‘Ambitious’ feminist aid targets potential victim of Liberal ‘gender washing,’ says report
A new report says Canadians should be skeptical if the Liberals meet their “highly ambitious” targets on increasing gender-focused international aid. It’s a concern echoed by opposition critics, who warn of the potential for the “feminist washing” of the country’s aid program. Canadian aid is “quite unfocused,” “spread too thin,” and vulnerable to the “danger […]
Canada’s agriculture system on the cusp of a circular revolution
The Canadian agri-food system is one of our best-kept secrets. It is one of our largest employers and is responsible for tens of billions of dollars in exports. It is an engine of economic growth and it means most Canadians spend only 10 per cent of their income on food. The food system also is […]
House committee report a good first step to improving help for Canadians in trouble overseas
On Nov. 21, a House committee released a wide-ranging report on the services the government provides Canadians when they are in difficulty in other countries. The report by the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development assessed existing policy and provided Canadians and Parliament with 15 recommendations on how these services should be improved. It […]
Liberal government unlikely to suspend Saudi arms deal as pressure to respond to Khashoggi killing grows elsewhere, experts say
The Liberal government is unlikely to suspend already-approved arms export permits to Saudi Arabia, despite ongoing international pressure on the country to end its brutal military intervention in Yemen and to own up to the October murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, experts say. Amid outrage over the desert kingdom’s actions in recent months, Canada announced […]
Committee calls for review of rules for kidnapped Canadians, while former diplomats say to make changes now
Former diplomats are calling for more direct action to improve the procedures triggered when a Canadian is kidnapped abroad, after a House committee’s recommendations for the government conduct a review. When a Canadian is kidnapped abroad, the fundamental government objective in finding a solution should be the safety and security of “each and every” Canadian, […]
Canadian science needs non-partisan alliances to weather political winds of change
Today, Canada’s scientific community and its supporting bureaucracies seem to feel the political sun is shining on them. But political seasons change. What happens if political clouds and cold winds return? For politicians, civil servants, and scientists who emerged from the recent Canadian Science Policy Conference (CSPC) held Nov. 7 to 9 in Ottawa, one […]
Liberals all talk, no action a year after LGBTQ apology, say critics, advocates
Advocates and opposition MPs describe the government’s work on the LGBTQ file as all words, no action since it formally apologized for the state-sanctioned purge of sexual minorities from Canada’s Armed Forces, the RCMP, and the bureaucracy more than a year ago. “There’s been a lot of nice words from the government, but in terms […]
Natural Resources Minister Sohi calls oil market access an ‘urgent priority’ as Indigenous consultations continue on Trans Mountain
Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi says the government is focused on “ensuring that every barrel of Alberta oil gets its full value.” In an email Q&A interview with The Hill Times, Mr. Sohi (Edmonton Mill Woods, Alta.) said “we need to look at how can we help today, how can we help next year, and what […]
Rethinking Canada’s approach to infrastructure approvals and trade
Canada’s current approach to national infrastructure is fragmented, subject to regulatory lag and legislative paralysis. Quite simply, it isn’t working and we are just starting to suffer the consequences. Consider two recent pipeline fiascos, Northern Gateway and Trans Mountain. In the case of Northern Gateway, after eight years of careful planning by Enbridge and another […]
We need an energy transition that doesn’t leave the workers behind
All leaders today must deal with a major economic reality: the urgency of shifting to a low-carbon future. The length of this policy column can hardly do justice to the range of what must done, but three items come to mind as priorities. Investing in Renewable Energy Production The No. 1 emitter of GHGs […]
