Keeping whales and dolphins in captivity becoming obsolete
Keeping whales and dolphins in captivity is rapidly becoming obsolete around the world, and Canada is no exception. The Senate Fisheries Committee is currently studying Bill S-203, groundbreaking legislation that would protect whales, dolphins, and porpoises from a lifetime of deprivation in captivity. Our country now has an exciting opportunity to become a global leader […]
Energy East saga demonstrates the need for a climate test
TORONTO—This month’s cancellation of the Energy East pipeline sparked a divisive debate about the prospects for new fossil fuel infrastructure in a world moving rapidly to tackle climate change. But there’s a clear path forward to provide industry with policy clarity for future energy projects: the federal government must put in place a climate test […]
Canada’s slow progress on animal transport
Last December, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency published updates to transport regulations in Canada Gazette I. CFIA’s Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement (RIAS) notes that current regulations are so outdated that: they do not reflect current science on the care and handling of animals; they’re not “clear and science-informed”; and they don’t “align with Canada’s international trading partners and […]
Caribou need large tracts of intact forest to survive, feds should help this northern jewel
PETERBOROUGH, ONT.—The rarest gems, they say, are most precious. We delight in the exquisite and the exceptional—a rare bird, a remote destination, an impressionist masterpiece. While the experience may be brief, the value is enduring. Joy springs from the sheer knowledge such treasures exist. For years, I have sought a most elusive treasure. My pursuit […]
Energy East cancellation hasn’t hurt Liberals yet, but could haunt them in 2019: pollsters
The abandonment of the country-spanning Energy East pipeline by proponent TransCanada hasn’t harmed the Liberal government’s national popularity so far, though pipelines and energy policy could still emerge as ballot box issues in Western Canada and New Brunswick in the next election, according to pollsters, with some saying it might cost the party seats in […]
‘Plans themselves don’t reduce emissions,’ experts call for more action from Ottawa to tackle climate change
Policy experts are calling for urgent action from Ottawa to better prepare Canada to withstand the aftershocks of a warming planet, in the wake of a damning report from the country’s federal environment commissioner that found the federal government ill-prepared to mitigate the effects of serious storms, droughts, and floods, and raised doubts about existing emission reduction […]
Ecofiscal Commission: the ‘green’ face of the tar sands?
Proponents of a carbon tax in this country have probably heard of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission. Formed in 2014 to promote “practical solutions for growing prosperity,” it has an annual budget of millions, a long roster of notables from the private and public sectors, and the marketing savvy of a Bay Street firm. You could be […]
Death of Energy East direct legacy of Harper’s decade in office
OTTAWA—The death of Energy East is a direct legacy of the Stephen Harper decade in office. Not only did the prime minister systematically refuse to bring premiers together, he had no interest in a new national project. Harper was Canada’s energy superhero, and oil companies didn’t even have to leave Calgary to get support for […]
Political leaders all talk, little action on climate change, McKenna’s no different
GATINEAU, QUE.—Almost lost amid the furor over those modest Liberal tax changes, the shock and misery of Las Vegas and the random terrorist incident in Edmonton last week was another piece of very bad news. It came from the commissioner of climate change and sustainable development, Julie Gelfand, who said, essentially, that since 1992 Canada’s […]
On climate change, feds must catch up not slow down
The recent report by the federal environment commissioner shows that the government has to work harder to meet Canada’s greenhouse gas reduction targets under the Paris Agreement. The report is a wake-up call. Canada is not on track to meet its 2030 climate commitments, while timelines on policy implementation are getting longer and measures to […]
