming immigration, science and technology investment and the energy sector. The Prime Minister was addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Answer 5:     Er Shun and Ji Li. The pair is expected to arrive in 2013.

Answer Bonus Question (2):     Darwin

Answer 6:     Toews said "He can either stand with us or with the child pornographers."

Answer Bonus Question (3):     The bill has been stuck at the first reading stage.

Answer 7:     Six ridings. (Nipissing-Timiskaming in ntario, Elmwood-Transcona,Winnipeg South Centre, Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, Vancouver Island North, and Yukon)

Answer 8:    Air Canada

Answer 9:     Mulcair beat out New Democrat Brian Topp in the fourth ballot with 57.2 per cent of the vote or 33, 881 votes.

Answer 10:    Cullen ran for the leadership bid on the proposal of joint nominations with the Liberals and Greens to run only one candidate in Conservative-held ridings.
Answer Bonus 10: Joyce Murray

Answer 11:     Governor General David Johnston will be paying taxes beginning 2013. He will be the first Governor General in Canadian history to pay income tax BUT he will also be getting a pay increase so his $134,970 take-home income likely won't take much of a hit.

Answer 12:    Five women
                    -BC's Christy Clark
                    -Alberta's Alison Redford
                    -Quebec's Pauline Marois
                    -Newfoundland & Labrador's Kathy Dunderdale
                    -Nunavut's Eva Ariaak

Answer Bonus Question (4):    Rita Johnson from the BC Social Credit Party. Bill Vander Zalm had appointed her Deputy Premier and when he resigned, she was named interim leader of the party and appointed Premier in 1991. She served as Premier for 217 days until Mike Harcourt defeated her in the next general election. A total of 10 women have served or are serving as Premiers.

Answer 13:    On April 3rd, Auditor General Michael Ferguson released a report that included a chapter entitled "Replacing Canada's Fighter Jets".

Answer 14:     The last penny rolled off the production line in Winnipeg.

Answer 15:     More than 50 requires police permission.

Answer 16:    800 dollars (up from 400)

Answer 17:    157 votes were recorded.

Answer 18:    Former CIDA Minister Bev Oda.

Answer 19:    The dispute between B.C. and Alberta of the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline project, and discussions about a National Energy Strategy.

Answer 20:    4 (54 to 50 -- 19 for CAQ, 2 for Quebec Solidaire)

Answer 21:    The Telecommunications Act (the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission found the association guilty)

Answer Bonus Question (5):    Michael Sona

Answer 22:    Canada and China began negotiation of a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement in 1994

Answer 23:    Former Newfoundland premier Brian Peckford has literally rewritten history, prompting the Canadian Encyclopedia to substantially revise the story of the 1982 patriation of the Constitution. The then-premier of Canada's newest province now gets central credit in shaping the historic deal, with the encyclopedia playing down somewhat the significance of the famous "Kitchen Accord" led by future prime minister Jean Chrétien that up until now was largely thought to be the constitutional saga's breakthrough moment.

Answer 24:    Haiti and Burma

Answer 25:    48 years old

Answer 26:    PEI's Robert Ghiz, followed by Saskatchewan's Brad Wall.

Answer 27:    The Canadian Museum of Civilization, was rebranded as the Canadian Museum of History to reflect a focus on Canadian social and political history. Heritage Minister James Moore said the rebranding of the museum comes in anticipation of plans to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017.

Answer 28:    The Act protects three oceans, 97 lakes and 62 rivers

Answer 29:    The Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification and Member of Parliament for Blackstrap, introduced a motion that passed unanimously in the House of Commons that will speed up pension reform for Members of Parliament.

Answer 30:    Defeated Liberal incumbent Borys Wrzesnewskyj mounted a legal challenge to the election. In May, 2012, an Ontario court tossed out the result after concluding that 79 voters cast ballots without sufficient documented evidence that they were properly cleared to do so. In a 4-3 split decision, Canada's highest court upheld the 2011 federal election victory of Conservative MP Ted Opitz, who won the Etobicoke Centre riding by a mere 26 votes.

