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 […]
Newfoundland and Labrador’s suspended animation continues, raising new questions
OTTAWA—As the self-appointed Hill Times correspondent for Newfoundland and Labrador, it is my duty to report to you that our provincial election is still going on. In fact, results will likely not be known until early to mid-April. Just a reminder it was called Jan. 15. Yes, Jan. 15, and was originally supposed to conclude […]
Hydrogen key to breaking Alberta’s energy logjam
Hydrogen is an important next energy step for Alberta and the province already has everything it needs to get there—it’s another way to get long-term value out of Alberta’s resources. In the new global clean energy economy transformation taking place, hydrogen is a key player and an enormous opportunity for Canada—it also provides a potential […]
In a COVID election, all bets are off now
Three elections and three majority governments sent the message that a government managing COVID-19 is rewarded by the voters. That was the general school of thought when Newfoundland and Labrador called its COVID election. But the arrival of the variant crisis has changed all that. The Newfoundland and Labrador government was forced to call an […]
