Rachel Notley getting the knives out, cutting the ties that bind Alberta NDP to Trudeau Liberals
Rachel Notley went on a good old-fashioned federal government bashing tour of Ottawa and Toronto last week. The premier—a sometimes ally of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau—has figured that given the state of the oil industry in Alberta coupled with a provincial election in the spring, it is time to take the gloves off. Frankly, what […]
Parliamentarians form feminist association, say getting recognized ‘won’t be easy’
Less than a year ago the Canadian Association of Feminist Parliamentarians “was a germ of an idea” and last week after a soft launch, it doubled its numbers to reach the 50 members needed to form. But its founders say they know getting parliamentary approval—and funding—“may not go smoothly.” Only 13 groups receive an annual […]
Liberal fortunes on the hook if Trump follows through on tough talk to scrap former NAFTA deal
OTTAWA—It’s pretty clear that Donald Trump doesn’t like rubbing shoulders with other world leaders, many of whom probably don’t go out of their way to hide their distaste for the U.S. president. As soon as he climbs back on Air Force One after these events, he lashes out in a way that is certain to […]
Feds’ opening offer in contract talks an ‘insult,’ would put 90,000 bureaucrats in a virtual wage freeze: PSAC
The government’s initial offer to four of the core public service groups currently negotiating new contracts is an “insult” that would put them in a virtual two-year wage freeze, says Public Service Alliance of Canada national president Chris Aylward. PSAC has asked for a 3.75 per cent raise, and while the 0.75 per cent economic increase […]
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 […]
‘Resigning’ Liberal MPs not entitled to prolonged goodbye and good pay
When former Chrétien-era cabinet minister David Dingwall uttered the now-infamous phrase “I’m entitled to my entitlements” at a House committee appearance in 2005 probing his expenses as head of the Royal Canadian Mint, he couldn’t have known it was going to be used to tar members of his party for decades to follow. “These guys […]
Federal departments miss quarter of annual targets: results report
About 24 per cent of government programs tracked at the departmental level missed their performance targets in 2017-18, according to annual results reports released in November, up from about 16 per cent last year. Eleven departments or agencies missed more than 40 per cent of their targets, including Infrastructure Canada (72 per cent), the Royal […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
