Letting watchdogs be reappointed is not a good idea, for anyone
FREDERICTON, N.B.—At its highest water mark, opposition critics were not prepared to ask the federal Parliament’s ethics commissioner to recuse herself from investigating the prime minister while her future status was uncertain. But it caused one critic to muse that the situation was “awkward.” With the announcement that she will not seek another term, Conflict of […]
What an oil spill would mean to the West Coast
To my fellow Canadians, I would like to share with you what our pristine West Coast means to so many of us in British Columbia. We love our majestic and iconic orca and humpback whales. Our cherished Southern Resident Killer Whales risk extinction now with the nearly seven-fold increase in oil tanker traffic coming from […]
‘We’ve got to have Plan B’: New Brunswick MPs weather the ice storm
Waking up to a world covered in ice, New Brunswick’s MPs spent the last days of their winter break scrambling to help constituents left in the cold by a storm that knocked out power lines across the province. Without a formal role in the disaster relief effort led by the province, the MPs toured warming […]
Alberta’s carbon tax is supposed to cost more
There’s been a lot of criticism in the news lately about Alberta’s new carbon tax. Most of the criticism seems to be based on the fact that it will cost some people and businesses more money. These critics have missed the entire point. It is supposed to cost more. Without a carbon tax, pollution, and, […]
Language politics return to Canada
OTTAWA—The politics of language and the language of politics are as Canadian as hockey. Last week, the Liberals and Conservatives were both facing heat on Quebec’s hot-button language issue. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in trouble for speaking too much French, and Conservative candidate Kevin O’Leary for not speaking enough. Both were defending their […]
Tax hikes hobble young people’s job prospects
Canada’s youth are facing an employment crisis. In December there were 40,000 fewer youth jobs than the year before. That’s a three per cent decrease! Most worrisome is that youth have been relegated by the finance minister to a career of insecure part-time and contract work, unable to make a proper life for themselves because […]
No northerners in cabinet, no problem for veteran Yukon MP
Liberal MP Larry Bagnell was once invited to speak at a high school graduation in his riding, as most MPs are. However, for most MPs the journey to a high school in their riding would not consist of flying in a small plane, being grounded due to fog, and hitchhiking the rest of the way […]
Hot issues to watch in 2017
A highly anticipated federal budget. The legalization of recreational marijuana. Lingering debate over electoral reform. A controversial new American president. The end of several major reviews and consultations, including on defence policy and foreign aid. The year of the 150th anniversary of Confederation is expected to produce some tantalizing political story lines in Ottawa and across Canada. […]
Trans Mountain expansion approval already a big political mess
The Big Lebowski, one of the funniest movies ever made, begins with two hired goons threatening and demanding money from “the Dude,” Jeffrey Lebowski. When the goons realize they have the wrong Jeffrey Lebowski, they leave, but not before one of them urinates on the Dude’s rug. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Natural Resources Minister […]
Electoral reform will not happen in this Parliament
OTTAWA—I took the MyDemocracy.ca voting test and discovered what I already knew. According to the online government survey, managed by Vox Pop, I am a pragmatist. The pragmatist in me says electoral reform is dead. Its public interment by the minister responsible for democratic reform was not a pretty sight. Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef […]
