Senators crack down on ‘culture of delay’ in access-to-information regime
Senators say they are trying to tackle the “endemic” culture of delay in the federal access-to-information regime as they propose changes to a bill meant to overhaul the system, C-58. But the Upper Chamber’s sponsor of the government legislation says “delay tactics” are at play as the committee studying the bill gears up for its […]
Time to implement Canada’s resettlement policies for Central Americans fleeing violence
I recently returned from a humanitarian mission in Venezuela. I witnessed an entire people’s survival being instrumentalized for political aims. Food and medicine have become luxuries and people dream of safe refuge. One in 10 Venezuelans has been forced to flee since 2015. Out of necessity. Not out of choice. The situation in Venezuela is […]
A call for coherence on official languages
The federal government is at a crossroads in its championing of language rights. On the one hand, it is resolutely moving towards a full modernization of the Official Languages Act. This law, which is meant to serve not just as a lifeline for official language communities but as a driver of their vitality, is failing. […]
Feds’ housing pitch beckons millennials, sets stage for opposition to offer alternatives, say strategists
The Trudeau government’s transparent pitch at drawing millennials to the ballot box with its incentive for first-time homeowners may help animate this fickle demographic amid an erosion of enthusiasm for the party, say some political strategists, while also setting the stage for other parties to offer competing visions. Largely billed as a salve for the […]
Pharmacare steps in budget ‘waste of money,’ ‘meaningless’ if they don’t cover all Canadians: academics
The Liberal plan outlined in this year’s budget to launch a new drug agency amounts to another delay on pharmacare, according to NDP health critic Don Davies, while others say it represents a small first step forward. The budget set aside $35-million over four years, starting in 2019–20, to establish a “transition office” to create […]
German envoy warns xenophobia, mounting anxiety threaten world order
Multilateralism is under threat in the face of rising populism and the absence of U.S. leadership, but countries are “ill-equipped” to fill the gap, says the German ambassador to Canada. Co-operation with the European Union has been essential for Germany’s progress as a country “traumatized by two catastrophic world wars” and its part in it, […]
Let’s ditch the silos: towards an integrated agri-food policy framework
The Canadian government has identified the agriculture and agri-food sector as an engine of growth, with some pretty ambitious targets over the next decade. The 2017 Barton Report by the government’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth proposed that Canada should boost its agriculture exports by $11-billion and its agri-food exports by $19-billion by 2027. The […]
‘Made in Canada’ should be a source of pride
They say timing is everything in politics, and more than likely in journalism as well. The recent confluence of events in Ottawa and abroad was striking: while Parliamentarians on Parliament Hill and Canadians debated the merits of SNC-Lavalin benefiting from a deferred prosecution agreement, or DPA, a few blocks away at Ottawa City Hall, a […]
A circular bioeconomy for Canada’s forests
The global bioeconomy—a global marketplace that includes material, chemical, and fuel products—is projected to reach $715-billion by 2021, and could be less than $1-trillion by 2030. This is partly driven by public policies such as carbon pricing, and partly by global entities, such as IKEA and Lego, which have committed to eliminating petrochemical feedstocks from […]
Growing movement of investors, impact investors taking environmental, social, and governance factors into investment decision-making
When thinking about a sustainability, it is essential to look at the underlying infrastructure on which our economy depends. Roads, buildings, energy grids, sewers, airports, telecommunications are all vital components of a sustainable economy going forward. Yet everywhere our infrastructure is crumbling. It has been estimated that $94-trillion will be needed in infrastructure investment by […]
