British Columbians concerned about Trans Mountain aren’t disloyal Canadians
Both the federal and Alberta governments have taken to dumping on British Columbians as a bunch of radicals who don’t care about Canada. To the contrary, they are thoughtful about this country, care deeply, and want to protect it. The spin about the Trans Mountain pipeline being in the “national interest” is questionable at best, deceptive […]
Tories displaying opportunism, dangerous stalling by digging in their heels on carbon pricing
“Political opportunism one reason for Conservative rejection of carbon pricing,” (The Hill Times, May 21, p. 18). It used to be acknowledged as a compliment when someone else mirrored our tastes and ideas. One could sarcastically bow to the opponent, saying, “Ah, at last, you are displaying smarts by moving our genius idea of old. I […]
Setting the record straight on the Trans Mountain pipeline project
PARLIAMENT HILL—Like a majority of Canadians, I support the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, and yet what we mostly hear are the voices of its opponents. This vocal minority has a host of reasons for their opposition, many of which have been addressed by the Senate during Senators’ many deliberations on this matter. One of […]
The U.S. is leaving the Paris Agreement, Canada’s not. Why follow on weakening car emissions standards?
Fixated on reversing the progress made under its predecessor, the current United States administration plans to weaken vehicle emissions standards. Less fuel-efficient vehicles in the U.S. are bad for Canada’s climate, but things could get much worse if Canada adopts weaker standards as well. Due to the linked nature of U.S. and Canadian auto regulations […]
Trans Mountain pipeline myth-busting, of a different sort
PARLIAMENT HILL—In last week’s Hill Times online, Colleen Collins of the Canada West Foundation promised to bust myths about Kinder Morgan. Instead, she gave us just another dose of propaganda. Allow me to respond. Diluted bitumen spills can’t be cleaned up Collins claims that the 2010 Enbridge spill in the Kalamazoo River proves diluted bitumen […]
Reality check needed on pipeline rhetoric
Last week, before the Liberal government made the extraordinary announcement that it would buy the Kinder Morgan pipeline, a majority of Senators moved to push the government on the pipeline by passing Bill S-245. Throughout the process of crafting their legislative message to the Trudeau government, I witnessed pro-pipeline Senators repeatedly invoking the “rule of […]
Senate committee likely to amend C-45 on home pot cultivation, says sponsor
The Senate Social Affairs Committee will likely recommend a change to the cannabis legalization bill’s terms for growing pot at home, says its sponsor in the Red Chamber. “I suspect there will be something in home cultivation. It has been probably one of the most-discussed issues,” said Ontario Independent Senator Tony Dean. “I would be […]
Majority of Canadians says pipeline could lift economy, but generational divide in support exists: poll
Ottawa is ensnared in a legal battle with British Columbia over concerns of the environmental impact of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, but one recent poll suggests that a significant proportion of Canadians thinks that the project could be a boon to the economy, though there’s a sharp generational gap in support that could dampen […]
Senate debate on Trans Mountain reveals reliance on myths, not facts
The good news is that the Senate just passed a bill to declare the Trans Mountain pipeline project to be “for the general advantage of Canada.” But the not so great news is that the record of the debate shows that some myths are still out there which anti-pipeline folks like British Columbia Green Party […]
Could this year’s Charlevoix talkfest be the last of the G7 summits?
OTTAWA—Conceived as a kind of fireside chat among the leaders of the biggest industrial democracies, the first high-level international “summit” was hosted by French president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing at the Chateau de Rambouillet outside Paris in 1975. While the need to deal with the economic crisis set off by the 1973-74 oil shock was urgent […]
