Guaranteeing Canada’s food sovereignty
For the last two years, the agriculture and agri-food sectors have been under a great deal of strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic: labour shortages, management difficulties, the scarcity and inflation of inputs, and the unavailability of efficient transportation to and from production sites. These major, complex challenges have far-reaching consequences. That is why the […]
Feds ask Parliamentarians to approve $190.3-billion of $397.6-billion main spending estimates so far for 2022-2023
The government is asking Parliamentarians to approve $190.3-billion out of a total $397.6-billion in spending for the 2022-23 fiscal year, a nearly $50-billion jump over last year’s main spending estimates. In the last Parliament, the main estimates presented $142-billion requiring parliamentary approval. The 2021-22 main estimates kicked off with a total $342.2-billion, but following additional […]
Two years later, the colour of one’s skin still affects vaccine status
Whether you agreed or vehemently disagreed with the so-called Freedom Convoy’s tactics, chances are you’re tired of this pandemic. Over the winter, many Canadians have caught COVID-19 and fared relatively well thanks to being vaccinated. People are increasingly resigned to living with the virus, and ready to move on with their lives. But this newfound […]
Governments sometimes don’t grasp human nature, and that’s a problem
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—It is a lesson I never forgot. In March of 2000, I was in Bangladesh, speaking to a group of doctors and administrators at UNICEF, where I had been hired to promote funding to deal with the presence of arsenic in 10 million tubewells in that country. I laid out the objectives of our […]
The discontented COVID-protection protesters: who are they?
They occupied Ottawa for weeks and established blockades at the Canada-U.S. border. At the genesis of the “Freedom Convoy 2022,” the message appeared to be truckers opposed to the vaccine mandate, Canada—and the United States—imposed in order for their crossing the border. But on the first full day of the Jan. 29 demonstration in the […]
Immunocompromised can’t be left behind as COVID restrictions lift, warns Sen. Griffin
As governments across the country ease public health restrictions, advocates for people with compromised immune systems are reminding policy-makers about the increased risks to people who are especially vulnerable to COVID. P.E.I. Senator Diane Griffin said she is concerned about the possibility that governments, businesses, and most people will revert to pre-COVID habits, leaving people […]
To the protesters: it’s not about you
I’d like to say to all the protesters: the public health restrictions obviously affect you, but they are not about you. Your freedom is very important. But nobody is actually trying to take it away, or to control you. None of us likes the restrictions, but unfortunately, they are necessary for protection because of the […]
Nova Scotia MPs receive packages containing chemical irritants
Three Liberal and two Conservative Nova Scotia MPs were on the receiving end of similar suspicious envelopes containing chemicals two weeks ago, and one staffer ended up being taken to hospital as a result, prompting Nova Scotia MPs to urge people to “pay attention to what’s happening in this country.” CBC News also reported last […]
The World Health Organization needs to craft and adopt an international pandemic regulation
The United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) were born out of a watershed moment following World Word II, created to be ready institutions for the global community in times of crisis. Unfortunately, the WHO was ill-prepared to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic when it fanned out across the globe—guidance came too slow and was […]
Proposed PMPRB regulations requires focused dialogue with all players
In December the federal government formally announced it was delaying the implementation of the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB)’s regulatory changes. There were two reasons stated for the delay. First, it would allow all parties—including the government and the pharmaceutical industry—to focus on the real priority, namely the ongoing fight to contain the spread […]
