Prime Minister taps career bureaucrat as nominee for Parliamentary Budget Officer
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday, June 19, he is nominating career public servant Yves Giroux to serve as the next Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), a post that will have to take on a large and perhaps politically contentious task of costing party platforms for the upcoming federal election in 2019. If approved by […]
What happens if Ontario makes good on plan to scrap cap and trade?
With the election of Doug Ford as Ontario’s next premier, the carbon market is in danger. The Quebec government plans to turn on the charm in order to keep its neighbour in the game. But what will happen if Ontario’s new Conservative government follows through with its intention to withdraw from the cap-and-trade system? Between […]
Crazily, Trump wants a trade war; Canada better gear up
OTTAWA—Last weekend, Canadians got an indication of what they are really dealing with when it comes to United States President Trump. Annoyed that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a wrap-up G7 press conference that Canada would not be pushed around by its American neighbour, Trump blew up and began a verbal attack on Trudeau that […]
Speaker says precedent-setting $7-billion budget vote can go ahead
NDP MP Daniel Blaikie says he’s exhausted almost every procedure in the book to stop a controversial $7-billion budget vote, but after a Monday night House Speaker’s ruling, he’s not sure what else to do. “We are getting to the point where we have done all that we can do. I really have tried to […]
House committee spending dipped to $2.6-million last year, more reports released
House committees pared back on expenses last year, spending roughly $2.6-million, after running slightly over budget the year before, according to a recently released report. That’s down from the $3.3-million spent in 2016-17, when committees had a $3.1-million budget, according to the report tabled by Conservative MP and House Liaison Committee vice-chair Tom Lukiwski (Moose Jaw-Lake […]
Trans Mountain deal could polish Morneau’s tarnished reputation, say observers, politicos
Observers say Finance Minister Bill Morneau has an opportunity to “benefit” from the government’s decision to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline, fixing a reputation sullied by several blunders as a rookie finance minister if he can prove his Bay Street background pays off in securing a good deal for Canada. The controversial purchase was made […]
Pharmacare for all: the cost of delay
It’s well known that Canada’s public, universal medicare coverage of physician and hospital services is a very cost-effective way of delivering care to Canadians. Repeated studies demonstrate that Canada’s medicare system delivers comparable service to private systems with lower per capita costs. More importantly, we do so while covering every Canadian. Evidence has been mounting […]
Liberals failing to prioritize Canadians’ health concerns in an effective manner
When it comes to health policy in Canada, it is clear that there are more issues than funding available. For this reason, the government should be prioritizing public health responses specifically to the needs of Canadians. Essentially, what should become key priorities on this list are the health issues that are affecting us nationally. As […]
Sajjan says $2.3B of defence budget not spent, promises increased transparency
National Defence did not spend its entire $6.2-billion budget, with $2.3-billion left over in the first year since the feds unveiled its new defence policy, said Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan on Wednesday during an industry event, where he gave an update on the government’s spending plan. Mr. Sajjan said the unspent funds were a result […]
New report casts doubt on DND meeting ambitious spending commitments
Planned spending figures found in federal documents suggests the Department of National Defence is beginning to get off track from meeting the ambitious annual spending targets set forth in the government’s 20-year defence policy unveiled last June, says an analysis from the University of Ottawa’s Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy released on May 28. […]
