WWF looks to sun, wind as cleaner energy sources in Nunavut
The World Wildlife Fund’s Canadian division is looking at opportunities for displacing a good chunk of the diesel used for electricity in Nunavut with wind, solar, and battery power. Diesel is used to generate virtually all the electricity used in Nunavut. It has proven to be a reliable source of energy in the harsh northern […]
Canada should restrict access to northern water corridors
The Canadian government should consider placing restrictions on the number of corridors allowed for access to the Arctic waters in order to reduce two important risks: loss of life and environmental impact. The risk of a marine accident in the Arctic is not a theoretical exercise. In August 1996, the Hanseatic cruise ship ran aground […]
Bloc leader Fortin brushing up on his English, taking classes this summer
PARLIAMENT HILL—Interim Bloc Québécois Leader Rhéal Fortin may not be a household name, but he says he wants to better communicate his party’s message to all Canadians and is working on his English-language skills to do so. Mr. Fortin, who represents Rivière-du-Nord, Que., will be spending a week of his summer break attending English-language classes in […]
Don’t underestimate Jason Kenney, putative frontrunner, ultimate political animal
OTTAWA—Jason Kenney is the ultimate political animal. He knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. In Kenney’s lengthy political pilgrimage, he has been associated with the Liberals, the Reform Party, the Conservatives and Wildrose. He has been extremely successful in riding the crest of just about every new Albertan political wave. Kenney […]
Trudeau’s summer just got a lot more complicated after Federal Court decision on Northern Gateway
OTTAWA—On the eve of Canada Day, June 30, the law firm acting for the seven First Nations contesting the Harper cabinet’s approval of the Northern Gateway Pipeline released the Federal Court of Appeal decision made on June 23, 2016, which effectively quashed that approval. The court in a 2-1 decision held that the federal government […]
Food insecurity: Not just a poor country’s problem
We are accustomed to thinking of food security as a poor country’s problem, something for national governments and the United Nations to solve. But a week-long trip to Whitehorse with the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation was a stark reminder of the food-security challenges faced here in Canada. Listening at the first-ever Yukon Food Security Summit, organized by […]
Brexit vote not that helpful to Quebec sovereigntists
MONTREAL—There was a time, not long ago, when the Quebec sovereignty movement swore by the model of the European Union. In the lead-up to the 1995 referendum, it provided the template for the project of a post-secession partnership with the rest of Canada. Back then, most leading sovereigntists sincerely believed in an EU-style Canada-Quebec union […]
Jason Kenney as Alberta Conservative saviour? Good luck
OTTAWA—So Jason Kenney, the highest-profile social conservative in the Conservative caucus, is letting it be known that he’s got a dream: he’s willing to abandon plans to lead the federal party that appears keen to soften its edges on social issues to lead a merged provincial conservative party in the next Alberta election. It’s a curious […]
What to expect when the neighbours come to town
It says a lot about Canada’s relations under the previous Conservative government that the annual meeting with our NAFTA partners was delayed by a year because the Conservatives didn’t think the meeting was worth having. The corny slang of the Three Amigos summit wasn’t working; it was more like “two amigos and the other guy.” […]
Indigenous pipeline project controversial but promising
While an indigenous energy and resource development project may face significant barriers and challenges in pursing an alternative to the proposed and controversial Northern Gateway pipeline in northern B.C., some say this model of developing Canadian resources may become more popular. The proposed pipeline by Eagle Spirit Energy Holdings is controversial in itself. It has some significant […]
