Food banks’ COVID experience validated federal aid but the crisis for Canada’s poor is worsening
OTTAWA—When COVID-19 hit in early 2020, Canadians who try to care for the less-well-off were facing increased hardship and tragedy of incalculable dimensions. Millions of Canadians were suddenly without work, and reports from the U.S. showed “line-ups of cars—hundreds of them, bumper to bumper, down a highway as far as the eye could see—waiting to […]
Vaccine apartheid spreading the same strain of racism
OTTAWA—Tell me anti-blackness is global without telling me anti-blackness is global. On Nov. 26, researchers in South Africa detected a new addition to the coronavirus family, a variant named omicron (B.1.1.529). It was first detected in Botswana but identified by South African researchers, after a rapid spike in cases in the city of Pretoria. In […]
Waiting to exhale
OTTAWA—Didn’t it feel like a gut punch last week when news broke about the omicron variant of COVID-19 circulating globally? While there is no evidence to date to suggest this will significantly alter timelines for our return to some sort of normal, the initial stories did raise the collective anxiety level of many, me included. […]
Keep young children safe by vaccinating them against COVID-19
On Nov. 19, Health Canada took an important step in the fight against COVID-19 by approving Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty vaccine for use in children aged five to 11. Health Canada received a submission, on Oct. 18, 2021, from Pfizer-BioNTech seeking authorization. The regulator reviewed the efficacy and safety data, as well as the benefits and risks […]
Inflation pressures on economy, workforce ‘absolutely surprised’ everyone, including BoC, says top economist
Long-term unemployment levels in Canada remain stubbornly high, despite increasing consumer demand as people look to return to normal, with “ferocious inflation pressures” having caught the Bank of Canada and other economic forecasters flat-footed at this stage of the pandemic, according to one top economist. Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada Lawrence Schembri spoke […]
Aerospace recovery will take time and strong partnerships
Almost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic and with a new session of Parliament beginning, there is no better time to leverage the strengths of Canada’s aerospace industry and its ability to bolster economic recovery and grow thousands of new high-paying jobs in every region of this country. The industry has seen significant job losses […]
Canada may be back at pre-pandemic employment levels, but the hard part isn’t over, say experts
As Canada comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic, early impressions of good economic recovery may be fool’s gold, say experts, who point to new and long-standing issues that will require government action. The good news is that according to the recent Statistics Canada October Labour Force Survey, employment nationally has maintained the pre-pandemic levels it […]
A parliamentary session like no other
OTTAWA—Politicians droning on day after day in service of complicated legislative endeavours, amendments, and obscure procedure may not rank high on the average person’s excitement meter. But the unfolding events of the new Parliament should contain enough drama to keep almost anyone riveted. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau faces a political landscape jammed with crises, long-overdue […]
Conservatives raise questions of privilege about House clerk Robert and Hill-mandated vaccination rules
The Erin O’Toole Conservatives have received an unwelcome response to their questions of privilege about House Clerk Charles Robert and the Commons Board of Internal Economy’s jurisdiction over vaccine mandates on the Hill. On the second day after the House returned, Conservative MP John Brassard stood up in the House to raise a question of […]
Advice to new Parliament: don’t forget your own mental health
The election is over, a new cabinet has been chosen, and Members of Parliament and their staff have returned to the House of Commons. The prime minister has said his government will pursue an aggressive “progressive agenda,” the COVID-19 pandemic continues, and inflation and the economy continue to be cause for concern. But as new […]
