Mind the gap? Let’s look at defining urban infrastructure investment differently
You drove to work swerving around potholes, taking a different exit because of construction, only to find yourself stuck in a traffic jam that didn’t get better because a train was crossing the street in slow motion, and you’ve ended up at a parkade with restricted access due to “improvements in customer service.” An infrastructure […]
How to get more women in top diplomatic posts? Show them what it’s like
The French writer Stendhal once said: “A vocation is having one’s passion as a profession.” Since joining France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, I have not once regretted choosing this enriching and stimulating profession, with its daily dose of challenges and victories in an increasingly complicated international context. I can therefore say that being […]
‘We don’t know why it’s taken so long’: critics question the wait on federal-provincial housing agreements
Housing critics are questioning why the government is taking so long to finalize the cost-sharing housing agreements with provinces, since it’s been more than a year since the unveiling of the Liberals’ National Housing Strategy. But many of the accords are on the cusp of an announcement, says Liberal MP Adam Vaughan (Spadina–Fort York, Ont.), […]
How to turn a good idea into a big mess
It’s tax season. Suppose the Canada Revenue Agency owed you $2,000 but instead of giving you the money, it offered you 20 gift certificates that it chose without consulting you: $50 for chicken, $80 for books, $100 in bus tickets, and so on. Don’t need chicken? Too bad! The gift certificates are not transferable. That’s […]
Infrastructure
Pre-budget focus, Hill days sustain steady February lobbying
The budget and finance focus of much of the lobbying in February reflected the last-minute push for many groups to get consideration in the Liberals’ fourth and final budget of their mandate. Combined, the budget and finance accounted for 477 subject-matter mentions in the lobbying registry filings, leading international trade (391), health (349), agriculture (341), […]
American exceptionalism: applying a 19th-century belief to the 21st century
Last week, I was in California, a state I had never visited. The trip was a respite from the long Ottawa winter. And while San Francisco was a bit chilly, the choice to go there over a much warmer Florida was simple: California is a state held by the Democratic Party. Travelling to the site […]
Taiwan a natural choice for closer ties in Indo-Pacific
Re: “Tensions with China highlight need to work with Indo-Pacific states with shared values: analyst,” (The Hill Times, March 13, p. 18). In a world of growing tensions, slower economies, and political upheaval, countries like Canada need allies with shared values, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. If Canada is seeking to align itself more closely with […]
Canada collects $1-billion in retaliatory tariffs as trade dispute drags on
Canada collected more than $1-billion in tariffs on U.S. imports in the first eight months after the government imposed countermeasures in response to American tariffs on steel and aluminum, but actual financial relief is slow to get to producers, say experts. Surtax revenues on more than 200 products totalled $1.04-billion between July 2018 and Feb. […]
Peaceful transfer of power key to keeping international standing, says Kazakh envoy
With the surprise resignation last month of Kazakhstan’s president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country’s ambassador to Canada says his diplomatic focus and all government agencies “remain committed to the strategic policies and programmes” put in place by the former Soviet republic’s first and only president since independence in 1991. The resignation is an “important historic event,” […]
