Ottawa mayor calls on Trudeau to send cash to people with disabilities, pass Bill C-17
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has called on the federal government to find new ways to send money to help people with disabilities weather the COVID-19 pandemic, or try again to pass legislation that would do so through the House of Commons. Mr. Watson made the requests in an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau […]
Scrap troubled student service grant, funnel money into existing relief programs, says student advocate
As fallout over the prime minister’s involvement in a now-abandoned plan to award WE Charity oversight of a $900-million program plays out, his government’s efforts to move past the controversy and roll out the student relief program could influence how younger voters evaluate his performance, say some observers, while some student advocates are calling on […]
Forget the second wave of lockdowns, prepare for the recessionary tsunami
TORONTO—In the midst of multi-phase reopening plans, COVID-19 cases are back on the rise around the world. This has caused talks of a second round of lockdowns to circulate before this first round of unlocking. This is music to the ears of struggling business owners. Yet we shouldn’t expect a government-orchestrated economic plan to be […]
Coronavirus: why Canada must recalibrate its foreign aid policy
VANCOUVER—The Trump administration has officially begun to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), creating a budget vacuum that will limit the organization’s ability to help impacted countries fight COVID-19. Meanwhile, the pandemic has demonstrated that in our interconnected world order, we cannot protect the Canadian mainland without projecting our reach abroad. While closing borders […]
Canada, host countries should bolster efforts to mitigate COVID-19 spread in ‘displaced communities,’ says refugee advocacy group
With the peak of the pandemic still “three to six months” away from hitting regions gripped by humanitarian crises, an international refugee advocacy group is calling on the global community to step up its efforts to ensure vulnerable groups receive support needed to protect themselves from the virus. In a report released on Wednesday, Refugees […]
Hybrid summer circuit in the cards as politicians try to strike balance between public health and politics
For politicians, the summer is normally a time for the so-called barbecue circuit, to bounce from event to event rubbing shoulders with community members and rebuilding support. For the government, it can fan out cabinet ministers to make funding announcements and—in normal times—Conservative leadership hopefuls would be using these months to build public momentum. The […]
More nuanced, test-focused approach needed to reopen Canada-U.S. border, say experts
With reports of another rolling, 30-day extension to the closure of the Canada-U.S. border to non-essential crossings, border experts say little progress is expected as long as COVID-19 cases continue to climb in the United States, while some say a more nuanced, phased approach should be taken in reopening the border. The border has been […]
COVID-19 has opened the door for conversations about health-care reform, but are we willing to listen?
Since the onset of COVID-19, governments worldwide have introduced new programs and policies to prevent widespread collapse of either economies or health systems. We have witnessed rapid action, and much of it has been creative and experimental. It has awakened new optimism that we can strengthen the systems that support our most vulnerable. As we […]
It’s dictator or bust for Trump
OTTAWA—U.S. President Trump seems increasingly like a mad king—besieged on all sides, raging away in the wreckage of his castle, vowing defeat and destruction to his endless list of perceived enemies. His latest outrage, which led to renewed comparisons of the U.S. under Trump to a Third World dictatorship, came the night of July 10, […]
Feds’ COVID-19 relief measures for businesses should be more ‘agile,’ says Senator
As the government moves toward a phased reopening of the economy, and shortly after it unveiled a projected $343-billion deficit last week, a Senate committee report is calling on Ottawa to tweak its relief programs to reflect a more “progressive” response that reaches more people, as one Senator put it. Independent Senator Tony Loffreda (Quebec), […]