Answer 31:    During U.S. elections Tuesday, Michigan voters defeated Proposal 6, which would have called for a statewide vote on plans for any new international crossing, including the proposed new bridge over the Detroit River. Slightly more than 60 per cent of voters turned down the proposal, which would have been entrenched in the state's constitution. Proposal 6 was one of the final hurdles that needed to be cleared for the building of a new bridge to proceed, and provide competition for the 83-year-old Ambassador Bridge, Canada's busiest border crossing, owned by billionaire Matty Moroun.

Answer 32:     Budget will be balanced a year later than expected, in 2016-2017. Shortfall for the 2012-13 fiscal year of $25-billion, up from the March budget estimate of $21.1-billion. We should point out that after he said that, Prime Minister Harper said: "It remains the government's plan, intention, to balance the budget prior to the next federal election" (which is set for 2015).

Answer 33: Sir Mervyn King

Answer Bonus Question (6): 318 years

Answer 34:    U.S., Israel, Czech Republic, Micronesia, Palau, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Panama

Answer 35:    Malaysian national energy company Petronas takeover of Calgary-based natural gas producer Progress Energy Resources.
 

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Canada mulls military training mission in West Africa

The Harper government is examining whether to dispatch Canadian troops to help train an African force whose purpose would be to take back a vast swath of Mali from an off-shoot of al-Qaeda.

Defence Minister Peter MacKay, speaking in Halifax Sunday, said what form of military assistance can be provided to a growing international swell is something that's under active discussion.

"What I can tell you is that we are contemplating what contribution Canada could make," MacKay said at an announcement related to rental housing rates on military bases.

The United Nations recently decided to back a proposal from Economic Community of West African States — ECOWAS — to send 3,300 troops to the region.

Canadian special forces troops were active in the west African country for several training missions prior to the coup last March that installed a shaky interim government. Those missions also took place before Islamic Maghreb — known as AQIM — overran much of the northern portion of the impoverished nation.

"We are not at a point where we would be making an announcement, but as you know, training is something that the Canadian Forces is particularly adept at doing," MacKay said. "We've demonstrated that repeated in the last, well, throughout our history, but certainly the training mission in Afghanistan is a testament to that commitment and that ability and something that has garnered the admiration of recipient nations but also other countries who emulate Canadian training techniques."

Mali, a landlocked country bordering on Algeria and Niger, has been one of the biggest recipients of Canada's foreign aid. Fighters from an Al Qaeda-linked Islamist group stand guard in northern Mali earlier this year. (Reuters)

France has been at the forefront of organizing an international response, including the African-led international force which could be trained by western troops.

Malian Prime Minister Diango Cissoko, last week, pleaded for military intervention "as soon as possible."

The African troops would need training in desert combat and counterinsurgency warfare.

Canada could also provide what the military call enablers: communications, intelligence, transport planes or helicopters for airlift.

But it is in the area of special forces, more specifically counter-terrorism training, that the Canadian military would likely make the most immediate contribution.

Briefing records for the commander of the country's special forces show members of a highly-trained, ultra-secret regiment have conducted at least three training mission in the country between 2010 and 2011.

"Each involved embedding training Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) trainers within" training units from other countries, said a Sept. 27, 2011 briefing to Brig.-Gen Denis Thompson.

'Training only'

But the memo took pains to emphasize there would be no combat, and much like Afghanistan, the troops would be restricted to inside the wire instruction.

"This task is limited in scope to training only. CANSOFCOM members will not engage in any form of operational mentoring of Malian forces," the note said.

It added that Canadians retained control of the training teams, but also the engagement in Mali was considered by former chief of defence staff retired general Walt Natynczyk to be a "recurring operation in the Trans-Sahel Region."

The fact special forces have experience working the country is a bonus, should the government commit to a training mission, said the general in charge of the regiment.

"Does it inform anything that may or may not happen in the future? I don't think it informs any policy decisions that have to be made, but it certainly reassures people that there's enough tactical acumen inside the CANSOFCOM — and quite frankly in my humble opinion inside the Canadian Army — to pick up and help out in any one of these countries if that was the decision that was made," said Thompson in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.

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Kyoto climate change treaty sputters to a sorry end

The controversial and ineffective Kyoto Protocol's first stage comes to an end today, leaving the world with 58 per cent more greenhouse gases than in 1990, as opposed to the five per cent reduction its signatories sought.

