Lessons from the Doug Ford School of Public Administration
OTTAWA—School is out at Queen’s Park, but here are the lessons for the next semester based on the first year of Premier Doug Ford’s government in Ontario: Talk about helping “the people” while you slash programs that many need: Roll back promised funding increases for rape crisis centres, cut legal aid by 30 per cent, […]
International interest in the Arctic continues to heat up, is Canada ready?
The Arctic has always been an important symbol for Canada, a geographic statement of our place and status in the world as a northern power. Unfortunately, Canada’s interest in and attention to the Arctic has often been just symbolic. Generations of Canadians and their governments have grown used to thinking of the Arctic as “up […]
Inuit Nunangat policy space would be a sign of genuine reconciliation
All perspective is relative, including what is North. “The North” means different things to different people in different contexts; Thunder Bay, Churchill and Grise Fjord are all “northern” from various policy perspectives, but have very different and distinct needs. “The North” as a policy space within the Canadian context is a notional concept without a […]
Feds on an ‘island of delusion’ concerning energy development in the Arctic: expert
In a report addressing Canada’s involvement in the Arctic, CEO and chair of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Duane Smith described energy insecurity for remote communities in the North as “a cycle of pollution and poverty.” Inuvialuit, a region in the western Arctic, suffers from extremely high costs of living due to the price of energy, […]
Liberal action absent North of the 60th
There were two problems with Justin Trudeau’s recent apology to the Inuit for the federal government’s treatment of tuberculosis patients. Firstly, it left the Dene and others who suffered under similar policies feeling forgotten again. An apology should do no further harm. Secondly, like so much this government does, the apology was a symbolic gesture […]
Kenney should stick to campaigning against carbon tax and pipelines, or else run federally: Conservative MP Tilson
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s plan to help the federal Conservatives defeat Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in the upcoming election campaign should be limited to issues of “common interest,” including the carbon tax and pipelines, and if the Alberta premier wants to campaign on other issues, he should run for federal office, says a veteran […]
Bill C-69 can’t fix what’s really plaguing pipelines
At the end of May, the Senate accepted a committee report with an enormous package of amendments to Bill C-69, which seeks to reform how major energy projects, including pipelines, are regulated. The bill is one of the most contentious, well-studied, and well-lobbied pieces of legislation in recent memory. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney—echoing industry concerns—has […]
Environmental groups urging government to add plastics to toxic substances list
As domestic and international opposition to plastics and plastic pollution increases, some advocates are urging the federal government to take a tougher approach to regulation. While some municipalities and provinces are already pushing forward with initiatives such as banning plastic shopping bags, the Liberals could go even further by naming certain types of single-use plastics […]
Liberals to move ‘quickly’ after Alberta chops carbon pricing, says McKenna
As Alberta’s carbon tax is on the chopping block, Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna wouldn’t provide a specific timeline for implementing the federal backstop in Alberta, but said the government will “move as quickly as possible” and that she’ll have “more to say in the coming weeks.” Alberta’s new United Conservative government ended […]
‘The model doesn’t make any sense’: Senators, Inuit orgs call for Nutrition North transformation
A federal program that subsidizes the cost of sending perishable food to remote communities has a “model that doesn’t make any sense” for northerners, according to Senators who live in the territories and the organizations that represent their communities. Following a new study that questioned the effectiveness in the program in Nunavut, some hope that […]
