Time to clean up our language
CHELSEA, QUE.—Political language has become so degraded that a gross betrayal of supporters, a shameless climbdown from previously embraced imperatives, the sudden disappearance of favourite dog whistles when they are no longer useful, is widely known as a “pivot.” Not a lie, not self-serving evasion, not what non-political people would consider a damning character defect. […]
The longstanding Liberal hegemony in Canada, and the challenges to it
TORONTO—Since the federal election of 1896, when voters in the mostly French-speaking province of Quebec switched their votes, en masse, from the Conservative to the Liberal Party, Canada has been characterized at the federal level by long periods of Liberal government with comparatively brief Conservative interludes. Indeed, the Conservative Party had re-designated itself as the […]
Politics This Morning: Witness testimony to begin at Emergencies Act inquiry
Good Friday morning, The meeting of the Public Order Emergency Commission is your headline event this morning. The public investigation into the government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act amid the occupation of Ottawa is hearing its first witnesses today. Those include: VICTORIA DE LA RONDE, a retired public servant; ZEXI LI, an Ottawa resident […]
When the ‘best’ day became the ‘worst’: former Parliament Hill journalist and staffer Mike Scandiffio still missing
It began as a beautiful family weekend. On Oct. 1, former Hill Times deputy editor Mike Scandiffio was with his wife, Debora Brown, and friends at Oktoberfest in Ladysmith, 77 kilometres northwest of Ottawa in Quebec’s Pontiac region. When the first band of the evening was playing, Scandiffio was dancing, enjoying the first time he […]
Public Order Emergency Commission gets underway under ‘extraordinary time pressures’
The highly anticipated Public Order Emergency Commission’s fact-finding hearings are underway in Ottawa, with Commissioner Paul Rouleau pointing out that this inquiry will have to deliver in 300 days what previous commissions have taken three or four years to deliver. The commission is a legally mandated inquiry into the federal government’s decision to invoke the […]
We must seize the solution to food inflation and health-care shortages at our fingertips
Every day we see news stories describing the impact of soaring food prices or severe shortages of health-care workers. Arguably, no Canadian is unaffected by these legacy impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical strife, and inflation rates unseen in decades. Sadly, those with lower income or poor health or who live in remote areas are […]
Feds need real feminist bonafides now to prevent backsliding later
OTTAWA—Two months before he became prime minister in 2015, Justin Trudeau declared: “I am a feminist. I’m proud to be a feminist.” He was widely ridiculed by right-wing groups and mocked by members of the Conservative Party. Thanks to Trudeau’s persistence, however, Canada is now regarded as a world leader for the feminist agenda. Gender-balanced […]
New press secretary, operations director on deck for Rural Economic Development Minister Hutchings
Federal Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings has seen a fair bit of movement in her office since Hill Climbers last checked in, with both a new press secretary and a new director of operations on deck, among other changes. Luka Vujic, who’d been press secretary to Hutchings since January, left the minister’s office in […]
AFN national chief’s First Nation looks to Canada Infrastructure Bank for funding to support critical minerals project
A First Nation in northern Ontario is seeking federal financing to support its plan to be involved “from day one” in a proposed mine on its traditional territory. The mine, which could begin operations in 2027, would provide some of the critical minerals necessary to meet the growing demand from electric vehicle makers. Advocates of […]
To support democracy and human rights, Canada must fight internet censorship
The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Islamic Republic’s so-called “morality police” has sparked nationwide protests in Iran. Similar to previous rounds of protests in recent years, authorities immediately reacted by shutting down access to the internet and blocking social media and messaging apps to prevent people from organizing and communicating […]