From the beginning, the treaty that was adopted in 1997 in Kyoto, Japan, was problematic. Opponents denied the science of climate change and claimed the treaty was a socialist plot. Environmentalists decried the lack of ambition in Kyoto and warned of dire consequences for future generations.

But the goal of the treaty was simple.

"We hoped that we would be able to reduce greenhouse gases substantially, but that it was a first step," explained Christine Stewart, the Liberal environment minister who negotiated in Kyoto on Canada's behalf.

The Kyoto Protocol was an initiative that came out of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. It recognized that climate change was a result of greenhouse gases created by human industrial activity. The idea was that rich nations, which had already benefited from industrialization, would reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in the first part of the treaty and developing nations would join in later.

Although the protocol was adopted in 1997, it didn't to come into force until 2005. In the intervening eight years, countries set reduction targets for themselves and ratified the agreement.

"At the time we didn't realize how complicated it would be to get the Kyoto Protocol ratified and for it to enter into force internationally," said Steven Guilbeault, co-founder of Equiterre, a Montreal-based environmental charity.

Problems from the beginning

Right off the bat, there were problems. The U.S., the world's biggest emitter at the time, signed up but never ratified.

And Canada ratified the treaty but with targets that were unachievable in the opinion of many.

'If we ratify this thing, we'll never hit our targets.'—Bob Mills, former Reform and Conservative MP

Bob Mills was a Reform Party MP from Alberta who went to Kyoto with the government. He was in Johannesburg five years later when the country agreed to reduce emissions to six per cent below 1990 levels.

"If we ratify this thing we'll never hit our targets," Mills warned Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrétien at the time, because he was worried Canada's international reputation would take a hit.

To his disappointment, Mills was right. As 2005 rolled around, Canada was nowhere near to having a plan and our emissions were rising. When he entered government a year later, the Conservatives started to lay the groundwork for much less ambitious greenhouse gas reductions.

"In 2006, it was a pretty tough situation because nothing really had been accomplished. We had these targets in front of us, they were impossible to hit," he said.

Taking a pass on Kyoto targets

And so, Canada's new government decided not to bother. They worried about the harm it would cause Canada's economy and the fact that only developed nations had to cut back while economic up-and-comers like China, India and Brazil could pollute as much as they wanted.

"We would have to pull every truck and car off the street, shut down every train and ground every plane to reach the Kyoto target the Liberals negotiated for Canada," argued Conservative Environment Minister Rona Ambrose in 2006.

Instead, the Conservative government opted to begin a long process of overhauling all of Canada's environmental legislation. That meant scaling back on Kyoto commitments that couldn't be met.

Canada announced to the world that we wouldn't be able to meet our Kyoto targets in 2007. Three years later we set new, easier-to-hit targets — 17 per cent below 2005 levels — that keep us in line with the Americans.

'Kyoto, for Canada, is in the past'

The final nail in the coffin for Canada's involvement in Kyoto went in on Dec. 13, 2011.

"Kyoto, for Canada, is in the past," announced Environment Minister Peter Kent at a news conference in Ottawa soon after he got off the plane from a climate change conference in Durban, South Africa. Kent gave one year's notice and, as of Dec. 15 this year, Canada was no longer a party to the Kyoto Protocol.

Environment Minister Peter Kent announces that Canada will withdraw from the Kyoto accord, outside the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Dec. 12, 2011. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

While there is plenty of blame to be shared between the Liberals and Conservatives for Canada's failure to meet its targets and remain in Kyoto, the problem of climate change remains a growing threat.

"There is building evidence that, in fact, climate change is accelerating. It's closer than we had thought earlier … are running out of time," worries John Stone, a Canadian climate scientist and a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. vice-president Al Gore.

If there is anything good that came out of the Kyoto experience, it is that the issue it tried and failed to tackle is now top of mind, says Guilbeault.

"That's probably one of the biggest accomplishments of the Kyoto Protocol, is making climate change something that's part of our everyday life."

Some countries have signed on to a second round of Kyoto commitments beginning Jan. 1, 2013, and stretching through to 2020, but they only represent 15 per cent of current world emissions.

