AI expected to allow bureaucrats to work smarter, not harder, in new digital age
The increasing use of artificial intelligence in the public service is likely to make bureaucrats’ jobs easier, rather than usurping them entirely, says Natalie McGee, the executive director of enterprise strategic planning at Treasury Board. For example, instead of someone calling into a Canada Revenue Agency call centre with questions about the government’s Climate Action […]
It’s report card time
After nearly four years of Liberal governance, it’s time for each minister’s end-of-term evaluation. As the NDP’s transport critic, I regret to say that Transport Minister Marc Garneau does not get a passing mark. Of course, some might think this grade is because I’m an NDP MP. That’s why my assessment is based on the […]
No one left behind: for universal internet access, federal government must do more
The federal government’s 2019 budget earmarked $1.7-billion for a lofty, and utterly vital, aim: universal access to high-speed internet. While the funding is a step in the right direction, many more steps are needed to ensure all Canadians have access to a basic service that’s fundamental to participating in nearly every facet of the modern world. From […]
From bullets to bytes: tackling Canada’s cyber defence challenge
George Orwell once said, “We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.” Sleeping safe now depends less on Orwell’s rough men and more on highly educated and specialized women and men peering into computer screens. These cyber warriors are […]
Indian Day School settlement: survivors’ perspectives
Just a little over 10 years ago, the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA) was implemented for Indian Residential School survivors. It was a meaningful attempt to compensate Residential School Survivors and to achieve reconciliation for harms and abuses that they suffered. We are survivors of Indigenous Day Schools in Canada—another program designed to “kill […]
Airline lobby appeals to feds for targeted incentives for sector as it fleshes out climate policy
As Ottawa prepares to roll out proposed regulations for its clean fuel standard, aviation stakeholders have been urging the government to adopt a policy carveout for the sector to create the necessary incentives to encourage uptake of biojet fuel. In the absence of an existing commercial market for biojet fuel, which makes renewable aviation fuel […]
Arriving at destination: regulatory modernization comes to Canada’s aviation sector
Important changes are coming to the economic and accessibility-related regulatory framework in which airlines in Canada operate, as three sets of regulations made by the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) near finalization. The most talked-about are the new Air Passenger Protection Regulations (APPR). The CTA received a mandate to make these regulations when the Transportation Modernization […]
Increased foreign ownership limits may not lead to cheaper airfares, experts say, but its worthwhile anyway
The increase of foreign ownership limits in Canadians airlines may not lead to more competition for commercial airliners and cheaper airfares for consumers, experts say, but added that there is no reason for the federal government not to increase the limit. Under the broad-reaching Bill C-49, formally called the Transportation Modernization Act, which received royal […]
Automation and safety in aircraft
MONTREAL—Aircraft are extremely complex and interconnected machines. The recent Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 accident and the fact that the airplane has a manoeuvring characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) coded in its software has raised public awareness about the relationship between automation and safety. It has also brought up some pressing questions: are aircraft with […]
Liberals’ infrastructure program disappointing for Canadians
Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government came to power in 2015 after promising massive changes to Canada’s infrastructure. “We will run modest short-term deficits of less than $10-billion in each of the next two fiscal years to fund historic investments in infrastructure and our middle class,” reads the Liberals’ 2015 election platform document. “After the […]
