Public-private partnerships an ‘extraordinary opportunity’ to renew relations with Indigenous communities: experts
The emergence of green energy provides a “once in a generation” opportunity for Canada to improve its approach to engaging with Indigenous communities about major energy projects, a House committee heard as it began a study on an issue that has dogged the Liberal government for its entire mandate. Greg Poelzer, a professor in the University of […]
Senators agree to travel as part of study on C-69, but no deadline or details
After nearly four hours of debating without an agreement, Senators on the Environment Committee opened up their closed-door planning meeting just long enough to hold a public vote in favour of travelling outside of Ottawa as part of their study of the government’s controversial environmental assessment reform bill, C-69—and to punt the rest of the […]
Jagmeet Singh’s naivety, lack of political acumen surprising, says Calgary reader
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, who is currently running in the upcoming Burnaby South, B.C., byelection spoke with the CBC’s Rosemary Barton on The National recently where he again doubled down on his commitment to abandon the Trans Mountain pipeline if consultations fail to satisfy all Indigenous stakeholders. Mr. Singh’s intransigence on this issue points to […]
‘If it was a car, we’d say they paid the sticker price’: feds likely overpaid for Trans Mountain pipeline by $1-billion, parliamentary spending watchdog says
The federal government is likely to have overpaid for its purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline by more than $1-billion, according to the Parliamentary Budget Office. “The government paid the high end of the price range,” Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux told reporters at a briefing on Thursday in Ottawa. “If there’s a delay in […]
Meet the top-lobbied political gatekeepers in 2018
Canada’s most-lobbied political aide is Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains’ policy director, a man whose job, as one lobbyist put it, is basically to be lobbied. For the second year in a row, David McFarlane, like the minister he reports to, racked up the most communications reports of political staffers with lobbyists in 2018. Some 334 […]
Senators shouldn’t obstruct Bill C-69, they should rise to the legislative challenge
Members of the Senate Environment Committee will meet next week to begin their study of the government’s sweeping and controversial 400-plus-page Bill C-69, starting with a debate on a Conservative proposal to hold public hearings on the bill across the country. Several committee members say they have serious concerns about the bill, with some saying they want […]
When it comes to Arctic resource development, Russia is on fire while Canada is cold as ice
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Canada and the Russian Federation have pursued different strategies for security and economic development in their respective circumpolar regions. These policies have resulted in very different northern strategic outcomes, with Canada at the short end of the stick. While Canada and its circumpolar neighbours have advanced their polar […]
Public safety is no accident
The next time you fly, consider two things: the greenhouse gas emissions created by air travel and whether you will land safely. Then think about who should be the primary regulator of air travel—is it the minister of the environment or transport? Canada has an outstanding safety record, not only for air travel but also […]
Is Justin Trudeau defeating himself?
TORONTO—Governments defeat themselves, as everyone knows. So is Justin Trudeau defeating himself? His opponents certainly shouldn’t keep him up at night. Most Canadians couldn’t pick Andrew Scheer out of a police lineup. He’s remarkably unremarkable. And his social media—the main way in which political parties communicate with voters these days—looks like it was put together by […]
Ottawa ought to get out of the grip of oil’s deep state, ditch output-based giveaways
Re: “Why feds should consider a carbon tariff,” (The Hill Times, Nov. 26, 2018, p. 19). Thank you to Member of Parliament Erin Weir for impeccable economic and environmental logic. But there is also a political aspect he didn’t mention in his opinion piece. The cost of rebates of carbon prices to trade-exposed industries would […]
