The fight about academic freedom in Canada is whitewashed
OTTAWA—Quebec Premier François Legault used social media on Facebook last week to share his belief that “a handful of radical activists who are trying to censor certain words and works” are the problem, in reference to the recent use of the N-word by university professors in Ottawa and Montreal and those tyrannical students. It’s ironic when […]
Get on with it: Senate cuts a year off feds’ deadline for new oil rig regs
The Senate has chopped in half an extension the government proposed to give itself for making permanent health and safety regulations for offshore oil and gas platforms. Senators and oil industry executives have expressed concern about the government’s failure to meet its latest deadline to enact those regulations. Senators from multiple groups in the Upper […]
N.L. election chaos a case study in COVID campaigning
OTTAWA—Even for Newfoundland and Labrador, a place with a colourful and controversial political history, the latest electoral plot twist enters Twilight Zone levels. You see, by now, the provincial election was supposed to be done, and the winner, likely incumbent Premier Dr. Andrew Furey, was going to go about the mundane business of governing. But […]
Dedicated B.C. regional development agency to bring bigger focus to tech sector, innovation: MPs and stakeholders
Parliamentarians and stakeholders from British Columbia are welcoming the government’s efforts to establish a new regional development agency for the Pacific province, saying it represents a shift from viewing the West as a “monolith,” will benefit the province’s flourishing tech sector, and will help spur innovation in more traditional resource-based industries. “The tech sector has […]
The latest case of police racism is yet another travesty of justice
MONTREAL—Montreal is a great place to live. Unless you are a person of colour. Mamadi Fara Camara, a 31-year-old PhD student and instructor from Guinea, found this out on the evening of Jan. 28. He had been stopped by Montreal police for using a cellphone while driving, an offence he says he did not commit. […]
Rick Hillier’s double duty doesn’t pass the smell test
OTTAWA—From the outset, I wish to state that I have the utmost respect and admiration for retired General Rick Hillier. He is a natural leader; a charismatic public speaker and he earned the loyalty of those troops which he commanded. Hillier parlayed those attributes into a stellar military career, which culminated with him serving as […]
‘Dumbest thing I’ve seen’: Miller slams wealthy couple who flew to Yukon to skip vaccine queue
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller condemned the decision of a wealthy Vancouver couple who chartered a plane to Beaver Creek, Yukon, in January to get the Moderna vaccine, saying it left him “disgusted.” Mr. Miller (Ville-Marie-Le Sud-Ouest-Île-des-Sœurs, Que.), who spoke to reporters in a press conference Wednesday morning, said it was “idiotic” of them to […]
Carr’s cabinet post praised by Prairie stakeholders, but experts and MP wary of road ahead
After recovering from a blood cancer diagnosis that forced him out of cabinet after the 2019 election, Jim Carr is back in the new post as the special representative to the Prairies. The title is old—Mr. Carr has held it since the election—but the spot in cabinet is new. Prior to re-joining cabinet, Mr. Carr was […]
Consequential election on the Rock worth watching
OTTAWA—Canada is now in the midst of its fourth pandemic election. Following the lead of New Brunswick, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador voters will head to the polls on Saturday, Feb. 13. Newly minted Liberal Premier Dr. Andrew Furey, son of Senate Speaker George Furey, was required by provincial law to call an […]
Bill 101 applying federally? Time for some constitutional common sense
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—I miss Eugene Forsey. The late, great former senator was a source of incredible insight into the Constitution. And he was always accessible: as a political assistant or journalist, if I had a question on constitutional law, I would phone him up and he would settle things with a succinct answer. He was a […]
