Colony losses to worsen if feds don’t nix neonics swiftly
We can no longer ignore the harmful effects of pesticide exposure on pollinator health. Last year, beekeepers in Ontario and Quebec suffered record overwinter colony losses: 45.7 per cent in Ontario and 30.3 per cent in Quebec. These colony losses far surpass the 20 per cent threshold beekeepers considered sustainable. Beekeepers in Ontario and Quebec […]
Global study is good for students, and for business
Any country that wants to succeed in our shifting global economy needs a globally aware workforce. International study that includes experiential learning is one of the best ways to build that awareness. To meet this growing labour force need, Canada needs many more of its bright young students to go abroad. Currently, only 11 per […]
Deliberation: can we fix government decision-making?
OTTAWA—Are governments losing their ability to deliver on tough planning decisions? Projects such as pipelines, hospitals, or the purchase of fighter jets are routinely changed, postponed, or even abandoned. What’s the point of having a government, we might ask, if it can’t even deliver on its own decisions? I co-chair a team of experts from […]
Sky’s the limit for small business exporters
OTTAWA—Everyone knows that small- and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the Canadian economy, employing about one-third of our population. What’s less well known is the struggles that SMEs have had over the years raising their game to tap into markets beyond our border. Only 11 per cent of SMEs are engaged in exporting, a […]
Independent Senators pick up more committee seats
Senate committees have again swelled to accommodate the Independent Senators Group, allowing them to take over nearly half of the seats. An order passed in the Senate on Nov. 20 came into effect on Nov. 26, reorganizing the Chamber’s committee membership to comply with an agreement made last year to revisit how committee seats are […]
Fourth year of governing more crucial than first three combined, says Dalton McGuinty, tougher as partisanship spikes
Parliament’s challenge in the last year of the Liberal mandate will be “to govern despite ourselves” and avoid the “toxicity that has taken over much of political debate” as all parties turn to election readiness, says NDP MP Nathan Cullen. “Fourth years of Parliaments tend to exaggerate the differences because people are trying to make […]
Pipeline contractors, charities lead October lobbying blitz as activity picks up
Lobbying activity has spiked in the last couple of months as groups sought to redouble their efforts in the lead-up to the next election, according to the federal lobbyists’ registry. Lobbyists filed a total of 3,126 communication reports in October and 1,816 in September, compared to 1,054 in July and 1,157 in August, lobbying records […]
Budget bill’s Copyright Act changes undermine committee’s ongoing review, say critics
The Liberals’ decision to include changes to the Copyright Act in the year’s second budget implementation bill has effectively “castrated” the ongoing statutory review of the law, says NDP MP Brian Masse, vice-chair of one of the two committees engaged in the study. Bill C-86, clocking in at 854 pages, includes changes to intellectual property […]
Procedure and House Affairs Committee proposes changes to e-petition system
Canadians should have the ability to flag issues in the House of Commons faster when they start petitions online, but getting thousands of signatures won’t make the Chamber take up their cause, according to a House committee’s review of the e-petition system. In a report tabled Nov. 8 by Liberal chair Larry Bagnell (Yukon), the […]
Rebels for a cause: Bernier headlines Rebel Media event in Calgary
People’s Party Leader Maxime Bernier spoke at a far-right media organization’s event on Nov. 10 in Calgary. Mr. Bernier, a self-titled “Albertan from Quebec,” gave the keynote address at Rebel Media’s Rebel Live conference as part of a speaking tour taking him around the country introducing his upstart political party to Canadians. He left the […]
