Harassment stats flat, mental health middling among federal employees: survey results
As an employer, the federal government isn’t doing enough to stop harassment within the public service, says a union leader, after results of a large-scale survey of federal employees indicate that workplace harassment has stayed consistent over the past few years. “In my mind, if the government’s doing its job to reduce harassment in the […]
$37-million spent on veteran legal costs a ‘broken promise’: critics
The Liberals have spent at least $37-million since January 2016 on legal proceedings with veterans in a move opposition MPs and the veterans they’re fighting in court say represents a broken platform promise. The vast majority—$36.3-million—makes up two years’ worth of budgets for two programs: $18.4-million for the Veterans Review and Appeal Board, a body […]
Time for Canada to re-engage with Commonwealth Scholarships
Commonwealth Scholarships are a prestigious international brand, well known and respected throughout the world. They help students with the cost of obtaining an advanced degree in a Commonwealth country other than their own. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom recently issued a report that addressed its successes and challenges. The authors indicated that […]
‘For me, it’s personal’: Minister Sohi reflects on passion for infrastructure portfolio
Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi doesn’t mince words when discussing the role infrastructure played in his ‘Made in Canada’ success story. An immigrant from India, Mr. Sohi (Edmonton Mill Woods, Alta.) spoke little to no English when he arrived in Edmonton in the early 1980s, after being sponsored by an older brother. After moving to the […]
Infrastructure improvements could increase annual GDP of northern territories by $4.7-billion: report
Upgrading trade-enabling infrastructure in Canada’s northern territories could add billions each year to the national economy, says a new report from the University of Calgary. Goods and services in the North are costlier than elsewhere in Canada, largely owing to logistical and geographic barriers limiting access to communities in the south. In the report “Gains from Trade for Canada’s […]
Infrastructure
Fate of 3,500 coal-power workers, and more, at stake with new ‘just transition’ task force
It has been a long time coming. The Trudeau government is poised to launch Canada’s first federal task force on a “just transition” for workers affected by policies intended to mitigate climate change. In this case, it’s the government’s plan to virtually eliminate traditional coal-fired electricity generation by 2030, which may put up to 3,500 […]
Training needed to fill staff, MPs’ blindspots on lobbying rules, say insiders
Parliamentarians and their staff need basic training on lobbying rules to avoid scandals and unpleasant post-employment surprises, according to former politicos and insiders, who say many people are left woefully unprepared for the realities of the job. That responsibility could be taken on by the new lobbying commissioner to conduct training sessions on the Hill, […]
Time to stop funding Catholic school boards
OTTAWA—The passage of Easter and Passover, the most important days on the Christian and Jewish calendars, has led me to contemplate the role of religion in Canadian public life. While Canadian politics has not been infected with the sort of right-wing evangelism experienced in the United States, we remain a country where church and state […]
It will take more than a law to change ‘archaic’ Hill culture, says Senate sponsor of anti-harassment bill
Government legislation aimed at handling and preventing sexual harassment in federally regulated workplaces and Parliament Hill won’t be enough to stop the longstanding problem, says the bill’s Senate sponsor, but it’s a step in the right direction towards a much-needed change to the Hill’s “very archaic” culture. Bill C-65 is “not going to fix everything,” […]
