Hungary: the first casualty?
LONDON, U.K.—“Hello, dictator!” said Jean-Claude Juncker cheerily to Hungary’s leader, Victor Orbán, at a European Union summit meeting a couple of years ago. The president of the European Commission was only joking, of course, but it was gallows humour. Dictatorship was clearly where Orbán was heading—and now he has arrived. On March 30, the Hungarian […]
Hadju made a courageous and dangerous statement last week
OTTAWA—Health Minister Patty Hadju made a courageous and dangerous statement last week. Courageous, when she told the country that successive governments had neglected their responsibilities by not investing in pandemic preparation. Dangerous, because at the end of the day, Canadians will blame current governments when things go wrong. The general strategy in politics is never […]
‘Is it even big enough?’: Morneau shells out unprecedented billions, economists applaud move as COVID-19 crisis deepens
Finance Minister Bill Morneau says he is spending an unprecedented amount of borrowed money to prop up Canada’s economy as the spreading novel coronavirus has kept Canadians in their homes, out of stores, and more than two million out of work, and economists, a former parliamentary budget officer, and a former deputy prime minister say […]
Senator Doug Black calls for creation of Economic Recovery Council in post-coronavirus world
In order to ensure Canada is positioned to rebound from the fiscal damages brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Alberta Senator Doug Black is calling for the creation of an Economic Recovery Council. Sen. Black, a member of the Canadian Senators Group, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week calling for the […]
Once the pandemic is over, we’ll need a new social contract for Canada
TORONTO—Even before the pandemic hit, it was clear we needed a new social contract. While the pandemic brutally exposed the shortcomings of our society and just how vulnerable so many individuals and families really are, this didn’t start with the pandemic. Rather, the pandemic put the spotlight on the underlying fault lines that have been […]
Feds partly responsible for treatment of asylum seekers turned back at Canadian-U.S. border, say refugee advocates
As Canada is turning back asylum seekers who cross its southern border, refugee advocates say the federal government has a shared responsibility for how those hopeful refugee applicants are treated by the United States. Canada and the United States jointly agreed to rebuff asylum seekers crossing their respective borders, beginning on March 20. “I think […]
Some cabinet stars emerge in pandemic
CHELSEA, QUE.—It has been decades since the era of strong cabinet ministers—men (always men) with a profile as prominent as the prime minister’s and their own following within the party. In the modern era, the most memorable example is Paul Martin, Jean Chrétien’s finance minister, who, somewhat impatiently, built his own brand and his own […]
Slammed by COVID, Canada’s aviation industry looking to federal government for help
Faced with sharply declining revenues due to COVID-19, the Canadian aviation industry is taking a major hit. From airlines to airports and aerospace companies throughout the supply chain, all are facing challenges to their bottom line, and potentially their survival. Some targeted government relief has been announced for certain groups in the industry, but with […]
Feds ‘on the hot seat’ for past and new decisions, as journos, staffers contend with new media environment
Despite the dwindling numbers of journalists standing face-to-face with decision makers as the COVID-19 pandemic pushes more people to work from home, public officials and the media have done an effective job of communicating with the public so far, despite challenging conditions, say observers. In addition to daily updates by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, […]
Beyond life and death issues presented by COVID-19, is there a social phenomenon brewing?
HALIFAX—Beyond the life and death issues presented by COVID-19, is there a social phenomenon brewing? We have had the Great Depression and the Great Recession. Are we entering the early days of the Great Reflection? Socrates observed that the unexamined life is not worth living. His point was that if all you ever did was […]
