Pipeline contractors, manufacturers and exporters groups busiest lobbyists in October
Organizations representing pipeline contractors and manufacturers and exporters were the most active lobbyists on the Hill last month, with cement producers, a national charities advocate, and a collection of open shop construction associations rounding out the top five, new numbers show. The Pipe Line Contractors Association of Canada (PLCAC) produced the most communications reports of […]
TPP to fix Canada’s beef with Japan’s tariffs
For Canadian beef exporters, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is about Japan—a deal the Canadian Meat Council says could increase Canadian beef exports by $200-million annually to the country. This would take the export revenues from the $100-million seen in the early 2010s to between $300-million and $400-million, according to the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). This comes […]
Advocates lukewarm on Canadian Agricultural Partnership; don’t see major change from Ottawa
The upcoming Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a “small step in the right direction” with the potential to improve on the latest national agricultural policy framework, but more cross-departmental collaboration is needed, according to the head of Canada’s largest farmers advocacy group. Ron Bonnett, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, said he was impressed with CAP’s […]
Progress seen in bolstering agricultural research funding, though hiring gaps remain: advocates
The Trudeau government has made made strides in increasing publicly-funded agriculture research, though more work is needed to return to the previous high-water marks of the past decades, say advocates. Serge Buy, CEO of the Agricultural Institute of Canada, an advocacy body for agricultural research and innovation, said Canada is well positioned to tap into surging […]
Women making unforeseen breakthroughs, but still have a long way to go
OTTAWA—As North Americans witnessed this past week, unforeseen breakthroughs for women in Quebec’s municipal elections and in state elections across the border, their wins signal a potential new (and better-late-than-never) era for women in politics. And while there is no doubt that many women have simply had enough, thank you very much, the story of […]
Ethics commissioner’s confusing remarks on asset loophole stems from scarce communications resources, say lobbyists
Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson’s ambiguous remarks about the number of cabinet ministers holding personal investments indirectly through a holding company, thus avoiding the need of a blind trust, is likely the symptom of having no dedicated communications resources and prioritizing education and compliance over public shaming, according to a former Liberal MP. Joe Jordan, currently […]
Supreme Court hears Bruce Carson’s appeal on influence peddling conviction
OTTAWA—Former prime ministerial adviser Bruce Carson should have his conviction for influence peddling quashed because his work back in 2010-2011 to help an Ottawa-area firm sell water filtration units to Indigenous communities incorrectly targeted the federal bureaucracy, rather than individual First Nations themselves, his lawyer argued before Canada’s highest court on Friday. In his submission […]
The future is interdisciplinary
In the past 20 years, interdisciplinary research—studies involving researchers from multiple academic disciplines—has gone from ‘nice to have’ to ‘need to have.’ Today, given the complexity of social, political, environmental, economic and technological challenges facing the world, it is very quickly becoming something no country can do without. Canada has the skills, talent and capacity […]
Three reasons why Canada should invest more in polytechnic education for innovation
The G7 met in late September to discuss how the nature of work is changing, and how, largely, automation is driving that change. Canada’s Employment, Workforce Development, and Labour Minister Patty Hajdu, along with her counterparts, discussed the challenges presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution and how to put “people and work at the heart of innovation.” But it […]
Canada’s ‘social agenda’ derailing NAFTA, says ex-Pence chief of staff
The former chief of staff to U.S. vice-president Mike Pence says Canada’s demands to include language on gender, Indigenous people, and climate change in the NAFTA negotiations have created an “obstacle” to progress, with no path forward. Bill Smith, now the president of the U.S. public relations firm Sextons Creek, told The Hill Times last […]