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Democratic officials say U.S. 'fiscal cliff' deal reached

Racing the clock, the White House reached a New Year's Eve accord with U.S. Senate Republicans late Monday to neutralize across-the-board tax increases and spending cuts in government programs due to take effect at midnight, according to administration and Senate Democratic officials.

Under the deal, taxes would remain steady for the middle class and rise at incomes over $400,000 US for individuals and $450,000 for couples — levels higher than President Barack Obama had campaigned for in his successful drive for a second term in office.

Spending cuts totaling $24 billion over two months aimed at the Pentagon and domestic programs would be deferred. That would allow the White House and lawmakers time to regroup before plunging very quickly into a new round of budget brinkmanship certain to revolve around Republican calls to rein in the cost of Medicare and other government benefit programs.

Officials also decided at the last minute to use the measure to prevent a $900 pay raise for lawmakers due to take effect this spring.

U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden speaks following a Senate Democratic caucus meeting about the fiscal cliff in Washington, D.C., Monday. (Alex Brandon/Associated Press)

Democratic senators said they expected a vote on the measure later in the evening. They spoke after a closed-door session with Vice-President Joseph Biden, who brokered the deal with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell.

"The argument is that this is the best that can be done on a bipartisan basis," said California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, when asked about the case the vice president had delivered behind closed doors.

Passage would send the measure to the House, where Republican Speaker John Boehner refrained from endorsing a package as yet unseen by his famously rebellious rank-and-file. He said the House would not vote on any Senate-passed measure "until House members — and the American people — have been able to review" it.

Numerous Republican officials said McConnell and his aides had kept the speaker's office informed about the progress of the talks.

The House Democratic leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, issued a statement saying that when legislation clears the Senate, "I will present it to the House Democratic caucus."

Without legislation, economists in and out of government warned of a possible recession if the economy were allowed to fall over a fiscal cliff of tax increases and spending cuts.

And while the deadline to act was technically midnight, Obama's signature on legislation by the time a new Congress takes office at noon on Jan. 3, 2013 — the likely timetable — would eliminate or minimize any inconvenience for taxpayers.

Even by the dysfunctional standards of government-by-gridlock, the activity at both ends of historic Pennsylvania Avenue was remarkable as the administration and lawmakers spent the final hours of 2012 haggling over long-festering differences.

"One thing we can count on with respect to this Congress is that if there's even one second left before you have to do what you're supposed to do, they will use that last second," the president said in a mid-afternoon status update on the talks.

As darkness fell on the last day of the year, Obama, Biden and their aides were at work in the White House, and lights burned in the House and Senate. Democrats complained that Obama had given away too much in agreeing to limit tax increases to incomes over $450,000, far above the $250,000 level he campaigned on. Yet some Republicans recoiled at the prospect of raising taxes at all.

A late dispute over the estate tax produced allegations of bad faith from all sides.

Biden speaks to Democrats

After hours of haggling, Biden headed for the Capitol to brief the Democratic rank and file.

Earlier, McConnell had agreed with Obama that an overall deal was near. In remarks on the Senate floor, he suggested Congress move quickly to pass tax legislation and "continue to work on finding smarter ways to cut spending" next year.

The White House and Democrats initially declined the offer, preferring to prevent the cuts from kicking in at the Pentagon and domestic agencies alike. A two-month compromise resulted.

Officials in both parties said the agreement would prevent tax increases at incomes below $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples.

At higher levels, the rate would rise to a maximum of 39.6 per cent from the current 35 per cent. Capital gains and dividends in excess of those amounts would be taxed at 20 per cent, up from 15 per cent.

'If Republicans think that I will finish the job of deficit reduction through spending cuts alone … then they've got another thing coming.'—Barack Obama

The deal would also raise taxes on the portion of estates exceeding $5 million to 40 per cent. At the insistence of Republicans, the $5 million threshold would rise each year with inflation.

Much or all of the revenue to be raised through higher taxes on the wealthy would help hold down the amount paid to the Internal Revenue Service by the middle class.

