Innovation, trade links top of mind for new Swiss ambassador
More than two decades after Salome Meyer left Switzerland to hitchhike from Vancouver to Prince Edward Island, she’s back in North America for another adventure: as her country’s ambassador. During the three-month cross-Canada trek in 1993, she skipped Ottawa, so her early February arrival was a first in Canada’s capital. “I’m looking forward to […]
Finance, innovation lead January’s slow lobbying start to 2019
Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his staffers were among the most in-demand targets for lobbyists in an otherwise quiet month as the Hill returned from the holiday break in January. Lobbyists mentioned Mr. Morneau (Toronto Centre, Ont.) in 13 communications, on par with Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains’ (Mississauga-Malton, Ont.) tally of 14, though many of […]
Canada is a target, not collateral damage, in the U.S. trade war against China
It has become clear that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, in the ongoing diplomatic crisis between Canada and China, have relied heavily on courting support from the United States while dismissing Beijing’s criticism over Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou’s arrest. They claim Ottawa is just following the rule of law […]
Let’s end plastic waste
Plastic waste reduction has been on the forefront of the federal policy discussion over the last year, from a commitment to reduce the amount of single-use plastics in federal government operations, to Canada leading the development and completion of the G7 Ocean Plastics Charter that was signed by the European Union and five G7 countries […]
U.S. security concerns about Huawei are bunk: it just wants to smother competitors, says China’s ambassador
For some time now, there have been rampant remarks that Huawei’s equipment poses threats to the national security of Western countries. The United States was the first to announce that it would exclude Huawei’s equipment from its domestic 5G market. Among the Five Eyes intelligence alliance members, Australia and New Zealand have followed suit, while […]
Canadian icebreaking capabilities not up to snuff, experts say
The town of L’Anse-au-Loup, N.L., sits on north shore of the Strait of Belle Isle, just over 20 km east of the lower north shore of Quebec. The 600-person community relies on a ferry service to provide them with everything from groceries to propane. “All our grocery stores rely on it for their produce and […]
Without new funding, key part of Canada’s stem cell research ecosystem to close
Health care in Canada sits upon a precipice. We are faced with a looming crisis as costs for degenerative disease nears $200-billion each year and hospitals struggle to contend with chronic overcapacity. And yet, at no time before has there been so much promise for new and innovative therapies—many of which will provide treatments for […]
Alex Benay: the public service’s disruptor-in-chief
Alex Benay, the country’s chief information officer, doesn’t really have his own office in the Flaherty Building. Instead, he sits near the window, surrounded by his staff. He was originally supposed to be in a room in the middle of a floor of the 90 Elgin St. tower, but staff said he dragged his desk […]
Canada’s tax system isn’t working for Canadians or our economy
Every day throughout Canada, the daily lives of Canadians and businesses are negatively impacted by our outdated tax system. Through recent research, we have heard about a person with a disability in Nova Scotia missing out on tax credits due to the paperwork required; a single mother in British Columbia wrestling with a decision to […]
As smart cities become our norm, we must be smart about a data strategy
Canadians’ attention has been drawn to the issue of smart cities by the public debate over the merits of Sidewalk Labs’ proposed Quayside development in Toronto. The project brings home a vision of cities embedded with sensors that continuously harvest data about infrastructure and human activity alike. The intense discussions that have broken out around […]
