Alberta’s carbon tax is supposed to cost more
There’s been a lot of criticism in the news lately about Alberta’s new carbon tax. Most of the criticism seems to be based on the fact that it will cost some people and businesses more money. These critics have missed the entire point. It is supposed to cost more. Without a carbon tax, pollution, and, […]
Language politics return to Canada
OTTAWA—The politics of language and the language of politics are as Canadian as hockey. Last week, the Liberals and Conservatives were both facing heat on Quebec’s hot-button language issue. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in trouble for speaking too much French, and Conservative candidate Kevin O’Leary for not speaking enough. Both were defending their […]
Tax hikes hobble young people’s job prospects
Canada’s youth are facing an employment crisis. In December there were 40,000 fewer youth jobs than the year before. That’s a three per cent decrease! Most worrisome is that youth have been relegated by the finance minister to a career of insecure part-time and contract work, unable to make a proper life for themselves because […]
No northerners in cabinet, no problem for veteran Yukon MP
Liberal MP Larry Bagnell was once invited to speak at a high school graduation in his riding, as most MPs are. However, for most MPs the journey to a high school in their riding would not consist of flying in a small plane, being grounded due to fog, and hitchhiking the rest of the way […]
‘It has a terrible history,’ Indigenous Affairs needs to go in order for reconciliation to happen, says Liberal MP
Liberal MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette says the department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs may have to be rebuilt entirely if reconciliation is to happen. The MP from Winnipeg Centre, Man. said he thinks the history of the department that was responsible for many years for the marginalization of indigenous people runs too deep, and that for the culture […]
Trudeau needs Tory voice for climate action
MONTREAL—Consider this: The first federal-led attempt to put in place a pan-Canadian climate framework got off the ground a bit more than 12 months ago, almost two decades after Jean Chrétien agreed to the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. To put that in perspective, it took Pierre Trudeau more than a decade to secure enough provincial […]
Feds should fund indigenous environmental guardians network
OTTAWA—When it comes to protecting the land, water, flora, and fauna around mining operations, companies use a wide range of tools, technologies, and expertise. Increasingly, that expertise comes in the form of traditional knowledge from local indigenous communities. But innovative solutions are needed to enable communities to contribute on a larger scale. What we’re talking […]
Hot issues to watch in 2017
A highly anticipated federal budget. The legalization of recreational marijuana. Lingering debate over electoral reform. A controversial new American president. The end of several major reviews and consultations, including on defence policy and foreign aid. The year of the 150th anniversary of Confederation is expected to produce some tantalizing political story lines in Ottawa and across Canada. […]
Making good on food promises
In 2012, the then-United Nations special rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, visited Canada at the government’s request. It was the first such mission to an industrialized country. Government ministers at the time were vocal in their disapproval that a UN office focused on food security should consider a rich country like Canada worth a visit. […]
Trans Mountain expansion approval already a big political mess
The Big Lebowski, one of the funniest movies ever made, begins with two hired goons threatening and demanding money from “the Dude,” Jeffrey Lebowski. When the goons realize they have the wrong Jeffrey Lebowski, they leave, but not before one of them urinates on the Dude’s rug. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Natural Resources Minister […]
