Time is ticking for MPs, Senators to pass human rights bills
There is an enormous amount of consequential human rights legislation approaching the parliamentary finish line. The time to get it across shrinks daily. Only four sitting weeks remain in this session of Parliament for MPs, five for Senators. Rather than return to Parliament in the fall, MPs will be out hustling for votes. That means […]
No funding makes Indigenous child welfare bill ‘weak, deficient, and broken,’ witness says, but others urge MPs to ‘get it passed’
Regardless of whether witnesses testifying before a House committee studying the Indigenous child welfare bill thought it should live or die, all agreed the law lacked “critically important” funding that would make the intent of the bill hard to fulfill. One of four amendments brought forward by the Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry […]
Super powers cranking up interest in Arctic, Canada asleep at the switch
The world and Canadians, in particular, are asleep about the Arctic. All the super powers are cranking up their interest and asserting a presence in the Arctic. It is a huge, largely unmanned resource-rich territory that is indefensible and, in lieu of its riches, in a rapidly expanding global world, is likely the terrain for […]
Mike Pompeo just gave Canada’s 2019 election one of its more emotional issues, Arctic sovereignty
HALIFAX, N.S.—For a country obsessed with Russian interference in its national elections, Trumpty Dumpty’s America is doing a pretty good job of interfering in ours. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has just given Canada’s 2019 election one of its more emotional issues—Arctic sovereignty. Once again, at least for now, Justin Trudeau has fumbled the […]
Ending TB among Canada’s Indigenous peoples: treat the fundamental causes, not just the disease
Last year, the federal government announced it would spend $27.5-million over five years on an ambitious plan to end tuberculosis (TB) across Inuit Nunangat, Inuit regions of Canada, by 2030. The plan’s specific objective was to reduce rates of TB to levels lower than are seen currently in the rest of Canada. This is an […]
Report, like northern infrastructure, does not go far enough
A House of Commons committee report intended to take a comprehensive look at northern infrastructure needs was released last week. The House Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs report comes at a critical time; the government’s new Arctic Policy Framework is set to be released in the coming weeks. The future of northern infrastructure, […]
Canada’s Arctic needs investments in infrastructure, health, economic development, education
What if someone came into your home, took away your food, your livelihood, your kids, your land, lied to you, told you to move, abused you, assigned you a racially based identification number and commanded you to wear it at all times, eliminated your only means of transportation and hunting for food for your family […]
Budget bill completes INAC split, but union says transition still ‘in flux’
A year and a half after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised the dissolution of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada into two separate departments, the government has put forward legislation to make it official. But First Nations and employees’ advocates say there wasn’t nearly enough consultation about how the split would play out. About 10 per […]
The North needs more infrastructure to unlock its wealth potential
Few industries come to mind that have a stronger connection and reliance on infrastructure than the mining sector. Frequently situated in remote and northern regions, mines are often located in areas without any roads, telecommunications services, or easily accessible transportation, all essential to getting goods to market. Nowhere is Canada’s infrastructure deficit more acute than […]
Territories spent less on infrastructure than without feds’ funding boost: PBO report
The territories spent $111-million less on infrastructure projects in the past two fiscal years than they would have without the federal government’s funding boost, according to a report released April 9 by the parliamentary budget officer. For every federal infrastructure dollar that, on average, they received, the three northern territories spent $3.70 in 2017-2018, a […]
