Unfiltered: the case for banning cigarette filters for people and planet
More than 20 billion cigarette butts will end up in a landfill or polluting the environment in Canada this year. Smoking has long been a major public health concern, but it’s also a rapidly growing planetary health concern. The intersection of human and environmental health risks associated with tobacco products presents an obvious opportunity for […]
It’s time Canada recognizes the importance of self-care
The fact that Canada’s health-care system is being strained nearly to the breaking point has been noted so often in recent years, it has become almost cliché. Canada’s universal health-care system is a key pillar of our economy and our identity as Canadians. However, its vulnerability has never been clearer than in the months since […]
Pope sets itinerary for formal apology to residential school survivors in July visit to Canada
Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Canada later this summer to deliver a formal apology from the Roman Catholic Church for its decades-long role in operating residential schools. Scheduled from July 24 to 29, the visit will include stops in Edmonton, Quebec City, and Iqaluit. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted on May 13 that the […]
Too soon to gauge staying power of ‘freedom’ theme in Conservative politics, now at fore of leadership race, say strategists
Conservative strategists are in agreement that while there has always been a campaign for more freedom and smaller government at the heart of conservatism in Canada, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the theme particularly relevant today—most notably in the ongoing Conservative Party leadership race. But some argue that it’s too early to say whether or […]
Industry lobbying under guise of pandemic stimuli pressing own interests behind closed doors
The pandemic emergency has been used by business interests to gain access to government officials to present corporate demands while claiming that they want to help out during this health crisis. Here are a few major examples that come from recent access to information requests or from leaks. Natural Resources Canada was receptive in 2020 […]
Ontario election will be a test on how upset Canadians are with incumbents and affordability issues, say some MPs and Nanos
The June 2 Ontario provincial election will be a case study for how upset Canadians are with incumbent politicians about inflation and affordability issues, like soaring food prices, gas prices, and skyrocketing housing prices, say some MPs and a veteran pollster. “We’re in the heat of a provincial election in Canada’s largest province,” said Nik […]
Groups return to ‘invaluable’ in-person advocacy on the Hill after years lobbying behind screens
The return of in-person lobby days in Ottawa continued in May, with representatives of organizations glad to be back on Parliament Hill to pursue dialogue with MPs face-to-face for the first time in years. Among those organizations was the Direct Sellers Association of Canada (DSA), a trade association representing companies that market and distribute products […]
How COVID won the political battle
OTTAWA—Anyone watching the first Conservative leadership debate on May 5 may have thought they were watching a satire or some kind of theatre-of-the-absurd take-off on nasty populist politics. What came across as the debaters’ main concern was how supportive each would-be Conservative standard bearer was of the right-wing agitators who used trucks to turn downtown […]
The wait for pharmacare has gone on long enough
When the NDP and the Liberals signed their confidence-and-supply agreement in March, one element that generated a lot of excitement was a pharmacare plan. This is something that has been promised for more than 50 years, since the Hall Royal Commission report established medicare in the 1960s. Then came the April budget. Where was pharmacare? […]
COVID-19 paused a lot of things, but not cyberbullying
COVID-19 has been the top global story since 2020. When the pandemic began, people quickly moved to working online from home. School-aged and university students also moved to virtual learning through a variety of software and applications. For the past two years, nearly everyone has been spending more time online. Personally, I had to get […]
