Senators work to change Ambrose’s judicial training bill, get it passed before summer break
With a private member’s bill that would improve judicial training on sexual assault stalled in the Upper Chamber, some Senators say they’re willing to sit the few extra hours needed to get the “important” bill through before Parliament rises, but it’s not clear enough Senators agree. The committee tasked with studying the bill has two […]
Indigenous conservation offers model for international leadership
HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, N.L.—Indigenous leaders have an important message of hope to share at an international summit being hosted by Environment Minister Catherine McKenna this week in Montreal. From coast to coast to coast, a movement is growing on the land that is establishing Indigenous leadership on conservation. We see it in the scores of […]
Canada needs to raise potential growth rate of economy
TORONTO—Looking for a future in which Canada can generate the wealth it needs to sustain and improve living standards for the young, support an aging population, and make the investments for a stronger, more innovative and low-carbon economy means our No. 1 economic policy challenge must be to raise the potential growth rate of the […]
Could all the parties just cool the rhetoric on racism and immigration?
OTTAWA—White supremacists. Islamophobia. Systemic racism. Racialized people. Irregular entrants. These are hot words on Parliament Hill these days. These are all terms that identify problems facing Canadian social cohesion and are often discussed without a common understanding. Discussion around race and racism are delicate at the best of times, but when they get hotter and […]
Budget misses the mark on international development
On March 19, Finance Minister Bill Morneau released his government’s fourth federal budget. In an election year, it sought to reach potential voters on what matters to them: millennials with support for home ownership, parents with child-care subsidies, seniors with pensions, and workers with skills training. It also used spending and incentives to signal a […]
Brexit toxicity spreads to Europe
OTTAWA—It didn’t take long for the black humour to pour out across Europe once it was revealed that the latest delay in British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit endeavour would have the United Kingdom leaving the European Union on Oct. 31. “It’s a Halloween Brexit,” blared the Netherlands’ NRC Handelsblad. The night of “the Anglo-Saxon festival of […]
Time for Ontario lawyers to scrap rule that violates their freedom of expression
Beginning in mid-April, Ontario lawyers have started voting to elect their representative leaders (called “benchers”) and have a chance to revisit a strange new rule that binds all of the more than 58,000 lawyers and paralegals of the Law Society of Ontario, whether working or retired. Under this new mandatory “statement of principles” (SOP), lawyers […]
Beards and bare legs: This is no longer your grandfather’s military
OTTAWA—In an attempt to boost recruitment and to shore up retention, the Canadian Armed Forces have recently made changes to regulations regarding the dress and deportment of uniformed personnel. First, the military allowed male service members to grow beards. Previously it was only sailors on shore duties and personnel in the pioneer section in infantry […]
Diving into uncertainty: Canada’s submarine crisis
The Canadian government recently announced plans to rehabilitate its aging fleet of Victoria-class diesel-electric submarines it acquired from Britain in the late 1990s. This endeavour raises critical questions about the future capabilities of the Royal Canadian Navy in an increasingly complex area of naval operations. Officially known in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) by their […]
The North needs more infrastructure to unlock its wealth potential
Few industries come to mind that have a stronger connection and reliance on infrastructure than the mining sector. Frequently situated in remote and northern regions, mines are often located in areas without any roads, telecommunications services, or easily accessible transportation, all essential to getting goods to market. Nowhere is Canada’s infrastructure deficit more acute than […]
