House first-quarter spending drops $7.4-million overall, largely thanks to COVID-19
Members of the House of Commons’ Board of Internal Economy recently got a preview of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Parliament’s books, and while offset by some new costs, like $1.4-million to run a virtual Chamber, the House spent almost $7.4-million less in the first quarter compared to last year. The House of Commons […]
Don’t expect the post-COVID economic recovery tide to raise all the boats
CALGARY—What were you thankful for this Thanksgiving? If you were lucky enough to spend it with your family, complete with the illustrious feast featuring a cornucopia of traditional food items, count your blessings. There are many people who weren’t able to do so and the structural discrepancies between the haves and have-nots are growing during […]
Tam says ‘extremely difficult balance’ lays ahead in second wave of COVID-19
The country’s top doctor called on leaders Tuesday to consider “fine-tuning” any reopening plans to avoid the possibility of more cases and a “yo-yoing” effect in the pandemic’s second wave. Speaking to reporters, federal chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam noted jurisdictions like Quebec and Ontario are facing an “extremely difficult” balance, as parts […]
Pandemic risks undoing progress at achieving gender parity
Sunita is 16. She has been married for four years. At the age of 12, she became a child bride—forced into marriage and out of education by her parents in the Indian state of Bihar. “It felt terrible because I was still very young and was attending school with my friends,” says Sunita. “All my […]
Now more than ever, the world needs data stewards
Canadians are surrounded by data that impact their opinions and actions. A recent innovative study from Statistics Canada estimated the value of the stock of data, databases and data science in Canada at $217-billion in 2018. From consuming suggested content on social platforms to apps that help us manage our interactions during a pandemic, data […]
Forget the deficit doomsters, the IMF’s got it right
TORONTO—With a projected federal budget deficit in the range of $350-billion in the current fiscal year, there are understandable worries over whether we are pushing ourselves over a fiscal cliff. While that is always a risk, the evidence suggests the answer is “no,” so long as we make sure that we are careful in how […]
‘Much more gets accomplished when hyper-partisanship is taken out of politics’: MPs, experts, politicos weigh in on leadership during global pandemic’s second wave
With the ‘second wave’ of the COVID-19 pandemic confronting the highest levels of leadership in both politics and in the health community, as confirmed cases continue to increase in jurisdictions across Canada, both MPs and experts say that “this is the time when we need to work for the health and safety of every Canadian,” […]
Assisted-dying parliamentary review still up in air as Justice Committee stares down ‘logjam’
A mandated review of Canada’s assisted-dying law is still up in the air four months after it was supposed to begin, with opposition MPs and the government pointing fingers at each other and saying it falls on the other party to initiate such a review. Conservative MP Michael Cooper (St. Albert-Edmonton, Alta.), a member of […]
NDP’s openness to backing Liberals for full mandate likely won’t be reciprocated, say politicos
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s openness to supporting the Liberal government over the course of its mandate will likely not be reciprocated in the long term, say strategists, arguing that, when certain conditions are in alignment, the Liberals may be the ones to orchestrate the demise of the minority Parliament. The government has survived two tests […]
New COVID-relief programs could cost upwards of $14.6-billion, says PBO
A four-week extension of the now-defunct Canada Emergency Response Benefit could cost Ottawa an additional $5.36-billion this year, according to a new analysis from Canada’s budget watchdog, while new measures approved by Parliamentarians last week could cost more than $14.6-billion. The Parliamentary Budget Officer shared four costing notes Wednesday: three assessing the cost of the […]
