Feds hope low earth orbiting satellites are answer for rural broadband access
In the recent budget, the government announced $1.7-billion for its plan to get broadband access for all Canadian homes by 2030, but how much funding will go to satellites to cover the most remote and northern communities remains unclear. In the 2019 budget, the Liberal government announced $1.7-billion for the Universal Broadband Fund, which will […]
Proposed federal tool to ‘blacklist a country,’ stop visa processing alarms immigration lawyers
The Liberals’ omnibus budget bill gives the government a political tool to stop issuing some visas or permits to people from countries it deems difficult to deal with in deportation proceedings, a measure some immigration lawyers are calling “overly broad” and a “blunt instrument” without the necessary checks and balances. One of the measures in […]
Tax changes in budget bill to alleviate Phoenix overpayment burden
Long-awaited tax changes to help federal employees saddled with the unusual problem of getting paid too much thanks to the problem-plagued Phoenix payroll system have made it into legislation—a year after the government first signalled help was on the way. Among the dozens of statutes affected by Bill C-97—the Liberals’ final budget implementation bill of […]
‘For the people’? Ford’s health cuts show disconnect between rhetoric, reality
OTTAWA—It’s been nearly 20 years since seven people died and 2,300 became ill as a result of water contamination in the town of Walkerton, Ont.—the worst case of its kind in the country’s history. As Justice Dennis O’Connor concluded in a 2002 judicial inquiry report, the incident could in part be traced back directly to […]
Budget misses the mark on addressing health needs
The Liberals’ budget delivered their “solutions” to the issues facing health care in Canada today. But did it hit its intended mark? Canada is facing a systemic health crisis. Canadians are living longer—a good thing, on its own—but increasingly with chronic diseases such as diabetes or dementia. This places a genuine burden on Canadian caregivers, […]
Federal spending hits $300-billion, with 2019-20 main estimates up 8.6 per cent
Federal spending is up almost 8.6 per cent in this year’s 2019-20 main estimates over last, reaching just under $300-billion, with spending up 4.7 per cent for the Senate and down 0.7 per cent for the House of Commons. Total budgetary spending laid out in the 2019-20 main estimates sits at $299.6-billion, up $23.6-billion, or […]
Budget misses the mark on international development
On March 19, Finance Minister Bill Morneau released his government’s fourth federal budget. In an election year, it sought to reach potential voters on what matters to them: millennials with support for home ownership, parents with child-care subsidies, seniors with pensions, and workers with skills training. It also used spending and incentives to signal a […]
Diving into uncertainty: Canada’s submarine crisis
The Canadian government recently announced plans to rehabilitate its aging fleet of Victoria-class diesel-electric submarines it acquired from Britain in the late 1990s. This endeavour raises critical questions about the future capabilities of the Royal Canadian Navy in an increasingly complex area of naval operations. Officially known in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) by their […]
The North needs more infrastructure to unlock its wealth potential
Few industries come to mind that have a stronger connection and reliance on infrastructure than the mining sector. Frequently situated in remote and northern regions, mines are often located in areas without any roads, telecommunications services, or easily accessible transportation, all essential to getting goods to market. Nowhere is Canada’s infrastructure deficit more acute than […]
Trudeau right to focus income distribution, but has failed to achieve productive economy
TORONTO—If there is a central core to the Trudeau government’s promise to Canadians it is that it will improve lives of the middle class. This was central to its 2015 election platform, has been at the centre of every one of Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s four budgets, and some reference to the middle class can […]
