Recent surge of public trust in government hard to maintain, say experts, as Canada moves from crisis into recovery
Canadians’ trust in government has surged in recent weeks, according to experts, as politicians and officials have provided the public with unprecedented levels of “transparency, availability, and accessibility,” says Greg MacEachern, senior vice president of government relations at Proof Strategies. But moving into and through “phase two” of the COVID-19 pandemic recovery will be much […]
Maple syrup, maple chocolate, maple lollipops: a look inside Canada’s gifts to UN diplomats
When keeping up the tradition of diplomatic gift-giving, Canada’s mission to the United Nations takes cues from its flag—handing out an assortment of maple-related items to envoys from across the world. Maple syrup, maple cookies, maple butter, maple chocolate, and maple lollipops are some of the items that Canadian diplomats in New York City gift […]
As countries despair, UAE begins to reopen thanks to early action plan
BERLIN—Two months after the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a pandemic, it has become clear that some countries are handling the crisis better than others. With the wide spectrum of containment strategies at play, one pattern has emerged quite clearly: quick decisive responses succeeded in curbing the spread. Take Europe, for example, […]
Auditor general nominee to inherit underfunded office with big challenges ahead
The Trudeau government’s nominee for auditor general is set to inherit an office that’s facing funding shortfalls and the daunting task of auditing hundreds of billions of dollars in COVID-19 relief programs, on top of other large-scale commitments. NDP MP Matthew Green (Hamilton Centre, Ont.), his party’s critic for public accounts and member of the […]
Financial crisis and the pandemic: is it time for international money?
OTTAWA—The devastating global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a number of unprecedented emergency measures launched to fight the disease, to combat the deepening recession, and to lay the groundwork for economic recovery. The challenge for the world’s poorest countries has been particularly severe. Not only is their public health infrastructure weak; they […]
MPs from far-flung ridings wary of reuniting as a whole in June
With Canada’s provinces and territories still at varying stages of lifting lockdown measures, several MPs representing far-flung ridings remain wary of commuting back and forth to Ottawa in June, when the House typically rises for the summer, amid lingering concerns they could be vectors of the COVID-19 virus. The agreement to temporarily suspend Parliament expires […]
Child-care support emerging as key consideration in economic rebound, say advocates
As Canada gradually loosens COVID-19 restrictions, there are growing appeals for Ottawa to bolster support for child care amid concerns that women who have been furloughed or laid off may struggle to resume work. The federal government has “already been dipping its toes” in boosting support for child care, but the pandemic crisis, which forced […]
The origins of COVID-19 should not be politicized
According to data from the World Health Organization, as of May 7, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases worldwide hit more than 3.6 million, and the global coronavirus death toll has reached a quarter million. Sadly, instead of focusing on the COVID-19 containment in their own countries, certain politicians in some countries, out of […]
Cinema Quarantena: what to watch (and not) in isolation
After so many weeks of Isolation Nation quarantine that snow is now as discombobulated as the rest of us about which season it is, I’m down to streaming entertainment content that can best be described as “Whatever isn’t Tiger King.” Having processed just enough information about Tiger King weeks ago to sort its fight-or-flight triggers, my amygdala identified […]
Push to reopen the economy fuelled by disinformation, political gaslighting
OTTAWA—Donald Trump’s gaslighting of America is rapidly turning into Canadian policy. This is being orchestrated through an aggressive disinformation campaign, controlled and co-ordinated by the White House. On May 11, thousands of children in Quebec returned to school after an eight-week absence as a result of measures undertaken to stop the spread of COVID-19. […]
