On fuel-efficient cars, where do Canada’s federal parties stand?
When it comes to regulations, there are few things that automakers have wanted more than certainty and harmonization across borders. Flash back to 2012, when prime minister Harper’s government decided to harmonize vehicle emission regulations with president Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency, laying out a schedule of improved performance to 2025. Looking out to 2025, cars, […]
Feds, Irving need to clean up their act and find a better PR move than threatening reporters
OTTAWA—Last week the Globe and Mail broke the story about Irving Shipbuilding being allowed to claim a $40-million industrial benefit for a french fry factory as part of a contract to build navy ships. As odd as this might sound, that was not the bizarre part of this news story. Shortly after the Globe and […]
Politicians will be talking a lot about jobs and prosperity as they seek our votes
TORONTO—As we head into the upcoming federal election, we will hear a great deal from competing politicians on jobs and prosperity as they seek our votes. Canadians will need to decide who would be best at building a successful economy—and society—for the future. This is critical for good jobs and the wealth creation needed to […]
Canadians should be able to pay less to connect
Canadians differ in their views on many topics; that’s what makes our democracy function. But one statement that all Canadians can get behind is that we pay way too much to stay connected. With Digital Access Day here, it’s time to reassess our system and take action. Internet access is not a luxury. Canadians view […]
Former Swedish Speaker switches gears to become ambassador
Working as Speaker of the Swedish Parliament from 2014 to 2018 helped prepare Urban Ahlin for his new career in diplomacy, and his first posting as the country’s new ambassador to Canada. “It was interesting—it was really being a diplomat,” he said with a smile, especially juggling the interests of eight different political parties and […]
Social media companies that violate new political ad rules, even inadvertently, will be fined, minister suggests
Canada has a new regime for online political ads heading into October’s election, but in an interview last week the minister responsible expressed some frustration with certain social media companies’ approach to the new system. Instead of agreeing to implement a registry of all campaign ads, as is required by the newly passed election-reform law […]
Privacy watchdog proposing rule change that could see firms revise data-use policies
Companies could soon be rewriting their privacy policies to fit a change the privacy commissioner is contemplating that could mean getting a person’s explicit okay in all cases when their data is to be transferred across the border. Though the proposed change isn’t final, it has some interested people and groups saying that they’re now […]
The EU and Canada: a transatlantic partnership with a strong digital dimension
Relations between the European Union and Canada are probably stronger now than they have ever been before. The Strategic Partnership Agreement and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, both signed in October 2016, show our mutual commitment to an open, democratic, sustainable, and progressive international order. I am delighted that an EU-Canada digital dialogue is […]
Confessions of a former digital utopian
Consider this a confession of a former digital utopian. When I was first elected as an MP, I believed that Parliamentarians needed to protect the “open” internet and embrace what we thought of as the digital commons. I swallowed the Silicon Valley line that government regulation would impede innovation. What was at stake was the […]
Digital Privacy and Security
