Let’s not panic about trade deals
CHELSEA, QUE.—For too long, we have been told that free trade explains our wealth and success as a nation—and, that anything that threatens our trading relationships will lead to certain disaster. We will end up living in frigid cabins, deprived of coffee, burning cow dung to keep warm. There is some truth in this claim, […]
A look ahead at cannabis legalization in 2018
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set off the countdown clock when he announced last month that cannabis would be legal in Canada by the summer of 2018, however there are still plenty of issues to sort out before Canadians can legally light up, and some that will linger even after that. Legislation introduced by the Liberal government […]
Lobbyists get ‘too much time’ in Senate committees, says ISG deputy ahead of back-to-Parliament meeting
Lobbyists have been given “too much time and too much importance” when it comes to gathering input for the Senate’s study of legislation at committee, says the second-highest ranking member of the Independent Senators Group, who is planning to raise the issue during a day-long ISG meeting on the Hill on Feb. 5. “We should […]
Morneau’s new budget can be a wild success: here’s how
OTTAWA—In response to staggering levels of wildlife loss, conservation organizations and federal parliamentarians of all political stripes have asked the Government of Canada to make nature a priority in the looming federal budget by allocating at least $1.4-billion for habitat protections. While spending on nature is a huge need, how any money is spent is […]
Public accounts, transparency, and the Aga Khan Foundation
TORONTO—Some $235,553,238 is a lot of money. It is the amount of money given by the federal government to the Aga Khan Foundation during the last five fiscal years according to transfer payments in the Public Accounts of Canada. Each year—in October more often than not—the public accounts, which are the audited financial statements of […]
‘Tight’ timeline for Lobbying Act review, all rules on the table: new lobbying czar
Canada’s new lobbying commissioner says the timeframe to begin a five-year review of the Lobbying Act this spring is “tight,” but doable, and that everything will be studied including restricting the political activities of lobbyists, making the registry more transparent, and overlapping rules in the Lobbying and Conflict of Interest acts. “I need to do my own […]
Government falling behind on cannabis public education, say critics
Health Canada says it will launch a national public education advertising campaign on cannabis in the spring, though critics say it should have already been in place in order to educate the public ahead of the July 1 legalization deadline. The impaired driving campaign run by Public Safety,“Don’t Drive High”, has been popping up in […]
Watchdog petitions Federal Court to kill new appointments for lobbying, ethics commissioners
An ethics watchdog is suing the Trudeau government for the way it handled appointments for the lobbying and ethics commissioners, saying the Liberals failed to honour legislative requirements mandating consultations with all parties recognized in the House of Commons. Democracy Watch announced on Jan. 18 that it had filed lawsuits in Federal Court challenging the appointments […]
These provinces led in economic growth. They also price carbon pollution
Opponents of carbon pollution pricing have had a busy year, incessantly warning of the severe economic damage such policies will purportedly cause. Thankfully, proponents of clean growth have had a busy year too. Alberta wrapped up its consultation process on output-based allocations for large industrial emitters, Manitoba and Nova Scotia announced new carbon pricing systems, and the […]
Where’s the beef? Industry stakeholders cry foul over Health Canada food guide freeze-out
Industry groups shut out of in-person consultations with Health Canada in its current effort to overhaul Canada’s Food Guide have delivered their concerns—and their own set of potentially competing goals—to politicians and other federal departments. Health Canada declared in 2016 that it would not meet one-on-one with industry groups while revamping its food guidelines because […]
