We need a return to funding basic research
It was in the spring 2012 budget that the previous Conservative government established the primacy of utilitarian, mercantile science over basic research and pure intellectual inquiry. The budget decreed that federal funds would go to research that was “business-led [and] industry-relevant.” The significant deficit in industry investment in research and development affects our economy. We […]
It’s a ‘pivotal moment,’ PIPSC says after feds finally ask public servants to help fix Phoenix pay problem
Months after the problem-plagued government’s rollout of its new Phoenix pay system, the federal government is now welcoming the help of public servants to get things back on track and the unions are calling it a “pivotal moment,” after arguing from the outset that federal employees were capable of doing the job themselves. The Public […]
What’s killing jobs?
LONDON, U.K.—“The notion that Uber in London is a mosaic of 30,000 small businesses linked by a common ‘platform’ is, to our minds, faintly ridiculous,” said one of the judges on the employment tribunal. So the tribunal ruled that Uber’s 30,000 drivers in London were actually employees, and therefore entitled to be paid the minimum […]
Lots to talk about: Canada-U.S. relations event set for Nov. 16
They’ve been having this thing for more than two decades but, like last year, there should be whole bunch of new things to talk about at this year’s edition. The 22nd annual State of the Relationship Summit & Award event, put on by the Canadian American Business Council, is happening at the Château Laurier on […]
End of honeymoon with labour could force Trudeau to step up game as PM: academic
At least one academic and former journalist says the wrath being directed at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau right now by Canada’s biggest public-service union could force him to improve his performance as Canada’s chief decision-maker. Last week, the Public Service Alliance of Canada launched a media campaign with a direct message for the prime minister: […]
Bloc Leader Fortin to test Supreme Court nominee Rowe’s proficiency in French
In question-and-answer session with the newest nominee to the Supreme Court of Canada on Oct. 25 at the University of Ottawa, Bloc Québécois Leader Rhéal Fortin says the focal point of his questioning will be to test Malcolm Rowe’s proficiency in French and the Newfoundland and Labrador native’s understanding of Quebec Civil law. “We want to know […]
Too close for comfort: Canadian academics and government
Should social scientists seek the truth regardless of whose toes may be stepped on and cite, up front, possible conflicts of interest regarding matters they study? All academic disciplines claim independence of thought and transparency are principles that guide good research. So, what to make of a Canadian foreign-policy discussion dominated by individuals with ties […]
No more treading water
Patrick Brown has heard it all before. Assertions that the Ontario Progressive Conservative leader’s most defined personality trait is that he’s not Kathleen Wynne; that he’s flip-flopped on policies as starkly as Donald Trump has on immigration; and even that he’s a dead-eyed, brainwashed robot that runs on talking points uploaded to his hard drive […]
Universities emerge as biggest lobbyists in August, according to registry
While students were enjoying their summer breaks last month, university administrators were busy lobbying the federal government on a wide range of issues, including science, aboriginal affairs, and immigration. The University of Alberta was the source of the most communication reports filed on the federal lobbyists registry in August with 25. Second was the University […]
‘I’m incredibly disappointed,’ PSAC talks with government end on sour note
Talks between the federal public service’s biggest union and the Treasury Board last week—the first in many months—ended without progress and with a disillusioned union leader. “I am incredibly disappointed with the Liberal government,” Robyn Benson, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), said in an interview on Friday, Sept. 16. “Their agenda […]