In addition to preventing higher rates for most, the agreement would retain existing breaks for families with children, for low-earning taxpayers and for those with a child in college. Also, the two sides agreed to prevent the alternative minimum tax from expanding to affect an estimated 28 million households for the first time in 2013, with an average increase of more than $3,000. The law originally was designed to make sure millionaires did not escape taxes, but inflation has gradually exposed more and more households with lower earnings to its impact.

The legislation leaves untouched a scheduled 2 percentage point increase in the payroll tax, ending a temporary reduction enacted two years ago to help revive the economy.

Officials said the White House had succeeded in gaining a one-year extension of long-term unemployment benefits about to expire on an estimated two million jobless.

It was unclear whether the legislation would prevent a 27 per cent cut in fees for doctors who treat Medicare patients.

Also included is a provision to prevent a threatened spike in milk prices after the first of the year.

Even as time was running out, partisan agendas were evident.

Obama chastises Congress

Obama used his appearance not only to chastise Congress, but also to lay down a marker for the next round of negotiations early in 2013, when Republicans intend to seek spending cuts in exchange for letting the Treasury borrow above the current debt limit of $16.4 trillion.

"Now, if Republicans think that I will finish the job of deficit reduction through spending cuts alone — and you hear that sometimes coming from them … then they've got another thing coming.… That's not how it's going to work at least as long as I'm president," he said.

"And I'm going to be president for the next four years, I think," he added.

Obama's remarks irritated some Republicans.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona said they would "clearly antagonize members of the House."

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Check your junk mail? Ottawa's anti-spam rules still missing

If you're wondering what happened to the Conservative government's much-publicized anti-spam law, you're not alone.

Many consumers and opposition MPs want to know why the legislation, passed two years ago, still is not in force.

"I think that this demonstrates that the Conservative government doesn't take privacy issues seriously," said NDP MP Charmaine Borg, who notes that another piece of legislation, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act that also governs the Privacy Commissioner's Office, is overdue for a review by Parliament.

"So we're seeing this constant lateness and meanwhile technology continues to evolve and there's new threats that are posed and citizens are more and more concerned about their privacy online."

The federal government has been studying how to fight unsolicited email since 2004.

Canada's Anti-Spam Act, passed in December 2010, aims to regulate all forms of commercial electronic communication including tweets and text messages.

Among other measures, it would prohibit businesses from sending messages to customers without their consent, require them to have an easy mechanism to allow people to unsubscribe and gives the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission the power to enforce the law and impose penalties of up to $1 million for individuals and $10 million for organizations.

"This law will allow the CRTC in particular to take action against unsolicited spam, malware and botnets," said the CRTC's chief compliance and enforcement officer Andrea Rosen. She adds the commission's powers would also extend beyond Canada's borders.

"If the spammer is offshore, we have the ability under the law to co-operate with foreign governments, to share information and to bring proceedings together against individuals that are offshore," Rosen said.

Rosen said the CRTC finalized its regulations in March 2012 and has set up a Spam Reporting Centre where consumers will be able to lodge complaints. She said the commission is ready to enforce the law, once it comes into force.

The holdup is with Industry Canada.

Consultation on regulations continues

No one at the department agreed to be interviewed, but in an emailed response to questions from CBC News, a spokesperson explained that Industry Canada received "significant input" to its first set of draft regulations in August 2011 and is "currently finalizing a new set of draft regulations for pre-publication, which will include a second round of public consultation."

Tricia Kuhl, a corporate, commercial and technology lawyer at Blakes in Montreal, says the legislation is shaping up to be the world's toughest anti-spam law.

"My clients are saying the government has gone too far because it's onerous, it's burdensome, it might actually end up crippling their business because they're unable now to reach certain clients they want to reach," she said.

Kuhl points to one of the proposed rules that would prevent organizations from sending email to clients after two years, unless there was new business. She says a five-year time frame would be more reasonable.

"Businesses are grappling with the difficulty of how they're going to actually get consent from people who actually want to receive their emails or prospective clients they need to reach."

At the rate things are going now, Kuhl says she doesn't expect the law to come into force until late 2013 at the earliest.

That doesn't sit well with Joanna Blink, a Toronto woman who says she gets a lot of unsolicited email. "Pass a law, make it so and get on with it. Do something about it."

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