Elections Canada’s top dog warns thousands ‘will be denied the right to vote’ under feds’ election bill

Canada’s Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand warned Thursday thousands of voters ‘will be denied the right to vote’ if controversial clauses about voter ID are not removed from an election law amendment bill the government is speeding through Parliament.

Time for widespread gender-neutral language in federal policy, legislation, say advocates

Justice Canada has more recently been using ‘they’ as a singular gender-neutral pronoun on a piecemeal basis, but the gendered nature of the French language requires study, with a review currently underway.

Canada’s ‘fair share’: report calls for doubling emissions target as Trudeau preps for U.S. climate summit

The Trudeau government unveiled a new target to cut emission up to 45 per cent below 2005 levels, by 2030, in an effort to help prevent temperatures from rising above 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

Canada continues to delay decision on COVID vaccines IP waiver

Global Affairs has yet to finalize its position on the waiver six months after it was first introduced by South Africa and India.

‘It’s good for the political soul’: historic ‘Kitchen Accord’ room to be turned into Senate prayer, meditation space

The fourth-floor room’s old kitchenette was demolished during renovations to the Senate of Canada Building and has sat empty since Senators moved in at the beginning of 2019.

Guilty verdict in trial of Derek Chauvin marks ‘painful progress’ in fight to address systemic racism, say Hillites, experts

While seeing some former colleagues testify against Derek Chauvin’s restraint of George Floyd left one Senator ‘hopeful,’ she says police forces need to be more active in calling out racist policies.

New contract keeps distance interpreting definition deemed problematic by association

Public Services and Procurement Canada hasn’t gone ‘far enough’ in protecting interpreters with measures set down in the new contract for freelancers, says the AIIC’s Nicole Gagnon.

‘Breathtaking’ childcare pledge to pay dividends beyond recouping pandemic losses: labour experts

The Liberals have offered a feminist budget, say observers, with measures that help women struggling amid COVID-19 in the short term, like rent and wage subsidy extensions.

Feds give $35-million boost to National Capital Commission

In its first budget in more than two years, Ottawa is also allocating $11-million to help tackle anti-Asian racism in the wake of a pandemic year that has seen a ‘disturbing trend’ of reported incidents.

‘It’s getting worse, we’re going backwards’: Ontario MPs say constituents confused, frustrated, angry with vaccine supply issues, and partisan ‘finger-pointing’ as COVID cases skyrocket

Vaccine clinics have been cancelled due to supply shortages, already overburdened intensive care units are beyond capacity, and new cases of COVID-19 have hit all-time highs in Ontario.