Public service staffing survey results show management ‘out of touch,’ says NDP MP Daniel Blaikie
The most recent Public Service Staffing and Non-Partisanship survey shows some big disparities in the perception of merit in public service hiring practices between managers and employees, with only about half of employees believing their peers are competent. While about 92 per cent of managers said those hired met performance expectations and were a good […]
First Man and the power of perspective
There’s a moment in the new Damien Chazelle film First Man when what happens in the theatre is nearly as interesting as what’s unfolding on screen. The movie is about Neil Armstrong being the first man to set foot on the moon. The key scene is that actual point of contact—Ryan Gosling as Armstrong gingerly making […]
How to get skeptical Canadians to support a carbon tax
OTTAWA—It was an unseasonably warm few days in Ottawa last week. Coming on the heels of hurricanes in Florida, the tornadoes that devastated the National Capital Region a few weeks ago, wildfires in British Columbia, and an early snowfall in Calgary, the warnings of the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) seemed particularly pertinent. If […]
Cannabis confusion ‘nature of the beast’ as 95-year ban ends, but it’s ‘time to pull the trigger,’ say experts, politicos
Confusion over cannabis rules are to be expected as 95 years of prohibition ends but it’s also “time to pull the trigger,” say industry observers and political players who are divided on whether the federal Liberals have done enough to communicate those changes to get consumers and industry ready as legalization rolls out across the […]
Political staffers have it tough. I know. I employ them
PARLIAMENT HILL—It wouldn’t be right to conclude this series of op-eds on mental health on Parliament Hill—particularly an entry focusing on staff—without amplifying the voice of another insightful spokesperson on mental health, Paul Wernick, a former parliamentary staffer who has brought the workplace culture of Parliament Hill and its unique stresses and mental health challenges […]
There’s no real ammunition for Conservatives against pot legalization
OTTAWA—Thanks be to God marijuana is now legal, because it’s been getting pretty tiresome constantly talking about it. It almost makes you long for the day when Senate reform was the hot topic. Well, maybe not. For me, this isn’t a question of self-interest as a cannabis aficionado. The last time I smoked weed I […]
Yan Plante back among Conservative staff on the Hill
Yan Plante is back on Parliament Hill and has joined Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer as a special adviser in the official opposition leader’s office (OLO). A veteran Hill staffer, Mr. Plante previously worked under Stephen Harper’s Conservative government and his past roles include serving as a special assistant to then-labour minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn, and later […]
Politics This Morning: five new Senators to be sworn-in; 21-gun salute and two flypasts happening at 1 p.m. on the Hill; cabinet meets; GG to help mark 50th anniversary of Royal Canadian Logistics Service
Happy Tuesday! Ottawa residents should take note that a 21-gun salute and two flypasts over Parliament Hill are taking place today, beginning at 1 p.m., to mark the 50th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Logistics Service parade on the Hill. The 30th Field Artillery Regiment will be doing the 21-gun salute, using C3 Howitzers and […]
USMCA’s ‘China clause’ may force Canada to consider sectoral trade, but experts question if China would have any interest
With the completion of a new North American free trade pact, Canada’s trade aspirations are shifting to China, but a clause in the USMCA pact makes a China-Canada free trade deal nearly impossible, which may lead Canada to instead seek a sectoral trade agreement, though it’s unclear if China would be interested, say experts. China […]
The problem with appropriation of cultural appropriation
OTTAWA—Halloween used to be a children’s candy blowout that spanned a couple of days. Nowadays, festivities have become bigger than Christmas in some circles, with costume shops and lawn decorations popping up all over the place a month before the big event. It also generates more hype in the millennial adult population than among the […]
