‘Leader, mentor, and a trail blazer’: Summa prez Tracey Hubley dies
Widely regarded as a top federal government lobbyist, Summa Strategies president Tracey Hubley died on March 6, leading to an outpouring of acclaim from the lobbying community and beyond. “Many women talk about supporting one another and mentorship. Fewer do it. Tracey was one who did,” tweeted Summa vice-president Kate Harrison. “She took me and […]
Federal officials brief MPs, parliamentary staff on efforts to combat coronavirus
PARLIAMENT HILL—As concerns over the coronavirus grow, dozens of MPs and parliamentary staff sat down for an hour-long briefing on Tuesday with federal officials who offered advice on how to mitigate the virus’ spread. The briefing, held late Tuesday afternoon at the Valour Building, was organized by Health Canada and included Dr. Howard Njoo, deputy […]
Patient leadership will get better results than bellicose politics
OTTAWA—Of course, it is exaggerated to say #CanadaIsBroken. But it is equally wrong to deny the hashtag outright and claim all is well in paradise. The degree of wholeness or brokenness of Canada depends on your life experience and outlook, and, in a free society, everyone can have their own opinion. And problems can be […]
Will anyone cut Trudeau slack in a cutthroat world?
CHELSEA, QUE.—If the last few weeks have taught us anything, it is that being prime minister of Canada is a brutally hard job. Justin Trudeau, naturally, has to answer for his own personal mistakes and political decisions—the blackface, the sidelining of Jody-Wilson Raybould, his irksome show-boating—but also, lately, for an avalanche of worrying events that […]
Feds discouraging Canadians from taking cruise vacations over coronavirus fears
Canada’s chief public health officer says Canadians should “think twice” about going on a cruise amid the coronavirus outbreak. “I am asking Canadians to think twice before going on cruise ships, especially those in the older age groups and those with underlying medical conditions,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, the federal chief public health officer. “Cruise […]
Minister of everything, Freeland, risks burnout in adding oversight of feds’ coronavirus response to growing portfolio, say politicos
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to name his deputy, Chrystia Freeland, to head the feds’ new cabinet committee on the coronavirus may not necessarily leave her vulnerable to overexposure, but it could lead to burnout for the Liberal Party’s ascendant star, according to some politicos. Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) on March 4 announced he had appointed […]
Trump in the time of coronavirus
Because we’ve lately seen the rise of political rhetoric characteristic of totalitarian states both fictional and not but unprecedented in Western democracies, with the public sphere being divided into normal (the air quotes will go up at some point, perhaps in January 2021) events and post-truth narrative manipulation, this column opens with a disclaimer: The […]
Taiwan deserves a seat at the international table to fight the coronavirus
With growing fears that the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could turn into a global pandemic, it is clear that China’s efforts to control the spread of the virus have been unsuccessful. Many countries are reporting stark increases in cases, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that the worst could be yet to […]
Canada’s political, economic roller-coaster only gaining speed as 2020 rushes on
OTTAWA—As they say in Haiti, “Beyond the mountains … more mountains.” So it seems with the Canadian economy. In light of today’s conditions, it might be advisable for Finance Minister Bill Morneau to roll out the 2020 budget package sooner rather than later. With falling exports, weakening business investment, and rail blockades, expectations for Canadian […]
No need to cancel social gatherings over coronavirus yet, says city official
OTTAWA —With no cases of the coronavirus in Ottawa, the city’s chief medical officer says there’s no need yet for people to consider cancelling social events. Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s chief medical health officer, said on Monday the city has tested 50 cases, all of which have come back negative. “There is no reason to […]
