Canada leads the way to a historical pledge of $3.8 billion at G7 for girls’ education in conflict and crises
It’s been more than five years since I spoke to Zeinab, a young girl from Syria living in a tattered tent within a makeshift refugee camp in Lebanon. But her story is seared into my memory, one of both paralyzing fear and burgeoning hope. It’s Zeinab who I think of today when celebrating the G7’s historic […]
Canada needs its youth to show swagger to be global leaders in the entrepreneurship and innovation game
Our global reputation for being nice means we sometimes take a back seat on the world stage when it comes to creating the next big ideas, organizations, or initiatives. This puts Canadians at a disadvantage in business, economic, and political development. My co-founder and I are both Canadian. We started 42 Technologies, a big data […]
Increase in longevity a remarkable success, but can also pose big economic, social risks
TORONTO—How much health care, education, and other public goods we value can we afford? It’s an important question for Canada as we face the challenges of an aging society and weak productivity growth. It’s certainly something each of our political parties should be thinking about as they prepare their platforms for next year’s federal election. […]
Push for diversity, cooperation in the research community goes beyond ‘business as usual,’ say industry groups
Observers are applauding the government’s decision to use this year’s budget to promote diversity amongst researchers and collaboration between the three main research granting councils, saying it shows the government is serious about science. However, despite the widespread celebration, both Universities Canada and HealthCareCAN say there is still more work to do to implement the […]
Internationally, Canada’s a beacon for science and scientists
Take a look at the world right now and you will see that there are countries where support for science is on the decline. In some instances, scientists have been muzzled or funding for research has been scaled back. That is not the case in Canada today. In fact, internationally, we are viewed as a […]
‘Canada’s greatest prime minister was a mama’s boy,’ Unbuttoned: A History of Mackenzie King’s Secret Life
Canada’s greatest prime minister was a mama’s boy. Not only that, he was a sexually repressed, hypocritical, ghost-talking, spiritualism practising, guilt-ridden, prostitute-visiting mama’s boy. Or so Canadians learned in 1976. That was Mackenzie King’s annus horribilis, when the “Weird Willie” phenomenon reached a climax amidst a mounting din from books, documentaries, poetry, newspaper stories, and […]
Why girls’ education matters, even in a conflict zone
Growing up in a conflict zone, I know all too well how it feels to be told: “You can’t go to school today. It is too dangerous!” As a girl, I felt the frustration and anger of being stuck in an underground shelter instead of going to school, playing with my friends and learning new […]
‘My first reaction was, ‘Oh my god, my mom’’: Toronto van attack hits home for local MPs
While the Peace Tower flag flies at half-mast in Ottawa, Liberal MP Ali Ehsassi is back in his north Toronto riding of Willowdale to be with his community. He said he never expected a mass casualty attack would happen in Toronto, let alone his unassuming, mostly suburban Toronto neighbourhood. “I would have never imagined this,” Mr. […]
Time for Canada to re-engage with Commonwealth Scholarships
Commonwealth Scholarships are a prestigious international brand, well known and respected throughout the world. They help students with the cost of obtaining an advanced degree in a Commonwealth country other than their own. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom recently issued a report that addressed its successes and challenges. The authors indicated that […]
Infrastructure improvements could increase annual GDP of northern territories by $4.7-billion: report
Upgrading trade-enabling infrastructure in Canada’s northern territories could add billions each year to the national economy, says a new report from the University of Calgary. Goods and services in the North are costlier than elsewhere in Canada, largely owing to logistical and geographic barriers limiting access to communities in the south. In the report “Gains from Trade for Canada’s […]
