Canadian actions in First World War weren’t always glorious
OTTAWA—We have just commemorated the 100th anniversary of the 1918 Armistice, which brought hostilities to an end on the Western Front of the conflict known as the First World War, the Great War, and, by those who fought and survived its horrors, the war to end all wars. With the passage of time, the horrors […]
Bill that could expand pool of organ donors receives all-party support, but risks failing to pass before election
A Conservative private member’s bill that would offer Canadians another way to sign up to become organ donors has received the support of all federal parties, although its sponsor is worried that it may not become law before Parliament is dissolved ahead of next year’s federal election. Bill C-316, An Act to amend the Canada […]
Why is Health Canada thwarting Parliament’s will?
The problem of regulators becoming captives of the regulated is not new. It’s the idea that a regulator is basically an instrument of the industry it’s meant to regulate. Former Alberta Liberal leader Kevin Taft wrote about it in his book Oil’s Deep State. I see it all around us—in the National Energy Board approach […]
Is there a conservative case against the carbon tax? Not really
Conservative politicians across Canada have strongly opposed the Trudeau government’s promise to impose a carbon tax since the idea was floated in 2015. Beginning with now former premier Brad Wall in Saskatchewan, opposition to the carbon tax is now a central commitment of conservative premiers Brian Pallister, Scott Moe, and Doug Ford, as well as […]
Strong Canadian agri-food sector more important than ever before
Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains convened a meeting with his provincial counterparts in Vancouver last month as a follow-up to a report from the Government’s Economic Strategy Tables. While the report covers six sectors of the Canadian economy, a cursory glance highlights that there may be no more important testimony to support the economic development of […]
We need a new kind of weather forecast
The tornadoes that recently hit the Ottawa area cannot be blamed specifically on global climate change. But they are consistent with the long-predicted pattern of increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events, highlighted in the most recent report of the International Panel on Climate Change. Unfortunately, too many Canadians still do not believe that human […]
Judge backs out of testifying in secret on access to information bill
A judge has backed out of testifying in secret in a meeting to discuss proposed changes to the Access to Information Act, following media reports that the rare closed-door testimony would take place. Liberal Senator Serge Joyal (Kennebec, Que.) told committee members at the start of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee on Nov. 8 […]
Why revamping Canada’s Food Guide is so crucial
It is difficult for most Canadians to eat healthy. The places where we live, work, and play surround us with the types of food that make for unbalanced, highly processed diets. Further aggravating Canadians’ efforts to eat well, the governmental approach to address this challenge has been to focus largely on educating people to eat […]
Inquiry needed to probe Canada’s role in Afghanistan war
OTTAWA—I have for some time been suggesting a full-scale parliamentary inquiry into how Canada got involved in the failed mission in Afghanistan. The British were brave enough to conduct such a reflective exercise on their joint venture, along with the United States, to invade Iraq and topple then-president Saddam Hussein in 2003. The British inquiry […]
Canada’s soils are in crisis
Healthy soil is the heart of our food system and, by every conceivable measure, we are making our soil sick. In Ontario, soil organic matter—a key determinant of soil health—is now decreasing on 82 per cent of farmland. Since 1948, the soil organic matter in Essex County, in the province’s far south, has declined by […]
