The Canadian government has as many as 45,000 legal claims — big and small — pending against it, representing a potential liability that stretches into the "hundreds of billions of dollars," CBC News has learned. The Finance Department is concerned with the impact possible future settlements might have on the federal treasury, says Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who chairs the litigation committee. The more coherence and effective management we can bring to this, it might have a positive impact on the government's financial position." The cases run the gamut from large class-action lawsuits to minor accident and personal injury cases involving federal departments and institutions. But Sorochan also suggested the federal government is often its own worst enemy when it comes to this train wreck of litigation.

Source: CBC News August 26, 2016 09:00 UTC