Let’s not go back to the way we engaged with government pre-pandemic
A child-care consultation earlier this year simultaneously included stakeholders from Yellowknife, Winnipeg and Toronto. Late last year, 36 youth held 25 meetings with MPs across eight provinces and territories to talk about how COVID is impacting their health, employment, and communities. Gender equity advocates from across the country spoke with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland about […]
Promises, promises, but the GG might actually keep hers
In Beauty and the Beast, there is a scene where the Beast is looking for advice as to how he can win the love of Belle. Lumière, the talking candlestick, helpfully suggests that the Beast make Belle “promises you don’t intend to keep.” As we have entered the season where election promises are made, some […]
The post-COVID agenda: will voters affirm a more progressive, activist approach to government?
OTTAWA—As elections go, there’s no doubt 2015 was a watershed. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau began moving his party further left in his first campaign at a time when voters were tired of Stephen Harper’s grim austerity and when NDP leader Tom Mulcair’s fear of being called a spendthrift gave the Liberals a key opening. In […]
Senator Brazeau releases report on Indigenous issues, and federal government’s ‘inertia’
Federal governments and the political parties that led them have been reluctant to fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities to Indigenous people in Canada since Confederation, the Indian Act has prevented Indigenous people from claiming their ancestral rights, and the Supreme Court has issued rulings in favour of the common good of Indigenous peoples and their land […]
Domestic vaccine passports the favoured option to keep Canadians safe, but not without concerns
With the federal government announcing a vaccine passport for international travel, two experts favour the creation of a domestic vaccine passport system for travel and non-essential businesses. On Aug. 11, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino (Eglinton—Lawrence, Ont.) announced that in the fall, Canada will be getting a vaccine passport for international travel. The passport will be […]
Canadian access to pork insulin at risk if Health Canada adopts 1,400 per cent fee increase, says sole supplier
This story is an exclusive from Hill Times Research Health. To find out more, register for a free trial now. A Health Canada decision in April 2020 to eliminate a discount for pharmaceutical manufacturers with low Canadian sales volumes could result in a 1,400-per-cent fee hike for the only company in the world that manufactures […]
‘The cultural world after COVID will be different’: arts industry calls for more supports to rebuild, transform
The arts and culture sector, like many industries, has been struggling since the onset of COVID-19, and industry experts say that along with a need for clear reopening plans, more government supports, including potential creation of a universal basic income, could not only help the sector’s recovery, it could help bring “transformative change.” According to […]
The life-and-death stakes of politicizing COVID
OTTAWA—Some of the more harrowing stories coming out of the COVID calamity in the United States concern nurses and doctors who, having struggled fruitlessly to keep a patient from dying of the virus, are told by the expiring patient in their last words that COVID is a hoax. After watching Americans elevate Donald Trump to […]
Mental health of refugees in Canada calls for urgent attention
To various extents, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the deterioration of the mental health of many people in Canada. However, certain groups have incurred more damage than others. Among them, refugees new to or in Canada have faced unique challenges during this time, according to existing research. Although certain resources exist to address the mental health […]
Charities are vital to Canada’s recovery, but time is running out
As leaders in Canada’s community services sector, we have been paying close attention to concerns about variants, slowing vaccination rates, and fourth waves because we know that Canada’s most vulnerable populations and the organizations that serve them continue to struggle—and there is a long road ahead. Through the pandemic, our frontline staff and volunteers have […]
