Let’s take a Twitter vacation, seriously
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Desperate times, they say, call for desperate measures. So with that in mind, I’ve come up with a desperate proposal: just for the summer, let’s all of us delete the social media apps currently populating our phones and computers. What I’m saying is, let’s quit Facebook and Twitter and YouTube, cold turkey-style. Okay, I […]
Harper’s speech at Iran dissident event in Paris lends group undeserved legitimacy, says former DND analyst
Former prime minister Stephen Harper’s decision to deliver a speech at an event in Paris hosted by a controversial group that Canada once listed as a terrorist organization gives it “a lot of weight,” which it “doesn’t deserve,” says an Iran expert. Last weekend, Mr. Harper and John Baird, the former foreign affairs minister, spoke […]
Ford government’s move to withdraw support for resettlement of asylum seekers ‘short-sighted,’ says Vaughan
The Ford government’s decision to halt its co-operation with Ottawa on the resettlement of asylum seekers could throw a wrench in the plan to establish an information-sharing system between the province and the federal government that seeks to alleviate pressures on social services. Calling the influx of migrants entering Canada a “mess” that Ottawa is […]
America’s trade war with China: a losing battle
The U.S. could probably extract major concessions from China in a carefully managed confrontation on trading issues, because the Chinese don’t want a trade war with their best export customer. But the U.S. can’t win the trade war that U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to wage, and it kicks off on Friday. That’s when […]
PS unions target Phoenix as next round of bargaining heats up
The Phoenix pay system is at the forefront of the minds of Public Service Alliance of Canada representatives as they ramp up the latest round of contract negotiations with the government, tabling four main demands so far related to the two-year-old payroll disaster. PSAC, which represents about 140,000 federal workers and is the largest public […]
Time for Trudeau to tell it like it is to Ukraine’s Poroshenko
OTTAWA—On July 11, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will head to the NATO leaders’ summit in Brussels, and it seems like his single point of concern to raise with his fellow leaders will be that of continued support for Ukraine. There is nothing new in this approach, as Canada has long been on the “Russia bad, […]
Senate administration’s efforts on diversity should be applauded
The Senate has come a long way since the early 2000s. Back then, Conservative Senator Donald Oliver charged that the Senate’s administration—and the public service, in general—was rife with systemic racism. “The Senate’s lack of diversity is so glaring and so problematic to the future of our institution that it heightens the desire of many […]
Revenge of the Harperites
OTTAWA—By now, it’s easy to have forgotten that day in 2011 when Stephen Harper, fresh from winning a majority Conservative government, showed up as the surprise guest at a 700-person barbecue in the backyard of the Ford family home in Toronto. “He’s my new fishing partner,” the late Rob Ford told the enthusiastic crowd at […]
Happy Fourth of July, America! We’re in this hostage drama together
Dear America, Happy Fourth of July! I just want to start by apologizing for all those passive aggressive #CanadaDay tweets implying that being Canadian is better this year because we’re not being held hostage by a madman. First of all, that sort of unseemly schadenfreude goes against everything Canada represents, including neighbourliness, compassion, and the […]
Improve, then use, name-blind recruitment to boost Senate staff diversity: committee
A name-blind recruitment project could help improve Senate staff diversity, but only if done properly, according to the head of a Senate group studying employment equity in the Upper Chamber’s administration. In a report tabled June 21 with the Senate’s Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration Committee—a powerful group of Senators that handles the Chamber’s legal […]
