Scheer spews out nonsense, calls it a climate plan
OTTAWA—One of the problems of dealing with totally cynical, post-accuracy conservatism—whether in Europe or the U.S. or Canada—is that it ruins everyone’s sense of irony. So here we have Conservative leader Andrew Scheer being afforded credit for finally acknowledging climate change is real. This is a breakthrough? It’s been obvious for decades to anyone who […]
Removing politics from defence procurement ‘unreasonable,’ says expert, as Senate committee suggests deeper dive
An element of political involvement in defence procurement is important for democratic accountability, says one expert, after a Senate study indicated that the issue is worth deeper examination, contrasting with the head of the Conservative Party, who says Canadian military procurement is “hyper-politicized to our detriment.” The Senate National Finance Committee released an interim report […]
Federal Conservatives say green technology, not taxes key to meeting Paris targets
The Conservatives say Canada’s path to achieving the Paris targets will hinge in large part on the development of green technology, not taxes. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer (Regina-Qu’Appelle, Sask.) unveiled the plan in Chelsea, Que., a small municipality just 10 kilometres north of Ottawa. In the face of criticism from the Liberals that his party […]
The misconception of Canada’s foreign aid generosity
Earlier this year, Statistics Canada reported that in 2017 there were 278,000 fewer children living below the poverty line, compared to 2015 when the Liberals took office. Through policy measures, including the introduction of the Canada Child Benefit, the Liberal government has done some admirable work in reducing poverty in this country. For this, credit […]
Liberals fighting veterans in court a losing battle at the polls
It was a Liberal campaign promise that has been broken repeatedly: to not fight veterans in court. Yet that is exactly what the Trudeau government has done. During the last election campaign, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marketed what would be the cornerstone of the Liberal platform in a paper called Real Change: The Future We […]
Canada must stop ignoring its debt of justice to Grassy Narrows
International human rights standards shine a light on some of the most important, urgent, and fundamental responsibilities of governments. That’s why it’s so significant that last week, in two separate statements, the United Nation’s top expert advisers on the right to health and on the human rights impacts of toxic contamination both called out Canada’s […]
Canada’s Mali extension shortens medevac gap, but questions remain over when replacements will arrive
Canada has announced a limited extension of its helicopter medical evacuation capability as part of the United Nations’ Mali peacekeeping mission, but critics say it’s not enough. Global Affairs announced on June 14 that Canada will start a “gradual departure” from Mali at the end of July, but it will maintain its medical evacuation operation […]
It’s time to dangle more than financial carrots to keep our fighter pilots
OTTAWA—On June 10, Lieutenant-General Al Meinzinger, the commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force, sent out a message to all personnel outlining several new initiatives which are intended to address the military’s chronic shortage of experienced pilots and ground crew. As of last fall, the RCAF were admittedly short of at least 275 pilots, and […]
There’s a gaping hole in our democracy
Canada was once the envy of the world with our legislation on multiculturalism, tolerance, and ethnic fairness. But our democracy, indeed all our democratic institutions, have failed us because, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said,” our House of Commons, the heart of our democracy, should look more like the composition of Canadian society”— including more […]
Canada’s détente with China useful leverage in UN Security Council seat bid
Isn’t it ironic that after close to 50 years of efforts to nurture Canada-China diplomatic relations, Canada can’t arrange meetings and phone calls at the leader’s level to discuss contentious bilateral issues? No, it is not, and it does not deserve any knee-jerk reactions, despite what some folks may be tempted to suggest either in […]
