Stoltenberg’s visit opens questions about Canada’s Arctic strategy
OTTAWA—Jens Stoltenberg’s recent visit to Canada’s North was unprecedented. From Aug. 25-27, NATO’s top bureaucrat was fêted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the manner normally reserved for visiting heads of state, full of ceremonial-style military inspections, photo-ops, and joint press conferences. There are two possibilities for giving Stoltenberg the royal treatment. It could be […]
It is time Yukon became Canada’s 11th province?
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—I have returned home after a weeklong odyssey across the country to Whitehorse, 6,250 kilometres of driving with my daughter to move her to the Yukon capital. The last time I was in Whitehorse was October 2007, when I spent a week there doing outreach for the Department of Foreign Affairs at Yukon College […]
‘They’ve made a real mess’: north, south Ontario MPs upset over proposed riding redraw
Ontario MPs from north to south are speaking out against the province’s proposed new federal riding map, and are organizing to raise awareness and encourage turnout during the crucial, upcoming public hearing process—the timing of which is itself a concern, as MPs worry overlap with municipal elections in the province could hinder community feedback. Released […]
Privatization is no silver bullet to address health-care crisis, say advocacy organizations
‘This always comes up as a possible solution, and it never works,’ says Canadian Health Coalition director Steven Staples.
Ontario highway project and federal conservation targets prominent in July environment lobbying
Environmental advocacy led lobbying activity for the sixth consecutive month.
Ford helps undermine Ontario’s public health system, then eyes more privatization
OTTAWA—Swallowing a bee while discussing the possible privatization of Ontario health care, Doug Ford reflexively thought he might have to undergo emergency treatment. “I’ll be rushing to the hospital to get this bee out of here,” the premier speculated as he tried to continue with a press conference last week in rural Dundalk, Ont. Luckily, Ford […]
Open minds, not dated rhetoric, needed to fix ailing health-care system
OTTAWA—Go to any media outlet web page, paper, podcast, radio station, or TV station across Canada and you’ll find an identical story about a challenged health-care system or a system in crisis. You know the range of headlines: they focus on wait times, cancelled surgeries, health-care worker burnout, health-care worker shortages, growing angst over all […]
RCMP Act must be ‘carefully examined’ to protect police independence from political interference, says senior civilian Mountie
A former director of communications for the RCMP says Parliamentarians should re-examine the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act to ensure there’s appropriate protection from political interference, in an appearance at the Nova Scotia mass shooting parliamentary committee probe. Lia Scanlan told the committee she was not familiar with the language in the RCMP Act, but […]
Loss of eastern seat, division of municipalities under fire in proposed Quebec riding redraw
The first draft of Quebec’s new federal electoral map is out, and it’s raising the eyebrows of federal and local politicians who are concerned by the proposed loss of a riding in eastern Quebec and decisions to split multiple municipalities between ridings. “Although I understand the role and objectives of the commission, in particular to […]
As Liberals’ support drops, Grit MPs to hold caucus retreat next month in New Brunswick to talk strategy
With the backdrop of the Trudeau government’s waning support in the public opinion polls and the NDP threatening to withdraw support under the supply-and-confidence agreement, the 158-member national Liberal caucus will congregate in New Brunswick next month to plot strategy for the fall sitting of Parliament, say Liberal MPs. It will be the first in-person […]
