Bernier still looking for a vein to tap into
As he travels west in search of support for his breakaway conservative party, Maxime Bernier has taken to introducing himself as “the Albertan from Quebec.” Albertans will have to decide from themselves whether a leader who reflects their values would, among other things, have Canada turn its back on the global fight against climate change […]
Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador: neighbours that need to talk
OTTAWA—This month’s majority decision of the Supreme Court to reject Newfoundland and Labrador’s request to reopen the 1969 Churchill Falls power contract was not a surprise to anyone who has followed the case. With one exception (Newfoundland Justice Malcolm Rowe), the judges ruled there was no basis on which to reconsider the contract, which locked […]
In apologizing for turning away Jews fleeing Nazi persecution, Canada puts anti-Semites in a corner
This past weekend marked the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night of the broken glass. It was the night when Germany’s prevailing anti-Semitism exploded in unprecedented violence across the land. Synagogues were destroyed and burned down, Jewish people were attacked on the street and in their homes, and Germany was firmly ensconced in a movement—an […]
Canada’s soils are in crisis
Healthy soil is the heart of our food system and, by every conceivable measure, we are making our soil sick. In Ontario, soil organic matter—a key determinant of soil health—is now decreasing on 82 per cent of farmland. Since 1948, the soil organic matter in Essex County, in the province’s far south, has declined by […]
How to unlock the potential of Canada’s North
While the mining industry is truly pan-Canadian, with operations from coast to coast to coast, it is particularly significant to northern Canada. In the Arctic specifically, mining is the largest private-sector employer, responsible for the employment of approximately 8,500 people, or one in every six jobs. These numbers increase substantially when the Arctic regions of […]
Trudeau rebate bumps support for carbon pricing above 50 per cent, poll suggests
The Liberal promise to return directly to Canadians revenue from the upcoming carbon tax has shifted public opinion to give the Grits a slim edge in support and has “mollified” some opponents, according to a poll following last week’s announcement. After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed the Liberals’ plan for provinces that opted not to […]
How to get northern infrastructure on track
National governments of every stripe around the world have understood that one of their fundamental responsibilities is to ensure that their citizens have access to critical infrastructure. Canada is no exception, except, it seems, when it comes to Canada’s North. Many historians would point to the building of Canada’s transcontinental railway, in the 1880s, as […]
Don’t squander the chance for Arctic Policy Framework to be a gamechanger for Inuit
Inuit welcomed the Government of Canada’s announcement in December 2016 that it would co-develop a new Arctic Policy Framework (APF) with Inuit, replacing Canada’s 2009 Northern Strategy and the 2010 Statement on Canada’s Arctic Foreign Policy. The inclusion of Inuit in the announcement as co-development partners signalled that there could be a potential shift by […]
When it comes to food security in the North, Inuit need a seat at the table
No one can survive without food. That is why I was not surprised to learn that Inuit left the federal government’s Indigenous Working Group on food security, nor was I surprised by the comments made by Shylah Elliott, a health policy analyst for Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI), who called the working group “tokenism and optics” […]
Clean electricity crucial for Northwest Territories
In last year’s Hill Times special policy edition on the North, I stated I was eagerly awaiting news on Canada’s National Trade Corridor’s funding to begin to address our infrastructure gap, link our communities, and help bring down the cost of living and the cost of developing our resources and bringing them to market. I […]
