Partisanship should not block getting Western Canadians back to work
It’s no secret that Western Canada is feeling the pressure of the downturn in the economy. As the Conservative opposition critic for Western economic diversification, I have been meeting with many small, medium, and large businesses to discuss their strategies when it comes to coping with the current economic reality. These companies are the backbone […]
Peter MacKay made the right decision
Peter MacKay made the right decision for him and his family by not entering the Conservative leadership race. Sometimes it is harder to say no than it is to say yes. Such was the case here. Whether you are a MacKay fan or not, it is difficult to challenge his commitment to public service. He […]
Longstanding legal battle between NDP and secretive House board picks up steam
A legal battle between the NDP and the powerful board of Cabinet ministers and other MPs who govern spending in the House of Commons is heating up, with hearing dates set to begin January 23, 2017 in Montreal, according to the Federal Court hearing list. The hearing centres on the Board of Internal Economy’s claim […]
Conservatives to tackle election reform plan in Liberal-red Atlantic
Federal Conservatives are set to take aim at the Liberal government’s electoral reform initiative during a late-summer caucus meeting in Halifax next week, after only three Conservative MPs have so far taken up a special Commons committee invitation to consult constituents on the project through town-hall meetings in their electoral districts. One of the Conservatives […]
More bafflegab from Veterans Affairs—the minister this time, writes Winter
Veteran Affairs Minister Minister Kent Hehr’s letter to the St. John’s Telegram, explaining the July 1 ceremony in France commemorating 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel, was mostly a re-hashing of the bafflegab issued by his PR staff, with his personal observations added. The most potent symbols of a nation are the flag and the […]
Who said infrastructure’s not sexy?
Contrary to comedian John Oliver’s famous depiction of infrastructure as not being sexy, except for when it is being blown up in Hollywood movies, author Ryan Gravel claims that infrastructure can be sexy when “done right.” In his book Where We Want to Live: Reclaiming Infrastructure for a New Generation of Cities, Gravel says that […]
Why a West Coast aquarium is working with the feds to study the Arctic
Not long after the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre first opened its doors six decades ago, a team of adventurous employees and researchers travelled to the Arctic to explore the icy, windswept reaches of Canada’s North. In the years since, our Arctic research expeditions have become an annual practice, with scientists heading north each summer […]
Atlantic rookie Liberal MP Fraser says next Supreme Court judge should be from region
Rookie Nova Scotia Liberal MP Colin Fraser says he’s concerned about Atlantic Canada no longer being guaranteed a seat on the Supreme Court of Canada under his government’s new appointment process and wants “strengthened confirmation” that the next candidate will be from the region. “My constituents have expressed their concern that apparently we may not necessarily […]
Trade, jobs, economic growth, income equality: is the budget working?
OTTAWA—On Friday, Aug. 5, Statistics Canada released numbers for both jobs and international trade. Both numbers were discouraging and continued a trend of poor economic data. The top line job numbers were a loss of 31,200, but the most disturbing underlying number was that 71,400 full-time jobs were lost while the major gain came in […]
‘I knew I had big shoes to fill,’ Daniel Blaikie on winning the riding his father represented for nearly 30 years
Daniel Blaikie is not your average politician. The 32-year-old is a philosopher-turned-electrician who traded his steel-toed boots for a suit and tie and followed in the footsteps of his father when he ran successfully in the last federal election and in an attempt to take down the Harper government in his “corner of the country.” […]
