Alberta inquiry into ‘foreign-funded’ anti-energy industry groups latest chapter in ‘misdirected attacks,’ says charity
Alberta’s inquiry into what its premier calls a “well-funded foreign campaign” against its energy industry is an attempt to put a “chill” on activism that could spill over into this fall’s federal election, say academics. Premier Jason Kenney announced the launch of the $2.5-million public inquiry on July 4, to look into “foreign special interests […]
Premiers’ meeting sheds light on the real dimensions of Canada’s energy politics
OTTAWA—With Doug Ford going on about how the increasingly conservative lineup of provincial leaders is a driver of concerted Canada-wide action, a reporter at a premiers’ press conference asked the Ontario premier if British Columbia fits that mould. “We look forward to meeting with Premier Hogirth…” replied Ford. Nearby, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney prompted: “Horgan.” […]
Resource minister playing partisan politics with pipeline
At a challenging time for national unity and the state of our federation, federal Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi decided to poke Canadians in the eye. In an article that appeared in both the Calgary Herald and the Edmonton Journal (“New pipeline law will get projects built through trust”), Sohi attempted to justify the passage […]
Canada should keep focus on human rights in midst of U.S.-Iran spiralling tensions, say activists
As tensions between the U.S. and Iran flare, Canada should keep its focus on Iran’s poor human rights record, activists say. With academics expecting rising tensions to lead to new negotiations between Iran and the original signatories of the Iran deal, Canada’s role could be keeping Iran’s human rights failings front and centre. “I think […]
There’s no sunny middle way out of a climate emergency
VANCOUVER—The Ontario Court of Appeal recently handed a win to the federal government—and dealt a blow to Doug Ford and other premiers bent on derailing the national carbon price—when it found the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act constitutional. The ruling went further than an earlier decision out of Saskatchewan, defining the purpose of the act as […]
Military second-in-command shouldn’t be praised for making a beneficial personal choice
OTTAWA—On July 1, Postmedia broke the story that Canada’s Vice Chief of the Defence Staff has been collecting benefits, known as an imposed restriction (IR) allowance, for the past seven years. Lieutenant-General Paul Wynnyk was first posted to Ottawa as the deputy commander of the army back in 2012. At that juncture in his long […]
Stepping into an untapped tourist niche for rural Canada
KAMOURASKA, Que.—Walking offers lots of time to think, and learn. And as I plodded over 100 kilometres along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River east of Quebec City last week, I learned a great deal. First, while I had driven or biked through the towns along the river all my life, I did […]
No Zoloft for this: KAOS malaise and public health
We’re all aware of the small, daily health effects of the drastic changes to our political landscape wrought by the collision of democracy and the reality-distorting innovations of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Revulsion or outrage when observing certain world leaders in their depleted habitats; whiplashing disbelief at headlines we never thought we’d see outside a […]
Ottawa community born out of feds’ first housing policy celebrates unique century-old heritage
OTTAWA—It’s not much of a park—just a few swings, a couple of playground sets, and a basketball court that doubles as an ice rink in winter. In the warm weather, everyone just leaves the kids’ trikes, wagons, and other toys out all night. You see them in the morning. Yet this small, quiet park surrounded […]
No sign Canada ‘making inroads’ with China, strategy not working as Trudeau claims, say former diplomats
Canada should be taking more direct action against China instead of “turning the other cheek” and touting its record of getting other countries to advocate on its behalf with the superpower as the diplomatic row escalates, say former diplomats and experts. Charles Burton, former counsellor at the Canadian embassy in Beijing, said he’s “very concerned” […]
