‘Rights-based’ approach needed to modernize privacy laws, says next privacy commissioner Dufresne
Canada’s nominee to be the next federal privacy commissioner, Philippe Dufresne, says Canada needs to modernize its laws so that privacy is protected as a fundamental right, ensuring Canadians can participate in the digital economy and trust their institutions. Amid questioning at the House Access to Information, Privacy, and Ethics Committee on June 13, MPs […]
Advocates call for federal commissioner for children and youth, after UN report expresses serious concerns
Children’s advocates are renewing their call for Ottawa to establish a federal commissioner for children and youth, after a recent United Nations report reinforced warnings that Canada is falling short on the obligations it agreed to when Parliament ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991. The UN committee’s second 10-year […]
Ford’s brand strength, low public appetite for change key to PC win in Ontario, say politicos
The strength of the ‘Ford brand’ that easily overmatched what the Ontario Liberals and NDP had on offer, combined with a low-key communications and media strategy, pushed Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative Party into a second straight majority government, say politicos, with pollster Greg Lyle saying the premier “essentially won the job a year […]
Typically apolitical National Prayer Breakfast results in partisan quips about vaccine politics
One of the longest-running annual events on Parliament Hill–attended by the biggest names in Canadian politics sitting shoulder to shoulder–returned for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020, but Canada’s 57th National Prayer Breakfast barely registered a blip in national media. Unlike the event of the same name held annually in the United […]
Conservative leadership candidates expected to challenge eligibility of ‘thousands and thousands and thousands’ of rivals’ party memberships
Conservative Party president Rob Batherson denies claims that the party is six to eight weeks behind in processing memberships, and says the leadership election will happen on time and the date won’t be extended.
Federal rebates not enough to help Canadians with costly transition to zero-emission vehicles, say Cons, NDP
The Liberal government’s target date for when all vehicles sold in Canada must be zero-emissions won’t be achievable without stronger purchasing incentives to help Canadians with the high cost of greener transportation, say Conservative and NDP MPs. “I think that the challenge … is mandating a technology that, right now, is not necessarily affordable for […]
More government co-ordination, communication needed to respond to extreme heat events: reports, experts
Brad Vis, the Conservative MP representing Lytton, B.C. says he loses sleep worrying about what kind of weather event might hit his home region this summer. Last summer, the residents of Lytton endured the highest temperature ever recorded in Canadian history, before the village all but burnt to the ground in a devastating wildfire. Vis […]
‘A culture that requires correction’: CSIS needs new accountability framework, says civil liberties group
As the government responds to a series of court rulings that say Canada’s spy agency has not been sufficiently truthful when asking judges to authorize warrants, a civil liberties group says real progress will come from external oversight mechanisms and deeper changes to the agency’s internal culture and policies. Following complaints from her constituents and […]
‘Massive majority’ of Liberal caucus wants Trudeau to drop federal COVID mandates, say Liberal MPs
With provincial and international jurisdictions easing COVID restrictions, some Liberal MPs say the vast majority of their caucus want the federal government to drop travel vaccination requirements, allowing unvaccinated Canadians to board domestic flights. Several Liberal MPs interviewed for this article said that most caucus members want all federal pandemic restrictions dropped as soon as […]
Court orders new hearing for fired Senate HR director who alleged racial discrimination
A former Senate employee who said he was fired from his senior position “without cause” will get a brand-new hearing, nearly six years after being removed as the Red Chamber’s human resources director. On June 7, a Federal Court justice ruled that the grievance Darshan Singh filed following his December 2015 termination should be reheard, […]
