Senate must be better prepared for emergency situations
Canadians’ lives and work have been turned upside down in recent weeks, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic imposed changes on our country that were unthinkable just a few weeks ago. But adjust they have. Aided by the technology that enables much work to be performed remotely, Canadians and businesses are adapting and getting […]
Early warning and COVID19—bridging the gap between analysis and response
Over the course of four months in 1994, 850,000 people were systematically butchered during the Rwanda genocide. A large body of open-source evidence revealed, well in advance, the killings were carefully orchestrated by groups with malevolent political agendas. All the indicators were there to derive a robust response, but intervention never materialized. The failure to […]
Judicial decision or no judicial decision, it’s same old crap for off-reserve Indigenous
April marked four years since the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Ottawa must take responsibility for Indigenous people living off reserve. But the federal government made extra sure the overwhelming majority of Indigenous people have nothing to celebrate by virtually leaving them out of pandemic relief. Back on April 14, 2016, in a rare […]
Don’t sacrifice official languages during times of crisis
The first virtual session of the Special Committee on COVID-19, to which all MPs belong, started up this week. Professional interpreters have already worked hard to translate the spoken words of MPs in the few parliamentary committees that have met in recent weeks, so we have some experience in interpreting virtual meetings—albeit on a small […]
New Green Party executive director sees opportunity, potential amid challenging times
Along with a new party leader to be announced in the fall, the Green Party of Canada will soon have a new executive director at its helm, with Prateek Awasthi set to take over on May 4, becoming the first person of colour to hold the post. “The Green Party’s in an interesting place, where […]
Canada ready for June UN Security Council election despite not actively campaigning amid pandemic, says UN envoy
With a fast-approaching United Nations Security Council election, Canada’s mission at the UN is focusing its efforts on curbing the coronavirus pandemic, but Canada’s envoy to the international body says he is ready for the June vote. UN Ambassador Marc-André Blanchard told The Hill Times in a phone interview earlier this week that the Canadian […]
Taxing Canadian expats not the silver bullet for generating post-COVID revenue
Chandra Arya, the Liberal MP for Nepean, Ont., recently argued for changing the current residency-based taxation approach to the U.S. citizenship-based taxation (CBT) approach, understating the complexity involved in making such a change and overstating the potential benefits. (Similarly, Andrew Caddell argued in his April 22 Hill Times column that “the three million Canadians abroad […]
From MP Sloan’s comments to PM briefings, tiresome patterns amid COVID-19
OTTAWA—Tiresome is a sentiment that has more potency in this time of COVID-19 containment. Many of us are tired of our house-bound routine and desire some return to what we had seven weeks ago before the new normal set in. Most of us get that there is still a way to go, and diligence is […]
‘Absolute carnage right now’: MPs call for greater energy sector support, ‘re-think’ of industry’s security, budgetary role
As Canada’s oil and gas sector continues to be battered by plummeting prices, MPs in energy-rich provinces are calling for greater measures from the federal government to keep the industry afloat amidst and after the COVID-19 pandemic, with two Alberta Conservative MPs calling for a “re-think” of the role of the sector from both a […]
Former Hill journalist, two-time Liberal candidate Allan Thompson to head Carleton j-school
Allan Thompson’s reporting career took him from Parliament Hill to Rwanda, and now he is set to become the new lead for Carleton University’s journalism school. “Thrilled to share the news I’ve been appointed the next head of Carleton’s prestigious journalism program, effective July 1. These are challenging times in journalism, but we’ve got brilliant, […]
