When it comes to Arctic resource development, Russia is on fire while Canada is cold as ice
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Canada and the Russian Federation have pursued different strategies for security and economic development in their respective circumpolar regions. These policies have resulted in very different northern strategic outcomes, with Canada at the short end of the stick. While Canada and its circumpolar neighbours have advanced their polar […]
Controversial pension changes ‘unlikely’ to proceed, say groups watching stalled bill
The pension bill that put Finance Minister Bill Morneau in the middle of an ethics probe is still languishing at second reading since being introduced in 2016, and one group says government officials have promised not to proceed. National Association of Federal Retirees executive director Jean-Guy Soulière said he continues to bring up its opposition […]
Complainant behind successful UN complaint about Indian Act expects decision to be brushed aside
Despite a United Nations decision backing her complaint that Canada’s Indian Act continues to discriminate against First Nations women, Sharon McIvor says she doesn’t expect the government to respect the six-month deadline the international body gave to fix it. On Jan. 14, the United Nations Human Rights Committee released a decision saying that Canada is […]
MPs concerned by Phoenix DM’s departure
Opposition Members of Parliament are raising accountability concerns about the impending shuffle of the deputy minister in charge of the problem-plagued Phoenix pay system to be head of the Royal Canadian Mint, saying the constant shuffle of senior bureaucrats is one of the issues highlighted in the auditor general’s report on the development of the pay […]
Bernier’s wrong: UN not a front for ‘world government’
OTTAWA—Maxime Bernier (or the person who writes his tweets) is at it again. The latest broadside by the People’s Party of Canada leader accuses the prime minister of supporting a “World Government” (through a proposed United Nations Parliamentary Assembly) and pressing for open borders in signing the UN Global Compact for Migration. The tweets were […]
Libyan strife shows media have failed in duty to question authority
On Jan. 18, there was news out of Libya that a top leader in the Islamic Maghreb had been killed in a military operation near the southern city of Sabha. Known as Abu Talha al-Libi, this senior al-Qaeda terrorist was allegedly killed in a raid mounted by troops loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar. Haftar […]
Senate lobbying up 12 per cent in 2018, Sens. Grant Mitchell, Terry Mercer lobbied most
Lobbying of Canada’s Upper Chamber climbed 12 per cent in 2018, stretching past 2017’s already unprecedented figures. Last year, lobbyists logged 1,407 communications with the Senate, up 12.5 per cent from the 1,250 posted in 2017 and more than doubling 2016 numbers, according to monthly reports from the federal registry. It follows the trend set […]
‘High-level’ migration discussions ongoing between Canada, Nigeria: envoy
The Nigerian high commissioner to Canada’s first full year on the job had him helping address a spike in asylum seekers that “alarmed both countries,” and while numbers have stabilized, he says there’s more to be done to encourage migration through the regular channels. High Commissioner Adeyinka Asekun said the governments are still in the midst […]
Public safety is no accident
The next time you fly, consider two things: the greenhouse gas emissions created by air travel and whether you will land safely. Then think about who should be the primary regulator of air travel—is it the minister of the environment or transport? Canada has an outstanding safety record, not only for air travel but also […]
Defence procurement and the need for a defence industrial strategy
In the spring of 2008 the International Journal published an article entitled “Canada Needs a Defence Industrial Policy.” One of the issues raised in the introduction to that article was the controversy around the government’s plan to invest significant resources on military equipment, predominantly using sole-source contracts with opposition parties arguing for a competitive process […]
