Feds ‘not ready to respond to major oil spill’ says Environment Commissioner Vaughan
The following is a transcript from the March 10, 2011, Senate Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources, in which Scott Vaughan, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, appeared to discuss his December 2010 report. F or years, the government has made repeated commitments to take the lead in protecting the environment and moving towards […]
PM Harper promises wildlife advisory panel, but environmentalists concerned it will make protecting endangered species more difficult
A new advisory panel proposed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper to give rural groups better representation on wildlife conservation decisions would make protecting endangered species more difficult, environmental organizations say. Mr. Harper made the campaign promise to create a hunting and wildlife advisory panel made up of hunters, fishers, and conservation groups to offer advice […]
Experts support NRTEE advice, but climate change policy takes back seat on campaign trail
Despite expert approval and public support for a more aggressive climate change policy, the opening days of the 2011 election campaign have seen little or no discussion on strategies to tackle climate change. Earlier this year, the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) released its most recent report, Parallel Paths: Canada-U.S. […]
It’s been five years of Conservative climate change inaction
After five years of Prime Minister Stephen Harper being in power, I suspect I have run out of different ways to say that he doesn’t care about climate change. Point in case was the recent federal budget. The Conservatives showed their true colours and they certainly weren’t green. The budget would spend billions on jets, […]
Critics concerned about food safety in Canada-U.S. border agreement
A border security agreement reached between Canada and the United States in February would weaken the Canadian government’s ability to protect its citizens from food diseases, say the NDP and Liberals. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama announced in February they were beginning negotiations to look at ways of harmonizing the two […]
Environmentalists hoping for new standards on national air quality regulations
Environmentalists say they hope that, after four years of waiting, federal and provincial governments will adopt new standards for national air quality regulations in the next year. Provincial environment ministers agreed in October 2010 to have the “major elements” of new emissions standards in place before the end of 2011. This would force industry members […]
Clement wants to help transform Canada into a global leading innovator, but has some challenges
GOAL: To ensure Canada is a leading innovator in the world. CHALLENGE: To combine government, public policy, private sector investment, and excellence in academia to make it happen. Industry Minister Tony Clement says he wants to make Canada the world’s leader in innovation, but business research and development is “troublesome.” It’s something he says he’s […]
Canada has gone from ‘leader’ to ‘backwater’ in global digital economy competitiveness, say critics
Industry Minister Tony Clement has said that by 2020, Canada will boast a “globally competitive digital economy.” While one policy analyst says it’s possible, opposition critics are wondering why Canada isn’t becoming more competitive sooner. The year “2020 is way too late. We’ve gone from being a leader to basically being a backwater, and for […]
Canada at ‘competitive disadvantage’ in funding innovation, say industry stakeholders
Changes to Canada’s tax regime are working to attract flagging foreign investment to Canadian innovation, but firms are still having a hard time accessing funds for their new ideas, say business and industry insiders. “We have a good research base in this country. When you have the resources to drive the research you can do […]
Funding for innovation most likely to be cut in next budget, say opposition MPs
With the government’s commitment to slay the now estimated $27.4-billion budget deficit, opposition MPs say “there’s no doubt” that funding for innovation will be cut in the upcoming March budget. “The government has kind of indicated that they have to cut right across the board, and I imagine since there is not specific long term […]
