Keeping the bailiff from repossessing your car: the case for a basic income
A basic income for all Canadians, an unconditional, guaranteed income floor below which no one’s income can fall, is an idea that has been growing in refinement and acceptance since the early 1900s. It has some enthusiastic opponents, but unlike other policy ideas, the enemies of basic income come from both the right and the […]
Quebec premier changing Constitution unilaterally starts ‘slippery slope,’ say some Liberal MPs
Quebec Liberal MPs representing anglophone ridings are staying mum on the Quebec government’s controversial attempt to unilaterally change the Constitution, but some Liberal MPs from other regions of the country are warning that the move sets Canada down a “slippery slope” with unintended consequences that will set a precedent for other provinces to do the […]
More than a game: hockey fans in stands offer post-pandemic hope
OTTAWA—The healing and hope that sport provides was on full display over the last week. In both Montreal and Toronto, people, in small numbers, got to watch the Stanley Cup playoff series between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs in person. Elsewhere, column miles are being laid down extolling the failure of the […]
Trudeau proving heir apparent of Mulroney, not his father, on constitutional issues
The recent tempest over Quebec’s proposed amendment to the constitution to recognize Quebec as a nation revealed an important detail about Justin Trudeau’s leadership: he will not be defined by his father’s ideology. When Premier François Legault announced his intentions to modify the Constitution, many expected the spirit of Pierre Trudeau to speak through his […]
Quebec is on the land of Indigenous Nations whether you like it or not
OTTAWA—Quebec Premier Legault wants to increase the use of French in Quebec through Bill 96, come hell or high water. As federal parties fell over themselves to show support and garner future votes, a House of Commons motion to tacitly approve of Bill 96 was stalled by MP Jody Wilson-Raybould. The eagle feather has been […]
O’Toole’s Quebec quandary
OAKVILLE, ONT.—The Conservative Party of Canada must be experiencing a disturbing case of déjà vu. I say that because, just like in times of yore, Quebec is rattling its nationalistic sabre, demanding the right to unilaterally amend the constitution to enshrine its status as a nation and its official language as French. This is a […]
The decline of French in Quebec is a nationalist myth
MONTREAL—Let Us Compare Mythologies. The title of Leonard Cohen’s first book of poetry seems pertinent in a new context: the introduction of the clumsy and fatuous Bill 96 by the CAQ government. The 100-page language law’s proposals are built on the mythology of the “decline” of French in Quebec. The bill was introduced last week […]
Canada joins EU Military Mobility initiative: why does this matter?
It may seem like a small, administrative step, but it is a significant move for EU-Canada security and defence cooperation: on May 6, the Council of the EU formally invited Canada to join the EU’s Military Mobility initiative in the framework of the Permanent and Structured Cooperation (PESCO). Significantly, two other NATO members, the U.S. […]
Opposition MPs say they’re worried about lack of defence spending in budget, as experts to future of NORAD
A lack of defence spending in Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s first budget has some experts and MPs worried about the future of Canada’s military at a time when, they say, its responsibilities are getting bigger both at home and abroad and allied nations are beefing up their defence spending and reworking their strategies. The budget’s […]
Can’t attack the message? Then attack the messenger
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Canada must be an awful place, full of horrible people. That’s certainly the takeaway you’d get, if you believed all the nasty rhetoric that’s floating around our political atmosphere these days. For instance, Alberta’s Justice Minister Kaycee Madu made headlines recently when he went on Facebook and, while defending his government’s handling of the […]
