Return to the era of rule-making
In 1996, I started to write a book about the political evolution of the internet. In retrospect, this year served as the peak of excitement regarding everything the internet was going to be. Most commentators were understandably focused on the future of this wildly disruptive technology, but I chose to look at the past. Not […]
Budget bill’s Copyright Act changes undermine committee’s ongoing review, say critics
The Liberals’ decision to include changes to the Copyright Act in the year’s second budget implementation bill has effectively “castrated” the ongoing statutory review of the law, says NDP MP Brian Masse, vice-chair of one of the two committees engaged in the study. Bill C-86, clocking in at 854 pages, includes changes to intellectual property […]
Here’s Taiwan’s trailblazing digital minister’s advice on how the feds can boost service to Canadians
Audrey Tang is not your typical cabinet minister. First off, she’s not really a politician. Ms. Tang, who has called herself an “anarchist,” was asked to be a minister in Taiwan’s government in 2016 after taking part in a protest movement that occupied its Parliament two years earlier. While some cabinet ministers are adept at […]
Feds face test in developing ethical standards for AI use
Every second, there are 8,262 tweets posted, 879 Instagram photos uploaded, 3,462 Skype calls made, 64,187 GB of internet traffic, 76,254 YouTube videos viewed, and 2.7 million emails sent. By the time you finish reading this, there will have been approximately 41 million Google searches. According to a 2016 estimate from IBM, 90 per cent […]
Canada’s research capacity in the North lags other countries
The changing Arctic is a new frontier of scientific discovery, industrial development, and socio-economic innovation. From China’s plan for a Polar Silk Road to Norway’s Nansen Legacy program on the Barents Sea and adjacent Arctic basin; from Russia’s intense extraction of its Arctic resources to Canada’s reconciliation with its Indigenous people; from the building worldwide […]
Government inaction is a roadblock to building a sustainable economy for Nunavut
“There is no relationship more important to this government than our relationship with Indigenous people.” How often have I heard that said in the House as the prime minister and his cabinet ministers rise to answer questions on Indigenous issues? Nunavummiut can be forgiven for questioning their sincerity. In Nunavut we share a vision that […]
Liberals’ approach to the North is people-driven
Our government’s approach to the North is very much people-driven. Since coming into office in the fall of 2015, the government has made a substantial increase to the Northern Residents Deduction, targeted the Canada Child Benefit to those who need it most, and changed the rules around the Canada Workers Benefit to make it more […]
Canada’s North: Canada’s future
Almost 40 per cent of Canada is north of the 60th parallel. Do Canadians in the South understand northern issues, or the riches of the North, its unique, fragile ecology and centuries of Inuit, Dene, and northern First Nations traditions? The North is Canada’s future. The Senate Special Committee on the Arctic is mandated to assess […]
The best way to boost high-tech jobs for Canadians? Have government lead by example
The recent revelation the city of Calgary, the Alberta government, and Ottawa are contributing $2.5-million to help American companies find expert talent in this country was nothing short of depressing. It shows how thinking about the relationship between the state and industry has stalled in this country. Let’s be blunt: Canada’s future prosperity will depend […]
We must go from Inuit exclusion to self-determination in research
Inuit are one of the most researched peoples in the world. We are also one of the fastest-growing populations, yet the number of peer-reviewed publications and dissertations that focus on Inuit and Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homeland, has outpaced the rate of our population growth by a wide margin. In 1996 there was one publication […]
