‘Significant need’ for more fulsome fiscal plan, update from feds this fall, says Page
A speech from the throne will set out the Liberal government’s new policy agenda on Sept. 23, and, with no federal budget yet tabled for 2020, former parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page says there’s now a “significant need” for the feds to quickly follow up with longer-term fiscal plans as a matter of public confidence. […]
Post-pandemic recovery offers chance to make a real difference in lives of Canadian kids
As parents and children continue to adjust to new school realities this September, Canada has a stark choice: do we let COVID-19 disrupt one year in our kids’ lives, or do we allow it to damage their future forever? Canada’s political leaders and public health officials have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic at record speed, […]
Security hits shaky ground when law and order become a catchphrase
OTTAWA—During his 2015 campaign for the Republican Party leadership, Donald J. Trump claimed that he was “the most militaristic person ever.” No sooner had Trump made that boastful claim than the press pilloried him for his demonstrable absence of any actual military service. The New York Post dubbed him “G.I. Joke” and commentators pointed out […]
Short timelines, mail-in voting coming for Tory nominations in unheld ridings, say top Conservative sources
Conservative sources are predicting “compressed timelines and mail-in ballots” for the party’s pre-election nomination contests in the 217 ridings not held by Conservative incumbents, amid ongoing speculation that an election could come this fall or next spring. The Conservative Party’s communications office was not available to comment for this article last week. Senior Conservative sources […]
‘Combatting a pandemic requires mobilizing intelligence’: former PCO clerk calls for reforms to emergency preparedness
More than half a year into the government’s unprecedented commitment of time, money and resources to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, a former clerk of the Privy Council Office argues that improvements can be made to fix “woefully lacking” capacity at the ministerial level for dealing with emergencies—including beefing up security and intelligence mechanisms in […]
New investments needed to build a healthy society, post-pandemic
With Canada continuing to battle COVID-19 and its profound impacts on our economy, the timing is less than ideal to appoint a new finance minister. However, Chrystia Freeland’s new role provides a key opportunity to make her mark and set Canada on a course toward recovery post-COVID-19. To achieve this, Canada will have to make […]
Police chiefs, public health authorities, NDP, Greens increasingly united around calls for drug decriminalization amid overdose uptick
Amid increasing calls from MPs, police chiefs, and public health authorities for the decriminalization of illegal drugs in the midst of a rapidly worsening overdose epidemic, the Trudeau government have made recent moves on safe supply and supervised-consumption sites, while stopping short of promising further movement on decriminalization. But following reports that British Columbia recorded […]
Canada long overdue for ‘more populist voices’ to take up cause of ‘expendables’, says economist Rubin
Economist Jeff Rubin’s prescient book about the hollowing out of the middle class, or the “expendables,” as he’s phrased it, couldn’t have landed at a more opportune time. The pandemic-induced panic that led countries en masse to shutter their borders, to limit, and even ban, exports of critical personal protective equipment, and to shore up […]
Caremongering started at home but it shouldn’t end here
It has been moving to experience and witness the generosity of Canadians over the last six months. It was not uncommon to hear stories in the midst of fears around food scarcity and grocery store paranoia, of neighbours delivering baskets of hard-to-find supplies and food. During COVID-19, Canadians across the country have rallied to support […]
A fall election has few benefits, so don’t hold your breath for its call
OTTAWA—Making predictions is often a fool’s errand. But, being a fool, I am prepared to make the leap. There will be no election this fall. Especially one perpetrated by confidence motions stemming from the Sept. 23 speech from the throne. Let me lay out two caveats, though. The first: unless the Liberals have some stunning […]
