Canada is a target of Russia’s disinformation. Let’s be ready
On Jan. 15, CBC’s The National ran a story exposing Russia’s disinformation campaign targeting Canada and the Ukrainian-Canadian community. As Canada’s federal election draws nearer, I believe the Kremlin’s propaganda machine will increasingly target our country with anti-Canadian fabrications in an attempt to sow discord, conflict, and to undermine our democratic institutions. The CBC reported […]
How Trudeau needs to boost the economy, as it emerges as key election issue
OTTAWA—I remember sitting in London, U.K., in the summer of 2007 reading the first stories about the financial cliff the world was about to tumble over. I think the original articles had to do with an angry consumer vandalizing a car belonging to the head of a big Scottish bank. Most Western countries have long […]
In this parochial country, do we have what it takes to unite in a crisis?
OTTAWA—There are moments embedded in our minds as Canadians that we remember so vividly that we can say where we were, what we were doing, and who we were with when they occurred. One of those moments was the winning goal scored by Paul Henderson in the Canada-Soviet Union hockey series, in the eighth game […]
Meet the top-lobbied political gatekeepers in 2018
Canada’s most-lobbied political aide is Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains’ policy director, a man whose job, as one lobbyist put it, is basically to be lobbied. For the second year in a row, David McFarlane, like the minister he reports to, racked up the most communications reports of political staffers with lobbyists in 2018. Some 334 […]
Credible news sources the only way to defeat disinformation
OTTAWA—Last week, Canadian Brigadier-General Jay Janzen gave a presentation at Mount Royal University in Calgary wherein he exhorted all Canadians to be wary of Russia’s alleged disinformation campaign. Brig.-Gen. Janzen’s official title is the director general of military strategic communications, so it is safe to say the he is dutifully spouting the government line. According […]
CBD: Regulating this cannabis product as recreational is risky business
The two most well-known compounds in cannabis are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). THC is the compound that gets you high. CBD does not. We know that since medical access to cannabis was first introduced in 2001, Canadians have faced challenges finding health professionals who support their interest in medicinal cannabis. As a result, on […]
Innovation minister, Finance Committee chair, member top most-lobbied MPs of 2018
A committee chair, a minister, and a backbencher were 2018’s top-lobbied MPs, according to a Hill Times analysis that observers said made sense given the Parliamentarians’ close contact with budget planning and the Liberals’ much-touted innovation mandate. Chair of the House Finance Committee Wayne Easter notched 182 mentions in communications reports from registered lobbyists, followed […]
Honouring Jordan’s Principle means investing in First Nations children up front
This past weekend marks the third anniversary of the landmark ruling by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to end discrimination against First Nations children. We’ve made progress, but obstacles remain to achieving the support and care our children and families need and deserve. The recent announcement by the federal government and Indigenous leaders to co-develop legislation to fix the First […]
Pharmacare: the missing piece of Canada’s health-care system
Canadians take pride in their universal health-care system, and rightfully so. We provide health care based on people’s needs, and not on their ability to pay. That’s something to be proud of. But an important piece is currently missing from our health-care system: universal pharmacare. Canada is the only country in the world with a […]
‘Canadians need to be heard on this,’ feds’ sweeping environment bill to take centre stage in Senate, and beyond, as Parliament returns
Senators will get back to work on the government’s controversial and sweeping environmental assessment bill, C-69, next week, as members of the Senate Environment Committee meet to debate a Conservative proposal to hold public hearings on the bill across the country. Conservative Senators will use a Feb. 5 planning meeting to propose that the committee […]
