Clash of the aftermaths: which world order will prevail post-pandemic?
“In this time of crisis, we face two particularly important choices. The first is between totalitarian surveillance and citizen empowerment. The second is between nationalist isolation and global solidarity.” — Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari, Financial Times Weekend, March 21. While Donald Trump’s labelling of the COVID-19 coronavirus last week as the “Chinese virus” was as diversionary as […]
We should be inspired by the ‘greatest generation’ to pull together
OTTAWA—When he was six years old, my father lived opposite the hospital in Lachine, Que., a city on the west side of the island of Montreal. One day, he skinned his knee and needed stitches. His mother said, “Let’s go across the street to the hospital and get that patched up.” He refused, saying, “Everyone […]
A health crisis is no time to double down on political peeves
OTTAWA—One would like to imagine that, in the face of a global threat of the magnitude of the current COVID-19 pandemic, humankind would be unified into a common defence. Just like the plot line of the classic 1996 Hollywood action movie Independence Day, wherein planet Earth is threatened by invading aliens, in order to defeat […]
Embassies in Ottawa offer ‘around the clock’ support in the new work-from-home reality
Embassies in Ottawa are shutting their doors, restricting hours, staffing 24-7 emergency lines, and co-ordinating flights for those stranded in Canada in what diplomats describe as “around-the-clock” support dealing with the demands of “unusual and unprecedented” times brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Ecuador Ambassador Diego Stacey said his consular officials are busy supporting […]
Construction work continues on Parliament Hill, with new precautions
Parliament is adjourned amid heightened self-isolation measures to try to “flatten the curve” of COVID-19’s spread, but construction work, including work related to the Centre Block building’s massive renovation, continues, albeit with some health and safety modifications. On March 12, all Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) staff, along with all employees working on current […]
Border closures may not be legal and won’t stop spread of COVID-19
Canada announced unprecedented measures last week to restrict the movement of people across our borders as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting on March 18, most foreign nationals—people who are not Canadian citizens or permanent residents—were no longer allowed into the country. Affected by this ban are many foreign nationals who live in Canada […]
Help Canada’s workers now—but don’t lock us into a high-carbon future
The COVID-19 pandemic is a human tragedy. Containing the virus and supporting people in crisis are of critical importance. For governments in Canada, and elsewhere, that includes financial assistance to keep individuals and businesses afloat. The economic impact on Canada’s oil and gas sector has been particularly acute, driven both by a drop in demand […]
COVID-19 is affecting us all, and CPC leadership race shouldn’t be exception
OTTAWA—COVID-19 may be the challenge of our time. One hopes its impact ends as quickly as it arrived, but none of us will be left untouched. It is unlike anything else we have experienced in most of our lifetimes. It is damn tough, but we are resilient and will get through it. I have yet […]
Trudeau calls on some celebrity friends to urge Canadians to stay inside
After a day spent imploring Canadians to stay inside, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter to encourage some Hollywood friends to share the message. Earlier in the day on March 23, Mr. Trudeau told the Canadian public “enough is enough.” “Go home and stay home. This is what we all need to be doing, […]
‘It’s a different world we’re all living in’: vast majority of staff working remotely, focused on COVID-19 response
The vast majority of staff—from ministerial offices on the Hill to the constituency offices of Members of Parliament—are now working from home and busy working to answer high volumes of public queries and implement new measures being announced to help Canadians amid the COVID-19 outbreak. “I think that all of our offices are seeing high […]
