House subcommittee on International Human Rights has heard from local activists, community activists
Re: “House subcommittee hearings on mining in Latin America a public disservice,” (The Hill Times, Oct. 18, p. 15). The opinion piece on the House Subcommittee on International Human Rights study on human rights surrounding resource extraction in Latin America claimed that we have not heard from those most affected by this issue: the local […]
Energy East saga demonstrates the need for a climate test
TORONTO—This month’s cancellation of the Energy East pipeline sparked a divisive debate about the prospects for new fossil fuel infrastructure in a world moving rapidly to tackle climate change. But there’s a clear path forward to provide industry with policy clarity for future energy projects: the federal government must put in place a climate test […]
‘More likely to drive change than the carbon tax,’ advocates say clean fuel standard may lead to Canadian planes flying on biofuels
Potential aviation-specific regulations in Canada’s new clean fuel standard, set to take effect in 2019, might jumpstart domestic production of biofuels that may soon power jets for popular carriers such as Air Canada and WestJet, say advocates. The clean fuel standard (CFS), currently being conceived by Environment Canada, would lay out mandated thresholds for renewable […]
Canada needs a rising fee on carbon emissions, revenue returned to households
Re: “The myths about Energy East, just to clear the air,” (The Hill Times, by Susan Riley, Oct. 16, p. 10). Our climate is becoming more and more inhospitable. The recent hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria have cost $300-billion. The wildfires in British Columbia and California are adding to that. Our unstable climate is putting […]
Observations from Jim Carr’s Generation Energy conference
Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr hosted the Generation Energy conference in Winnipeg from Oct. 11-12, a culmination of a national discussion on Canada’s future energy needs that took place over 25 weeks, with online input form 320,000 Canadians and another 30,000 from outside our borders. At the 600-person gathering, many interesting things were said and […]
House subcommittee hearings on mining in Latin America a public disservice
The federal Liberals came into office promising to take action on human rights abuses associated with one of Canada’s largest and most controversial areas of foreign investment abroad: mining. But a rare study on the issue in the House of Commons Subcommittee on International Human Rights seems designed to justify the do-nothing status quo, since […]
Roots of Myanmar Rohingya crisis lie in global economy
The mass displacement of the Rohingya population in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State has escalated into one of the biggest human rights crises in recent history. Second only to people’s suffering is the tragedy that this conflict has wrought upon Myanmar’s international democracy movement, which has been torn apart by arguments over citizenship rights and condemnations of the […]
Energy East cancellation hasn’t hurt Liberals yet, but could haunt them in 2019: pollsters
The abandonment of the country-spanning Energy East pipeline by proponent TransCanada hasn’t harmed the Liberal government’s national popularity so far, though pipelines and energy policy could still emerge as ballot box issues in Western Canada and New Brunswick in the next election, according to pollsters, with some saying it might cost the party seats in […]
The myths about Energy East, just to clear the air
GATINEAU, QUE.—The decision by TransCanada to mothball its proposed Energy East pipeline some days ago risks becoming flotsam in the all-consuming whirl of daily news—from Harvey Weinstein, to Donald Trump’s threats to dump NAFTA, to second-hand Australian jets. But we shouldn’t let the issue fade without hacking away the false claims and apocalyptic predictions surrounding […]
Anatomy of a maverick MP’s rogue vote
For a relatively unknown political commodity, it’s been a big month for Saint John-Rothesay Liberal MP Wayne Long, who has found his way to the centre of two of the biggest stories in Canadian politics: small business taxes and the demise of the Energy East pipeline. But the rookie New Brunswick backbench MP’s hand in […]
