Bill 21: a return to Quebec’s dark past
In the 1930s, the start of a time referred to in Quebec as “la grande noirceur” (the great darkness), the government of premier Maurice Duplessis passed the Padlock Law, otherwise known as An Act to Protect the Province Against Communistic Propaganda. Under the law, authorities could shut meeting places of anyone suspected of being a […]
Infrastructure is Canada’s backbone
Critically important infrastructure is too often poorly maintained or lacking in sufficient future planning. Delaying maintenance is a misplaced budgetary economy. Insufficient planning is symptomatic of a lack of realistic forethought. Both represent a much greater cost than is often acknowledged. The railway to the northern port town of Churchill, Man., is a prime example. […]
Mind the gap? Let’s look at defining urban infrastructure investment differently
You drove to work swerving around potholes, taking a different exit because of construction, only to find yourself stuck in a traffic jam that didn’t get better because a train was crossing the street in slow motion, and you’ve ended up at a parkade with restricted access due to “improvements in customer service.” An infrastructure […]
SNC-Lavalin nuclear contracts at risk if it’s convicted
If SNC-Lavalin is denied a deferred prosecution agreement and is convicted of fraud and corruption, this could prevent the engineering company from bidding on federal government contracts in Canada. But it could also jeopardize its current and future contractual obligations with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), power producers Bruce Power, China National Nuclear Corp., […]
Senate committee changes tack, adds Alberta, Saskatchewan to C-48 study travel
The Senate committee studying the Liberals’ proposed oil tanker ban for northern British Columbia waters has reversed course, and will now travel to Prairie provinces as part of its work. The Transport and Communications Committee, which is studying Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, was already approved to spend up to $136,640 for its […]
How to get more women in top diplomatic posts? Show them what it’s like
The French writer Stendhal once said: “A vocation is having one’s passion as a profession.” Since joining France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, I have not once regretted choosing this enriching and stimulating profession, with its daily dose of challenges and victories in an increasingly complicated international context. I can therefore say that being […]
A Congestion Relief Fund is the best way to keep Canada’s big cities moving
Metro Vancouver consistently ranks as one of the best regions in the world for quality of life. But anyone who tries to get around the region knows that it is still suffering from a bad case of congestion. Our residents experience this congestion every day. It’s the overcrowding on our transit system. It’s the bottlenecks […]
‘We don’t know why it’s taken so long’: critics question the wait on federal-provincial housing agreements
Housing critics are questioning why the government is taking so long to finalize the cost-sharing housing agreements with provinces, since it’s been more than a year since the unveiling of the Liberals’ National Housing Strategy. But many of the accords are on the cusp of an announcement, says Liberal MP Adam Vaughan (Spadina–Fort York, Ont.), […]
With its track record, NATO’s 70th anniversary should be a muted celebration
OTTAWA—This past week there was much back-patting and harrumphs of self-congratulation from the self-appointed cheerleaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The reason for this latest round of celebration is that the venerable old military alliance turned 70 on April 4. On that date in 1949, Canada along with the 11 other original members, […]
Northern MPs call climate change report an ‘eye opener,’ say it should ‘sound the alarm’ for change
Northern MPs say a “chilling” report helps show southern Canadians the degree their constituents are feeling the effects of climate change and its threat to food security, movement, and ways of life. The Environment and Climate Change Canada report found Canada is warming at twice the global rate. Like many MPs representing regions disproportionately affected […]
