In warning of COVID-19 malign actors, Trump needs a mirror
OTTAWA—During this COVID-19 crisis, we are repeatedly being warned to be on the lookout for Russian and Chinese disinformation. U.S. President Donald Trump warned that we “must not let malign actors exploit the [COVID-19] crisis for their own gain.” According to our security experts, the Chinese and Russians are in fact using their global pandemic […]
‘Hope, courage, determination’: politicos mark 40 years since start of Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope
Four decades after Terry Fox dipped his right leg in the ice cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Parliamentarians honoured his legacy. “When I think of hope, courage, determination, I think of Terry Fox,” said Liberal MP Pam Damoff in a Twitter video. “As we face challenges in […]
BoJo takes it on the chin
OTTAWA—Well, at least he didn’t die. At least Boris Johnson didn’t leave the United Kingdom leaderless at a moment when the U.K. is facing its greatest pre-COVID-19 challenge in a half a century with the Brexit process he did more than anyone to set in motion. The prime minister survived the virus, although he reminded […]
Pandemic crisis tests durability of MPs’ parliamentary privileges, say MPs, experts
As parliamentary privileges are tested amid the pandemic, with one MP crying foul over the leaking of draft legislation, experts say it has underscored the extent to which not all MPs have equal standing in the House. The temporary suspension of the House has upended the routine legislative process, leading draft bills to be scrutinized, […]
‘Canada’s forgotten public health emergency’: opioid crisis rages amid the pandemic, says former Harper aide
With public health officials largely preoccupied with beating back the spread of the stealthy coronavirus, Benjamin Perrin, a former senior aide to then-prime minister Stephen Harper, says the collision of the pandemic with the opioid crisis has the makings of a “perfect storm.” Given that a potential vaccine for COVID-19 is still likely many months, […]
Pencils down, it’s time to figure out the pandemic Parliament
With April 20 less than a week away, it’s not very encouraging that Parliamentarians haven’t appeared to make any progress in deciding whether Parliament will actually return on the aforementioned date. Back in March, when MPs agreed to suspend the House of Commons until April 20, there were still many unknowns about just how destructive […]
How quickly can the COVID-19 crackdown turn into cracking the whip on Black and brown bodies?
OTTAWA—Evidently, the killing of Black men by the police is an essential service. Last week, Peel Regional Police in Brampton, Ont., shot and killed D’Andre Campbell, a 26-year-old Black man with a known—as in, known to the police—history of mental health issues. It was Campbell who called the police on April 6 and it was […]
We are in a crisis, so now is the time to act
OTTAWA—In August of 1941, Britain was struggling through some of the darkest days of the Second World War. In the United States, the isolationist and anti-Semitic “America First” movement was keeping the country out of the war. Nonetheless, Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt met secretly in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, where they drafted the “Atlantic Charter,” […]
Let’s talk about it: COVID-19 is a mental wellness challenge for all
OTTAWA—Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic is tough on everyone. First and foremost, for all the families who have lost loved ones to this heinous virus. It has to be terrifying on a daily basis for all those on the front lines trying to help the rest of us go on with some semblance of […]
Health Canada’s COVID-19 task force ‘likely working night and day’ as bureaucrats across departments hammer out policy response
The global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic is demonstrated by a “whole-of-government” approach that has captured bureaucrats from many federal departments to form Health Canada’s COVID-19 task force. The team was “established to provide dedicated policy and strategic planning capacity to the whole-of-government response to COVID-19,” according to an April 2 statement from Health Canada […]
