Canada making real procurement progress, but still falling short
Canada is once again under fire for not spending enough on defence. At the NATO Parliamentary Assembly meetings in Halifax this past week, an American congressional delegate called Canada out for not having a plan to spend two per cent of GDP on defence. In response, Canadian officials referred to the spending increase baked into […]
The incredible shrinking country
OTTAWA—Think back through the years and see if you can remember a more petty, vengeful act by a political leader than Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s decision to raise the number of seats needed for a party to reach official status at Queen’s Park. The Progressive Conservatives are hiking the required seat total in the Ontario legislature required […]
Antennae are up for news on deficits, corporate relief plan, and pot revenue figures in fall economic update, say experts
The Trudeau government will likely offer Canadians businesses its answer to competitiveness concerns in this week’s fall economic update, along with changes to its deficit forecast, estimates on pot revenues, and new figures on the impact of a 2016 tax hike on the country’s top earners, which are all things experts say they’re watching for. […]
Mortgage finance regulations: it’s time to level the playing field
One of the fundamental lessons learned from the 2008-09 financial crisis is that the stability of the economy is substantially predicated on the health of its residential mortgage-lending system. An essential contributor to that health is an effective and efficient regulatory regime applied to the mortgage market. Canada’s regulations are among the best in the […]
iPolitics lays off five after ownership change
The new owner of the political journalism website iPolitics has laid off five members of its newsroom, little more than a month after founder James Baxter said nobody was to lose their job in the handover. Torstar Corp., which publishes The Toronto Star as well as The Hamilton Spectator and StarMetro daily newspapers in five major cities, […]
Feds have spent less than half of controversial $7-billion budget fund, critics question lost oversight given ‘unchanged’ spending pace
The Liberals have allocated less than half of the budget spending from a controversial $7-billion fund that outraged opposition MPs, who argued it fundamentally undermined how Parliament scrutinizes government spending. They say the pace of the roll-out shows the revamped system didn’t justify the lost oversight. The government transferred $2.89-billion, or 41 per cent, to departments since […]
Single-payer pharmacare is a cure worse than what ails the system
As we approach the 2019 federal election campaign, we seem to be moving towards to a major policy conflict between political parties on pharmacare and the federal role. The debate will hinge on whether we should pursue targeted or sweeping reforms, whether we prioritize clinician and patient choice or cost control, and whether we wish […]
Liberal changes to foreign aid bill raise ‘red flag,’ say Grit MP, critics, aid groups
A Liberal MP says he’s “skeptical” a provision tucked in the government’s massive budget implementation bill that makes changes to a law governing foreign aid accountability is as harmless as it appears. Opposition critics and foreign aid groups also say the proposed change to the Official Development Assistance Accountability Act found in Bill C-86 is […]
Senators who max out living-expense budget could get new top-up
Senators who find themselves nipping nickels at the end of the year, or even paying out pocket, to cover their living expenses because of extended Ottawa stays will have more breathing room in their budgets next year. Changes are being made following a study by a Senate Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration Committee subgroup that […]
We’re putting mental health at the forefront
Many years ago, C.S. Lewis lamented that it’s “easier to say ‘My tooth is aching’ than to say ‘My heart is broken.’” Decades later, his remarks speak to a fundamental truth about mental health: many still don’t think of it as health at all. As our government works to ensure Canada’s health-care system remains a […]
