Do the Liberals need to make a few trades to curb pattern of own goals?
OTTAWA—Maybe it is a bit of seasonal affective disorder or plain fatigue, but it seems the Justin Trudeau government is in a lag. From late responses to things like inflation support packages or the relaxing of travel mandates, it seems adrift. In their seven years in power, I don’t think the Liberals have looked and […]
It’s time to break the sexual and reproductive health stigma
The social stigma and taboo that surrounds sexual and reproductive health negatively impact the way we access health services and lead to a gap in public health. On May 31, Liberal MP Pam Damoff, NDP MP Leah Gazan, Bloc Québécois MP Andréanne Larouche, Green MP Elizabeth May, Senator Marilou McPhedran, and Action Canada co-hosted “Reclaiming […]
‘Massive reputational risk’: former Air Canada exec, strategists slam feds for sluggish response to expected travel surge in airports
Ongoing and highly-publicized delays in Canada’s international airports should have been foreseen by the federal government, according to a former Air Canada executive, and that the delays have set the stage for “massive reputational risk” for Canada as both a tourist destination and a connection hub for international travellers. “The federal government knew that crowds […]
Lifting travel vaccine mandate ‘politically expedient,’ with feds ‘losing the battle’ on issues management, politicos say
The federal Liberals say their decision to suspend vaccine mandates for domestic air and rail travel was based on evolving scientific and public health information, but critics say the government made a political calculation. Garry Keller, a former senior Conservative staffer, told The Hill Times that the government’s decision to lift vaccine mandates for domestic […]
The clock is ticking on the Canada Pharmacare Act: coalition director
Pollsters say a strong majority of Canadians support the Liberal-NDP confidence-and-supply agreement, which promises significant improvements in public health care. Last week, Nanos Research found nearly 60 per cent of Canadians were comfortable or somewhat comfortable with the three-year agreement, confirming other surveys taken since the deal was announced in March. And why wouldn’t there […]
‘Massive majority’ of Liberal caucus wants Trudeau to drop federal COVID mandates, say Liberal MPs
With provincial and international jurisdictions easing COVID restrictions, some Liberal MPs say the vast majority of their caucus want the federal government to drop travel vaccination requirements, allowing unvaccinated Canadians to board domestic flights. Several Liberal MPs interviewed for this article said that most caucus members want all federal pandemic restrictions dropped as soon as […]
Budget’s anti-vaping measures a breath of fresh air, but more must be done
Teenagers are notorious for hearing what they want to hear and ignoring the rest. They’re also notorious for believing they’re invincible. So perhaps it’s no surprise that even government messages as clear as “vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it’s still not safe,” can get taken out of context. In recent years, because of […]
PSAC declares impasse in negotiations with feds over wages, as unions, feds navigate inflation, ‘hybrid work’ model
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the country’s largest federal public service union, has declared an impasse in collective bargaining negotiations with the government on behalf of 120,000 workers, with national president Chris Aylward honing in on the government’s wage offer as the “tipping point” leading to the standoff. The government’s offer was an […]
The economy leaves COVID behind as a make-or-break political issue
OTTAWA—We knew how to stop the economy to slow Canadians’ interactions during the pandemic, but restarting it is a lot harder, Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem has pointed out. The central bank, which is expected to raise interest rates again this week, now finds itself at the centre of the firestorm over affordability and […]
‘It’s only right’: Senate weighs options to support mental health of committee witnesses
The Senate is weighing options to formalize a system to provide committee witnesses with mental health and counselling support, a move Senate Human Rights Committee chair Salma Ataullahjan says is “only right” for witnesses being asked to bare their personal stories. “It’s only right that we cover that cost [of any needed mental health or […]
