Parliamentary Protective Service requests another $6.1-million in annual funding in 2017-18, wants $68.2-million total
PARLIAMENT HILL—With one new and two refurbished Parliament Hill buildings set to open up next year and higher visitor traffic expected for Canada’s 150th celebrations along with continuing efforts to enhance Hill security, the Parliamentary Protective Service wants a $6.1-million increase to its annual funding next year as well as almost $2.4-million in additional funding for 2016-17. The heads of the Parliamentary […]
It’s time to change the culture of living with a disability in Canada
Can you imagine this? “It is just a few years from today and there has been a lot of positive changes for persons living with disabilities and their families in Canada. We have a new Canadian Disabilities Act. Our government has signed the UN Protocol to Safeguard the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Across the […]
‘Bay Street guy’ Morneau defender of the middle class, despite privileged background
With this Liberal government’s second federal budget expected any week now, Finance Minister Bill Morneau will again become one of the main faces of this regime that has made growing and defending the middle class one of its main tenets. But Mr. Morneau (Toronto Centre, Ont.), like his boss Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.), […]
Time for Trudeau to order Canada Revenue Agency to get with the program
The Conference Board of Canada’s new report titled, “Canadian Tax Avoidance: Examining the Potential Tax Gap,” has concluded that up to $47-billion worth of taxes is not being collected by the Government of Canada. Think of what could be accomplished if that money was actually collected by the federal government; the programs it could fund, […]
Trudeau set the stage for major economic change, but were Liberal budget-makers listening?
OTTAWA—The NDP must be wondering what’s left to say after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent speech in Germany. “Whether you’re a business or a government, it’s time to realize that this anger and anxiety we see washing over the world is coming from a very real place. And it’s not going away,” Trudeau said at […]
Axed Harper-era tax credits benefited the rich: Finance Department
Top-earning families raked in the biggest savings from Harper-era tax credits for kids who play sports or take art classes, according to a report released last week by Finance Canada. The credits also did not actually get more children participating in fitness activities, and likely did not increase participation in arts programs either, said the […]
Do as committees recommend and boost aid budget
The key metric that measures the level of a government’s assistance to developing countries, official development assistance (ODA), was set at a target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income (GNI) by the OECD. According to the report Assessing Canada’s Global Engagement Gap, Canada averaged between 0.44 per cent and 0.47 per cent of […]
Why Trump’s math is wrong on defence spending
OTTAWA—Now that United States President Donald Trump has fully assumed the reins of office, it appears that he remains intent on implementing even the most outrageous of his election promises. Within a week of his inauguration, he had issued an executive order in an attempt to block entry to the U.S. for all citizens of […]
It’s time for smart policies for smart IT spending
TORONTO—As the new government in Ottawa advances its second year in office, with a commendable list of achievements and an ambitious policy agenda, it is timely to help connect some policy dots. Unlike our neighbour to the south, or the political climate in Europe, the national mood both in government and the public at large […]
Trump doctrine: where to cut the aid budget and feed millions
The United Nations and operational NGOs must be bracing for a major jolt as the Trump administration proceeds to rewrite the rules of U.S. engagement with the world. So must the word’s poor and vulnerable, who ultimately are targeted beneficiaries of development and humanitarian assistance. The New York Times recently reported leaked communication from the […]
