We are having the wrong conversation, we are in a climate emergency
We are in a climate emergency and we are doing nothing substantive or effective to confront it. Within Parliament and media circles, we ignore the urgency of the climate crisis. Some Members of Parliament understand the grave nature of the threat. Some of us grasp that when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports […]
How do you know when a carbon price works?
For months now, Canadians have been treated to two starkly different carbon tax stories. In one version, it’s a fair, highly effective and essential policy to combat climate change—endorsed by economists and environmentalists alike. In the other, it’s little more than a tax grab that “does nothing” for emissions or the environment. So, which is […]
Carbon pricing ‘most cost-effective’ way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but not a ‘panacea’ to meet Paris targets, experts say
In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Canada’s Liberal government has a direct price on carbon dioxide emissions that will start at $20 per tonne, and increase by $10 each year until 2022 when it will reach $50 per tonne. The Canadian government has estimated that the pricing system “could” cut carbon emission by 80- […]
NDP MP’s ‘Create Your Canada’ contest catching on as way to engage, educate Canadians
Ten years since its inception, NDP MP Nathan Cullen’s contest to turn a policy pitch from one lucky constituent into a private members’ bill has been catching on among his caucus colleagues as an innovative way to engage, educate, and excite everyday Canadians about the federal legislative process. “We’re watching SNC-Lavalin, how they were trying […]
Senate’s plans to study C-69 stalled weeks after travel agreement struck
Despite an agreement to tour the country as part of its study of the Liberals’ sweeping environmental-assessment bill, the Senate Energy Committee still doesn’t have firm plans for its travel, leading some to suggest a deliberate opposition delay. But Conservative Senators say the Upper Chamber still has plenty of time to get through its review […]
Let’s end plastic waste
Plastic waste reduction has been on the forefront of the federal policy discussion over the last year, from a commitment to reduce the amount of single-use plastics in federal government operations, to Canada leading the development and completion of the G7 Ocean Plastics Charter that was signed by the European Union and five G7 countries […]
Canada’s current approach to Arctic short-term in nature
When discussing marine shipping in the Arctic, the answer—as with most questions on the North—requires a whole-of-government approach. On April 30, 2018, a review of the 1972 Pilotage Act was submitted to the minister of transport as part of the Oceans Protection Plan (the last substantial changes to the act were passed in 1998) by […]
Transport Minister Garneau says Ottawa’s ‘interested’ in potential benefits from West Coast high-speed rail proposal
Transport Minister Marc Garneau says he expects a report from a government-struck task force on school bus safety to be available before he meets with provincial and territorial transport ministers in the spring. In an email Q&A interview with The Hill Times for today’s transportation policy briefing, Mr. Garneau (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount, Que.) said the task force—bringing together […]
Canadian icebreaking capabilities not up to snuff, experts say
The town of L’Anse-au-Loup, N.L., sits on north shore of the Strait of Belle Isle, just over 20 km east of the lower north shore of Quebec. The 600-person community relies on a ferry service to provide them with everything from groceries to propane. “All our grocery stores rely on it for their produce and […]
Driving the move towards zero-emission vehicles
The science is clear: climate change is happening. We have a great opportunity to take ambitious action. Now is the time to do the heavy-lifting to ensure a safer, healthier, and more prosperous future for all. Canadians understand this, and are looking to all levels of government to help make it easier for them to […]
