Making up for lost time in a brave new world
One of the peculiarities of living in the post-internet age is that we really don’t spend a lot of time talking about the peculiarities of living in the post-internet age. Nostalgia, like so many things, isn’t what it used to be. To dwell these days on the obliterated value of privacy or the manifold psychosocial […]
Too much of a good thing: Canada’s consultation crisis
After years of often feeling excluded from the policy-making and legislative process, many civil society groups were excited by the prospect of a new government committed to public consultations and feedback. The Liberal government moved quickly to consult on all manner of issues, providing hope that an emphasis on participatory democracy would lead to better […]
Feds have to ‘tread carefully’ on cultural policy after Quebec blowback, say political players
Quebecers are more likely to be invested in the idea of Canada having a distinct cultural identity that needs protecting, which could possibly spell political trouble for Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly and the Trudeau Liberals if the implementation of the government’s recently announced cultural policy doesn’t find the right balance, say cultural and political players. […]
Investing in wireless technology is the key to innovation in Canada
Necessity is the mother of invention. Given Canada’s vast territory and large land mass, our need to find ways to stay in touch has been the driver of many a Canadian innovation, from the telephone to the first transatlantic wireless signal to mobile email. Today, telecommunications is a vital thread of our social fabric, and […]
Innovation
Grit MP Fry suggests misinformation led to PM’s quick rule-out of broadband tax
Liberal MP and Canadian Heritage Committee Chair Hedy Fry has suggested that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t fully understand what the committee was recommending when he shot down the idea of new taxes on broadband distribution. That recommendation—to expand an existing five per cent levy on TV service providers, which gets put toward producing Canadian […]
MPs alarmed by Radio-Canada/CBC report on cellphone spying around the Hill
The revelation that someone may be using a device to track and spy on cellphones around Parliament Hill, and the subsequent RCMP and CSIS investigations it prompted, was the result of shrewd sleuthing by Radio-Canada investigative reporter Brigitte Bureau who, with CBC News colleague Catherine Cullen, broke the story last week. But it has created […]
Pakistani icon for female education to address House this week
Malala Yousafzai, who captured the world’s respect by fighting for the rights of girls to be educated, getting shot, and then continuing the fight, will address a joint session of Parliament in the House of Commons on Wednesday, April 12. At 19, she will become the youngest person ever to address Canadian Parliament. Ms. Yousafzai […]
Private fundraising events are a necessary evil
OTTAWA—Odious is how one Globe and Mail columnist characterized the job of private event fundraising. Lawrence Martin actually ascribed the descriptor to me, based on an interview I gave last week to CTV parliamentary bureau chief Bob Fife. Fife asked me what I thought of the current political controversy surrounding the private fundraising activities of […]
Strong privacy laws needed in digital age
OTTAWA—Privacy laws around the world may differ on certain issues, but all share a key principle: the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information requires user consent. The challenge in a digital world where data is continuously collected and can be used in a myriad of previously unimaginable ways is how to ensure that the […]
