Wetlands are disappearing fast, urgent action required
Canada is home to 25 per cent of the world’s wetlands, which are important for the health of Canada and the health of our planet. In Ontario, we see proof all around us. From Lake Superior and the Great Lakes, to Lake Nipissing, these are crucial ecosystems for plants and animals, and great recreation spots. […]
Why this backbench MP is lobbied more than most ministers
Canada’s most-lobbied backbench MP in 2017, Francis Drouin, is a “rising star” who’s developed a reputation as a rural champion, say lobbyists. Mr. Drouin’s 136 communications posted to the lobbyist registry in 2017 are connected to agriculture, tied to his work on the House Agriculture Committee and the interests of his Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, Ont., constituents. A […]
What the Aga Khan Foundation does with Canadian government money
On the day the Bamyan hospital first opened its doors, 12 women arrived in various stages of labour. In Afghanistan, where pregnancy kills one of every 52 women, giving life can be a death sentence. But the chances of survival for these 12 women dramatically increased when they walked through the new hospital’s front doors. […]
‘Everyone wants to weigh in’: MPs, ministers with innovation, resource, environment files top 2017 lobbying list
The cabinet ministers and parliamentary secretaries handling the innovation, natural resources, and environment files swept the top 10 most lobbied MPs of 2017, with innovation right hand David Lametti fielding the most communications with stakeholders by far. As parliamentary secretary to a vast ministry that covers both innovation and economic files, Mr. Lametti said it […]
Embracing new technology for a new cannabis industry
With Bill C-45, Canada’s cannabis legalization bill, moving through the Senate, politicians and pundits have furiously debated our best path forward. Reduction of youth consumption, decriminalization of adult possession, and the eradication of black-market profits are shared objectives between government and industry that have driven legalization discussions to date. While these priorities are often discussed […]
Good reasons to worry about aviation safety
MPs should be forgiven if nagging doubts about the safety of aircraft they use to commute to and from Ottawa have been rekindled. After all, the tragedy of former transport minister Jean Lapierre and family, killed in the crash of a small aircraft, has been in the news in recent days with the publication earlier […]
Suffering in silence: why we need to pay attention to the crises that miss the headlines
The past 12 months have been a horrific year for humanitarian crisis. The war in Syria continued. We watched nearly one million refugees from Myanmar stream into Bangladesh, seeking protection from rape, mass killings and unspeakable violence. After more than 1,000 days of war, more than half of the population of Yemen requires humanitarian assistance, […]
House Finance Committee has little to say on huge changes in global technology, industries and competition
TORONTO—Canada’s biggest economic challenge is to achieve and sustain a high level of productivity growth and we need to do this to support the things we value as a society, such as health care and education, as well as to deliver the prosperity for a rising standard of living. The best way to improve our […]
Lobbying spikes in ‘wild card’ Senate as groups target new Independents
Lobbyists meeting Senators at record rates say it’s due to the Upper Chamber’s independence, openness to amendments, and numerous newly appointed unknown Senators. This explains an unprecedented spike in communications in 2017, an uptick so high it triples historic averages and doubles last year’s already elevated lobbying numbers. In 2017, lobbyists logged 1,443 communications with […]
House International Trade Committee delivers platitudes on NAFTA, misses a golden opportunity
TORONTO—It was a golden opportunity for the House International Trade Committee to report on the future of NAFTA and to make recommendations on what our negotiators should and shouldn’t do. But what we got from the 10 MPs on the committee instead were largely platitudes. It wasn’t for lack of information. The committee held 12 […]
