Reforms needed at Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, say activists
Canada’s nuclear regulatory agency, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission says it’s the “World’s best nuclear regulator” on its website. That “self-image” of the CNSC’s is inconsistent with statements made in recent years by international peer reviewers, high-ranking Canadian officials, international nuclear proponents and others. The International Atomic Energy Agency recently reviewed Canada’s nuclear safety framework. It identified numerous […]
Why you should care about the Yukon election
On March 12, Premier Sandy Silver, Leader of the Liberal Party, dissolved the Legislative Assembly and sent Yukoners to the polls with eight months still left in his five-year mandate. Though the election could result in the loss of one of the last Liberal premiers in the federation, it could also foreshadow broader political forces […]
‘It’s about time we started to push back’: Conservative Alberta MPs support beleaguered energy war room
Despite a string of controversies since its December 2019 launch, Conservative Alberta MPs say the province’s energy war room is an important support and voice for the energy sector. The Canadian Energy Centre’s website describes its mandate as being in place “to promote Canada as a supplier of choice for the world’s growing demand for […]
Chaotic management of the pandemic is bringing government into disrepute
OTTAWA—The COVID-19 pandemic is enough to give a semanticist fits. As provincial government consultants have gone into overdrive to coin phrases for measures to reduce caseloads, the public is increasingly confused and restive. “Lockdown, shutdown, moveable curfews, circuit breakers, emergency brake”—the lexicon is becoming meaningless. As are the measures themselves. In Ontario’s “emergency brake,” some […]
Ford’s critiques of federal vaccine procurement rebutted by Minister Anand
In response to a condemnation of vaccine procurement by Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand fired back. Mr. Ford called the current vaccine acquirement efforts “a joke” on March 26, pointing to federal procurement processes as the root cause of shortages at the municipal level. He further said they lack […]
Quebec has to come to grips with systemic racism
MONTREAL—I love Quebec. It is why I moved back last fall, splitting my time between my ancestral home in Kamouraska and my pied-a-terre in Montreal. There are so many enriching aspects of life in this province, especially its people. Whether in the dynamic metropolis of Montreal or the countryside of the Lower Saint Lawrence, this […]
Fight to save proposed Line 5 shutdown needs Team Canada approach, provinces say
Three provincial energy ministers are urging the federal government to intervene in a legal dispute between the state of Michigan and Enbridge Inc. and “keep all options on the table” to avoid the threatened shutdown of the Line 5 pipeline. The representatives for Alberta, Ontario, and Saskatchewan told a parliamentary committee Tuesday there would be […]
Ontario’s electricity operator must make energy diversification more than a pipe dream
One of the first things U.S. President Joe Biden did was cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, the main artery for oil between the United States and Canada. Suffocating this was called “a gift to China and Russia” because it allowed international adversaries to swoop in and fill an energy demand that had been previously filled […]
In majority ruling, top court rules feds’ carbon-pricing scheme constitutional
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled in a 6-3 majority decision that the feds’ national carbon price is on solid constitutional footing, settling the legal debate that has consumed discussions on climate policy. Chief Justice Richard Wagner found in his decision written for the majority that the government’s effort to set minimum national standards […]
Strengthening Canada’s Arctic: why Canada needs to prioritize dialogue and cooperation in the North
Despite the Arctic comprising 40 per cent of Canada’s landmass, the government has long lagged in efforts to address the region’s domestic and foreign challenges. For much of Canada’s history, the Arctic took a back seat to other policy priorities. It was only the dawn of the Cold War that ultimately prompted Canada and the […]
