Budget 2018 not an election-year spending plan, but Liberals ‘pre-staging’ some issues: stakeholders
The Trudeau government’s third federal budget is not an election-year spending plan crafted with an eye towards the campaign trail, though certain elements could hint at what issues the Liberals will run on in the 2019 vote, say stakeholders. Nearly 200 representatives from the private and non-profit sectors gathered in the Reading Room in Centre […]
Anti-harassment bill won’t make it easier to complain, say critics
Committee witnesses and others are raising concerns about whether a government bill aimed at preventing and responding to sexual harassment and workplace violence, including against parliamentary employees, will actually make it any easier for people to come forward with complaints. During a Feb. 26 House Human Resources Committee meeting, when asked by Liberal MP Pam Damoff […]
Trans Mountain pipeline support to cost Liberals in 2019, but unclear how much, say pollsters
The federal Liberal government will pay a political price over its support for the $7.4-billion Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion among First Nations and B.C. voters in the next election, say pollsters, but how high a cost remains to be seen. “There will be a political price to pay, and I think there’s an understanding […]
How Canada can improve its STEM gender deficit
We recently celebrated the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and there’s much to celebrate—but also, much work to do. It’s a day to celebrate just how far we’ve come since Elsie MacGill, aircraft designer and Canada’s first female engineer, was asked to leave the University of British Columbia in 1921 because of […]
Unions representing 85 per cent of public servants demand Phoenix damages in joint letter to PM
Unions making up the vast majority of the federal public service presented a list of demands to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a letter released publicly Friday morning to mark the second anniversary of the botched Phoenix payroll system launch. Representatives of 17 federal public service unions making up of more than 225,000 employees signed […]
Human rights ombudsperson will bring long-awaited accountability to Canadian mining
Nenita Andes Condez risked her life to visit Canada last spring. She was part of a KAIROS tour of Philippine leaders seeking accountability for mining operations from Canadians and government officials. Nenita is an Indigenous Subanen leader from the Philippine island of Mindanao. She advocates for her people in the face of complaints of human […]
Feds must step up support for innovation in Canada’s auto industry
Since the inception of the automotive industry in Canada, automakers and automotive part suppliers have become global leaders in innovation. Especially following the financial crisis of 2008 and with ongoing NAFTA negotiations, it is clear that our government needs to step up its support of the automotive industry in Canada. Other countries have strategies to grow […]
Government should prepare now for automation economy, even if layoffs aren’t imminent, say experts
Despite mixed opinions from experts as to how soon automation will lead to significant layoffs, both proponents of new technologies in industry and those more apprehensive to their adoption say it’s better for the federal government to ready Canada for potential job losses and a disrupted economy with policy sooner rather than later. “We have this […]
Innovation procurement programs looking to lure home-grown products
Yad Garcha, CEO of Bionic Power, understands why most small business owners are wary of doing business with the federal government, calling the process bureaucratic, but for him government procurement was always the end goal. The Vancouver-based Bionic Power was recently awarded a contract for $1.1-million for its Knee Based Energy Harvester through the Build in […]
On political activities, the Public Service Commission deserves to be challenged
OTTAWA—Political parties have already begun recruiting candidates and campaign workers for the next federal election in 2019. Many candidates could be drawn from the federal public service, as there you find people who understand government and know how to get policies adopted. There are also public servants who want to volunteer in the democratic process. […]
