Where’s the money?: Questions loom over need for better foreign policy funding
Following Canada’s failure to win a seat on the UN Security Council, foreign affairs experts and former diplomats are raising the concern that funding for Global Affairs is insufficient despite budget increases over the last four years. Former Chrétien-era cabinet ministers and past diplomats Allan Rock and Sergio Marchi penned an op-ed this week in […]
Singh booted from Chamber during estimates debate after racism spat with Bloc
Debate on the latest supplementary estimates, which were later adopted “on division,” hit a momentary snag after NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh accused a Bloc Québécois MP of being “racist” over his refusal to support a motion recognizing systemic racism in the RCMP. Mr. Singh was booted from the House by the House Speaker after refusing […]
Second wave of virus could cut GDP by nearly 10 per cent, experts looks to future of relief programs
A recent Léger poll suggests the public is picking up on what public health officials have been warning for months: a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is possible, even likely, if existing preventative measures aren’t kept in place. Fear of a second wave is widespread, with 76 per cent of respondents to the poll […]
More pandemic help for seniors coming this summer: Seniors Minister Deb Schulte
Seniors in Canada have experienced some of the most negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, staying safe at home has meant added expenses. Deliveries come at a premium and some groceries are costing more. Prescription dispensing fees have increased in many provinces. The Government of Canada responded early. In April, more than four […]
Reopening the Economy Policy Briefing
Government must do more to help northerners and their businesses bounce back
As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to decline across the country, it feels as though we are at a point in the crisis where all of us are trying to catch our collective breath, take stock of where we are, examine what is working and what isn’t, and ready ourselves for whatever […]
House suspension deal offers ‘insufficient’ scrutiny of feds’ spending amid COVID, say politicos
The Liberal-NDP agreement to extend Parliament’s suspension of regular sittings and limit debate over an $87-billion spending bill is skirting scrutiny and “completely insufficient,” argue politicos, with at least one Grit MP frustrated by the move. The suspension will remain until Sept. 21, with four formal sittings through the summer. Meanwhile, the Special Committee on […]
Unparalleled BoC bond purchasing welcomed to move country from ‘defence to offence,’ says Senator Loffreda
Given continued global financial market turmoil borne from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Bank of Canada’s recent and unparalleled foray into bond purchasing comes as a welcome economic stimulus policy to “get confidence back into the market” and to “get the consumer working again,” according to Independent Senator Tony Loffreda. And with a new Bank […]
Not playing house: women’s work deserves equitable treatment in COVID recovery
OTTAWA—The die has been cast. Game on, Canada. Last week, Shopify announced that it is switching to a “digital by default” model of human resources that requires all 5,000 of its employees to work from home indefinitely. This move follows similar ones by Twitter, Square, and Facebook to move permanently to a work-from-home model, while […]
Environment, resource development agenda among April’s top-lobbied files
COVID-19 is offering important lessons for Canada’s approach to climate change and the need for green programs to be built into economic recovery, say some of the groups lobbying the ministers focused on these files and pushing them to the top of the list during the pandemic. Over the last two months, Natural Resources Minister […]
