How Canada is building a nation of innovators
The winds of change are powerful and persistent in the global economy. New technologies and new applications of data and digital tools are driving a fourth industrial revolution in economies and societies around the world. We can either put our heads in the sand and lose our opportunity for leadership, or we can take charge […]
B.C. privacy czar calls out political parties; federal parties should heed that call too, say researchers
An investigation in British Columbia that found flaws in provincial political parties’ privacy practices creates one more pressure point to push for oversight federally where no protections for Canadian voters exist, data experts say. Released last week by B.C.’s privacy commissioner, the report found parties collected information on voters without consent, didn’t adequately train canvassers, […]
We’ve got all the ingredients to make Canada an innovation leader. So why aren’t we?
If a Canadian innovates but no users benefit, did the innovation ever really happen? This “tree falling in the woods” analogy focuses on an important question: if we cannot reliably generate social benefits and economic opportunities (jobs and wealth, in other words) from our exceptional research capacity, are we putting our future investments in discovery […]
For rural and remote communities, broadband access is not a game
Over the last decade, Canadians from coast to coast to coast have decried consecutive governments for not doing enough to support rural and remote broadband access. Canadians in these communities should have access to broadband supports—it’s 2019, after all. There are a whole host of reasons given that not every Canadian has access to affordable […]
Let’s fight for a doctor-assisted death law that reflects compassion and dignity, hallmarks of Sue Rodriguez’s life
VANCOUVER—“The court may have spoken, but I have the last word.” That was Sue Rodriguez’s defiant response to the heartbreakingly close 5-4 decision of the Supreme Court of Canada on Sept. 30, 1993, denying her request to have a doctor legally help her to end her life at the time of her choosing. Sue, a […]
Senate unlikely to vote on sweeping, controversial environmental assessment bill until May or June
Senators on the Environment Committee are roughly six weeks apart in talks to set an end date for their study on the government’s environmental assessment reform bill, C-69, which will likely bring it up for a final vote in the Upper Chamber in late May or June. The three groups represented on the committee are […]
Liberals eager to get Bill C-91 to committee, amid criticisms over lack of substance, definition
The government’s much-awaited Indigenous Languages Bill, C-91, is being called an important step forward, but has been met with mixed reactions, with strong criticisms coming from Inuit groups in particular. With just 12 sitting weeks left before Parliament rises, Government House Leader Bardish Chagger (Waterloo, Ont.) says she’s eager to see it get to committee […]
Aid: the face of Canada for many in the developing world
What is Canada’s face to the world—hockey? Tim Hortons? Mounties? It’s all those things. But for hundreds of millions of people in the developing world, it’s something far more significant—aid. For many in the world’s poorer countries, the face of Canada is life-saving food, medicine, health care, shelter after a disaster, clean water, education and […]
Canada’s economy needs workers with global learning experiences
In a column published recently in The Hill Times, Perrin Beatty and Paul Davidson argued that Canada has to up its game when it comes to connecting post-secondary students with international learning experiences. “In our rapidly changing world,” they wrote, “Canadian employers need workers who are culturally aware, resilient, and adaptable—skilled in problem solving, communication, […]
Slovakia’s deputy PM visits Canada, talks trade, digitization
Slovakia’s deputy prime minister, Peter Kazimir, met with Trade Minister Jim Carr last week, where they discussed free trade, fighting against protectionism in favour of multilateralism, as well as how to increase the quality of public institutions and use digitization to get there. Mr. Kazimir, Slovakia’s finance minister was in Ottawa Jan. 31 as part of an […]
