Trudeau in the ‘penalty box,’ Conservatives top Liberals, poll suggests
The Liberals have fallen slightly behind the Conservatives, with 34 per cent of Canadians saying they would vote for the party, compared to 36 per cent who say they would vote for the Conservatives, though many still largely prefer Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to the opposition leaders, according to a new Campaign Research poll. “They’re placing him […]
How Canadians can mark Indigenous History Month
This month marks Indigenous History Month, with National Indigenous Peoples Day being celebrated here in Canada on June 21. It is also a particularly special as this year is the 10th anniversary of the federal government’s residential-schools apology. It is an opportune time to reflect on everything that Indigenous peoples have contributed to our country and […]
Canada’s approach to Trump administration in 2018 was ‘the right one,’ says Trudeau as summer break begins
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reaffirmed his belief in the way his government has handled relations with an increasingly hostile U.S. President Donald Trump, telling reporters this afternoon that, despite new tariffs on Canadian metals and the president’s Twitter attacks against him, Ottawa’s approach to engagement with Washington is the “right one.” “We’ve established the ability […]
Clock is ticking on government’s relationship with Indigenous communities
Kayla Bernard grew up with no doctors in her community. Her school lacked qualified teachers. Drinking water was a luxury. The 22-year-old First Nations woman from Halifax told senators earlier this month what reconciliation means to her. “Reconciliation is a word that is thrown around a lot in Canada, especially by Canadian leaders,” she said. […]
Phoenix: just another symptom of centralization of power in Ottawa
The recent scathing indictment (“incomprehensible failure”) of the Phoenix pay system by the auditor general, Michael Ferguson, was heartwarming for me and others who have been “Phoenixed.” I was a victim of the Phoenix pay system in 2017. I reimbursed the government for more than $19,000 Phoenix overpaid me. Now I have joined the ranks […]
Extreme partisanship to blame for sustained spike in time allocation, ex-MPs say
The Liberal government’s increasing use of time allocation to shorten debate, combined with opposition parties’ procedural tactics to eat up time reveals a broken relationship between House leaders, say some of their predecessors, who described a more collegial atmosphere in their day. As of June 18 the Liberal government has used time allocation at least […]
Canada seen to ‘dial back’ UN Security Council bid, say insiders, all ‘rhetoric,’ no action
Canada is behind on its bid to win a United Nations Security Council seat, say former diplomats and foreign affairs officials, which they suggest shows a lack of political will to backstop a Liberal promise that has now become a low priority. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) announced in the spring of 2016 Canada […]
Unions swamped by Phoenix; hiring staff to keep afloat
Several public sector unions say they’re struggling to deal with the fallout of the Phoenix pay system, needing to bring on more staff to help manage the workload brought on by their members having pay issues for more than two years. Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) national president Chris Aylward said in an emailed […]
Military supply shortage is embarrassing, but nothing new
OTTAWA—In the past few weeks, one of the news stories buzzing about in Canadian defence circles has been the official plea for soldiers to turn in their spare gear. It turns out that the Canadian Army has a chronic shortage of rucksacks and sleeping bags. Any soldier who has more than one of these items […]
The beautifully subversive politics of Anthony Bourdain
While he avoided expressing partisan views in his shows, Anthony Bourdain was political in a way that didn’t feel as political a decade ago. The fact that, by the time of his recent death, his cultural output felt courageously political says more about the degradation of politics than about the evolution of Bourdain’s character. Bourdain […]
