In talks to address cuts to francophone services, feds should not be so quick to cast first stone
Doug Ford’s purposeful neglect of Ontario’s francophone minority has sparked howls of outrage, especially from Ottawa. Without question, Ford’s recent decisions—even if he has walked back from them a bit—to relegate the standing of Franco-Ontarians to little more than an expense Ontario can no longer afford should be condemned in strong terms. But federal politicians […]
French is an asset to Ontario, the bigots be damned
OTTAWA—It has been a long couple of weeks for Franco-Ontarians and their supporters. It began with the announcement by Premier Doug Ford that the French language services commissioner would be eliminated and plans for a French-language university would be scrapped, both as cost-saving measures. Considering the Ontario government inherited a deficit from the Wynne Liberals […]
Feds must halt Site C dam construction before Indigenous cultural sites lost forever
The Site C dam under construction in northern British Columbia is a completely unnecessary project that will overload the B.C. power grid, killing demand for less ecologically destructive and more socially just energy projects proposed by First Nations. Yet the B.C. government is going ahead anyway, despite the enormous significance of the Peace River valley, where […]
To save a buck, Ford triggers waves of indignation
Make no mistake. By putting Ontario’s francophone minority on his fiscal hit list this week, Premier Doug Ford has placed his federal ally Andrew Scheer in harm’s way. In Thursday’s fiscal update, Ontario’s Tory government put plans for a long-promised French-language university on the chopping block, in the process reversing Ford’s campaign commitment to the […]
Demand for action on climate change shatters Scheer’s hopes in Quebec
MONTREAL—Tens of thousands of Quebecers took to the streets on Nov. 10 to call for more decisive action on climate change. In Montreal alone, 50,000 took part in the demonstration. In the short space of a week, more than 150,000 signed a pledge that commits them to reduce their carbon footprints but also demands more […]
Bernier still looking for a vein to tap into
As he travels west in search of support for his breakaway conservative party, Maxime Bernier has taken to introducing himself as “the Albertan from Quebec.” Albertans will have to decide from themselves whether a leader who reflects their values would, among other things, have Canada turn its back on the global fight against climate change […]
Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador: neighbours that need to talk
OTTAWA—This month’s majority decision of the Supreme Court to reject Newfoundland and Labrador’s request to reopen the 1969 Churchill Falls power contract was not a surprise to anyone who has followed the case. With one exception (Newfoundland Justice Malcolm Rowe), the judges ruled there was no basis on which to reconsider the contract, which locked […]
In apologizing for turning away Jews fleeing Nazi persecution, Canada puts anti-Semites in a corner
This past weekend marked the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the night of the broken glass. It was the night when Germany’s prevailing anti-Semitism exploded in unprecedented violence across the land. Synagogues were destroyed and burned down, Jewish people were attacked on the street and in their homes, and Germany was firmly ensconced in a movement—an […]
Canada’s soils are in crisis
Healthy soil is the heart of our food system and, by every conceivable measure, we are making our soil sick. In Ontario, soil organic matter—a key determinant of soil health—is now decreasing on 82 per cent of farmland. Since 1948, the soil organic matter in Essex County, in the province’s far south, has declined by […]
Clean electricity crucial for Northwest Territories
In last year’s Hill Times special policy edition on the North, I stated I was eagerly awaiting news on Canada’s National Trade Corridor’s funding to begin to address our infrastructure gap, link our communities, and help bring down the cost of living and the cost of developing our resources and bringing them to market. I […]
