How to turn a good idea into a big mess
It’s tax season. Suppose the Canada Revenue Agency owed you $2,000 but instead of giving you the money, it offered you 20 gift certificates that it chose without consulting you: $50 for chicken, $80 for books, $100 in bus tickets, and so on. Don’t need chicken? Too bad! The gift certificates are not transferable. That’s […]
Liberals name ‘totally independent’ corporate watchdog, but aren’t ready—yet—to give promised powers to compel testimony
Trade Minister Jim Carr unveiled the government’s choice on Monday to fill the corporate-ethics watchdog job announced more than a year ago, but the details of how independent and powerful the new Corporate Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise were left up in the air, drawing fierce criticism from a human-rights advocacy network closely following the file. […]
Clean fuel standard will lead to a tug-of-war between economy and environment
In 2015, a fresh government came into office with the mindset that the environment and the economy go hand-in-hand—that one cannot thrive without the other. Just as Parliament entered its final stretch ahead of the 2019 federal election, the government’s federal carbon price came into effect as its preferred mechanism to reduce emissions. Existing provincial […]
Feds get skills training right in budget
You don’t need to be an Uber driver or drone operator to see how technology is impacting professional life. New tools and techniques are changing what we do and how we do it. We’re already seeing how machine learning and artificial intelligence affect nearly all aspects of how we do our jobs, from the security […]
Feds fund group promoting campaign they condemn
JERUSALEM—When the Liberal government came to office, there was excitement over how both domestic and foreign policy would take on a more feminist approach. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau created a gender-balanced cabinet at home, while the government established its Feminist International Assistance Policy for work abroad. Among its goals, the policy seeks to enhance “peace […]
Omar Khadr case a reminder that life isn’t always fair, or equitable
OTTAWA—On March 25, an Alberta judge ruled that convicted war criminal Omar Khadr has completed his eight-year sentence. The final four years of Khadr’s sentence were served on conditional release in Edmonton. When Chief Justice Mary Moreau of the Court of Queen’s Bench gave her ruling, which pronounced Khadr’s punishment completed, she ignited the powder […]
American exceptionalism: applying a 19th-century belief to the 21st century
Last week, I was in California, a state I had never visited. The trip was a respite from the long Ottawa winter. And while San Francisco was a bit chilly, the choice to go there over a much warmer Florida was simple: California is a state held by the Democratic Party. Travelling to the site […]
Feds reject House committee advice to review no-ransom rule for kidnappings abroad
The government’s response to calls for consular-service reform is being panned by critics as a “middle of the road,” “status quo” approach that skirts two fundamental problems in the current system. Critics say the current rules leave Canadians open to discrimination in terms of the support they get from their government abroad, and keep families […]
Canada collects $1-billion in retaliatory tariffs as trade dispute drags on
Canada collected more than $1-billion in tariffs on U.S. imports in the first eight months after the government imposed countermeasures in response to American tariffs on steel and aluminum, but actual financial relief is slow to get to producers, say experts. Surtax revenues on more than 200 products totalled $1.04-billion between July 2018 and Feb. […]
Senate committees studying oil tanker ban, impact assessment bills won’t travel to key areas, members say
The Senate has approved more than $600,000 for a pair of committees to travel as part of their study of controversial government bills that affect the resource development industries, but some Senators say they’re not happy with the travel itinerary. The Transport and Communications Committee, which is studying Bill C-48, the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, […]
