The Arctic is the planet’s canary
In the early days of the Industrial Revolution, before the advent of equipment capable of monitoring the build-up of dangerous gases, miners would take a canary down deep in the mine. Its tiny metabolism was far more sensitive to the gases than were the miners. If the canary keeled over, it was time to get […]
Politics this morning: Trudeau to make youth council announcement
*An important note to our readers: tomorrow’s Wednesday edition will be an online only version of The Hill Times. There will be no physical paper or digital download, but you can still count on full coverage of all the usual insider news, global developments, and opinion pieces on our website, www.hilltimes.com. Happening today in the […]
Canada should restrict access to northern water corridors
The Canadian government should consider placing restrictions on the number of corridors allowed for access to the Arctic waters in order to reduce two important risks: loss of life and environmental impact. The risk of a marine accident in the Arctic is not a theoretical exercise. In August 1996, the Hanseatic cruise ship ran aground […]
Trudeau’s summer just got a lot more complicated after Federal Court decision on Northern Gateway
OTTAWA—On the eve of Canada Day, June 30, the law firm acting for the seven First Nations contesting the Harper cabinet’s approval of the Northern Gateway Pipeline released the Federal Court of Appeal decision made on June 23, 2016, which effectively quashed that approval. The court in a 2-1 decision held that the federal government […]
Food insecurity: Not just a poor country’s problem
We are accustomed to thinking of food security as a poor country’s problem, something for national governments and the United Nations to solve. But a week-long trip to Whitehorse with the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation was a stark reminder of the food-security challenges faced here in Canada. Listening at the first-ever Yukon Food Security Summit, organized by […]
What to expect when the neighbours come to town
It says a lot about Canada’s relations under the previous Conservative government that the annual meeting with our NAFTA partners was delayed by a year because the Conservatives didn’t think the meeting was worth having. The corny slang of the Three Amigos summit wasn’t working; it was more like “two amigos and the other guy.” […]
Indigenous pipeline project controversial but promising
While an indigenous energy and resource development project may face significant barriers and challenges in pursing an alternative to the proposed and controversial Northern Gateway pipeline in northern B.C., some say this model of developing Canadian resources may become more popular. The proposed pipeline by Eagle Spirit Energy Holdings is controversial in itself. It has some significant […]
A harbinger of things to come
The upcoming voyage of the Crystal Serenity through Canada’s Northwest Passage is commanding considerable public attention. Understandably. It may not be the first cruise ship to make the journey, but with a passenger list numbering more than 1,000 and a crew of at least 600, it will be by far the largest. The opening of […]
Parsing what the UN indigenous rights declaration could mean for Canada
With Canada recently becoming a full supporter of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, experts say the guidelines the document lays out regarding free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) are critical for ensuring that indigenous peoples’ title rights are respected before resource projects are developed in their backyards. But how Canada […]
Northern development must respect traditional way of life
Canada is a Northern nation. The North is a fundamental part of our heritage and our national identity. Now more than ever, the Liberal government must recognize the tremendous opportunities – as well as the many challenges – that exist in the North today. The North is central to the Canadian national identity; and our […]
