Aerospace sector looks to government for help as pandemic grounds once high-flying industry
The Canadian aerospace sector and parliamentarians are calling on the government to help the once-mighty industry ahead of the Nov. 30 fiscal update, as the pandemic has slashed revenues, jeopardized jobs, and has cast a dark shadow on the medium- and long-term prospects for a return to some kind of normalcy. But even before the […]
After Bastarache report, dismantling the RCMP sounds like a public service
OTTAWA—Last week, the Final Report on the Implementation of the Merlo Davidson Settlement Agreement was released by former Supreme Court justice Michel Bastarache, and its contents were appalling. “One of the key findings of this report is that the culture of the RCMP is toxic and tolerates misogynistic and homophobic attitudes amongst its leaders and […]
Mexico calls on Canada to maintain new measures protecting migrant workers
The continuation and evolution of measures brought in to improve safety for Mexican workers in Canada after three deaths and multiple COVID-19 outbreaks is the top priority for this week’s talks between the two countries, says a Mexican diplomat in Canada. Held every year in person, this year’s week-long virtual binational Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program […]
Connecting work to education should be priority beyond pandemic
COVID-19 has disrupted labour markets unlike anything since the Great Depression. Young people have been especially hard hit by the economic slowdown, with school closures and a transition to remote learning. Youth were also among the hardest hit when employers reduced operations. One of the biggest disruptions has been a transition to remote work. Remote […]
The N-word is hate speech, not free speech
CALGARY—The aroma of burning crosses dotting the landscape of this “multicultural” nation sure smells like the anti-Black racism most “leaders” are purported to stand against. The proliferation of N-word usage, primarily among educators in publicly funded institutions is becoming a crisis of mental and emotional abuse that manifests itself in structural violence. Coined in the […]
Feds’ pandemic wage subsidy could be lifeline—if it gets it right
The Speech from the Throne gave workers laid off due to the pandemic reason for hope and worry. Recognizing that phasing out recovery benefit programs would be a mistake, the government moved to extend benefits like the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy until June 2021. CEWS was designed to keep workers affected by pandemic shutdowns connected […]
‘Six systemic crises’ confronting Canada, and politicians, policy-makers, health-care professionals need ‘systems thinking’ to tackle them, says public policy expert
Politicians, policy-makers, and health-care professionals have been too busy focusing on beating back the pandemic and trying to ensure Canadians are shielded from the worst of the economic fallout while there are six larger, systemic crises that have the potential to dwarf the trauma already experienced in this country if left unchecked, according to Irvin […]
Why the government of Canada will not appoint a temporary minister of education
Adhering to the dictum “never let a good crisis go to waste,” Irvin Studin has proposed in The Globe and Mail that Canada needs a temporary minister of education to address what he calls “Canada’s post quarantine education crisis.” I do not dispute that COVID-19 has produced an unprecedented crisis in education. In fact, I recently published a […]
How the pandemic has driven us to up our game in research and teaching
Tragedy, suffering, and uncertainty have trailed in the wake of COVID-19, bringing social and economic turmoil, and hurting people everywhere. The pandemic is a grand challenge that threatens our safety and our very existence. This challenge is also a unique opportunity for universities to lead and innovate in ways that will benefit humankind well beyond […]
COVID-19 and the future of Canadian universities
COVID-19 sparked a global crisis in post-secondary education that has remained seriously under-appreciated. In the United States, tuition-dependent private colleges are in dire financial straits; several recently closed permanently, and more mergers and bankruptcies seem sure to follow. The decline in international enrolments has caused enormous financial damage in Australia, with widespread layoffs and serious budget […]
