Wait times show little progress as Health Accord expires
Federal, provincial and territorial leaders pledged to make “meaningful reductions” to wait times for cancer treatment, heart treatment, joint replacements, sight restoration, and diagnostic imaging under the 2004 Health Accord, but 10 years on the results have been mixed, and far from optimal. The 2013 annual wait times report card by the Wait Time […]
Medical pot industry upbeat on new federal regulations
A new class of medical marijuana entrepreneurs is upbeat on the prospects of new federal regulations that will take production out of homes and into privately owned and operated facilities, but physician and patient groups are raising concerns about the incoming framework. Canada’s regulatory regime for medical marijuana is undergoing a major transformation. For more […]
Environment commissioner warns of lost scientific data
Interim Environment Commissioner Neil Maxwell says that the federal government will need strong scientific research to follow through on the recommendations made in his office’s latest report on biodiversity and species protection. “If you’re going to manage biodiversity, you have to have good science to make decisions,” Mr. Maxwell told The Hill Times. “If […]
Climate change also a security threat
What is an environmental issue? However you define it, Harper is against it. “Environment” means different things to different people. To some, it is the natural world for which conservation values will protect sustainable populations and ecosystems for future generations. The roots of that conservation ethic go back to the late 1800s, and Gifford […]
Expect nothing on environment from feds
After nearly a decade, it has become painfully obvious that Canadians can expect next to nothing from the Harper Government™ by way of environmental initiatives. Whether it is GHG emission reductions, responsible resource development, or help in reducing our carbon footprint, the Harper Government™ is maliciously indifferent. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s message is clear: […]
House Environment Committee needs to study real climate issues
Anyone who has managed to sit through the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development this Parliament knows that its achievements to date have been far from ambitious. By studiously avoiding any potentially controversial items, the committee has managed to fly under the radar for much of the session. Relatively innocuous studies on conservation […]
Canada’s carbon emissions on the rise
Canada’s carbon emissions increased for the second consecutive year according to the federal government’s latest report to the United Nations, and Environment Canada projects that the country will fail to meet its 2020 emissions reduction target under the Copenhagen Accord. Nationwide greenhouse gas emissions rose to 702 megatonnes (Mt) in 2011, according Environment Canada’s […]
Our government’s telecommunications policy was not created overnight
The following is an edited copy of Industry Minister James Moore’s speech to the Canadian Club of Ottawa on Sept. 18. OTTAWA—Canadians have said consistently that their top priority for the Government of Canada is the economy and, as a result, our government has listened, is focused, and is delivering on key issues […]
Current status and future of Canadian science policy
As minister of state for science and technology, I’ve had the opportunity to meet Canadian innovators, academics and entrepreneurs across the country. Canada’s researchers bring great energy, intelligence and talent to science, technology and innovation from coast-to-coast-to-coast. I am consistently impressed with the depth and span of Canada’s innovation landscape. Our government remains committed […]
Federal scientists guided by government’s communications policy
(The following is an edited speech by Conservative MP Mike Lake, Parliamentary secretary to the minister of industry, on Oct. 28 in the House on whether or not federal government scientists are being muzzled by the government. He was asked about why hundreds of federal scientists, in a survey for the Professional Institute of […]
