Regional concerns must inform ‘just transition’ legislation, say experts, as Wilkinson acknowledges energy worker anxiety
As the federal government embarks on a whole-of-government approach to climate action, with all eyes on the introduction of long-awaited “just transition” legislation to help particularly vulnerable workers adapt and retrain for the green energy economy, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson recently acknowledged the “anxiety that workers in some industries feel about the energy transition.” […]
When breaking party ranks, only some MPs forfeit their political future in the name of dissent
When dissenting from the party line, Liberal MP Joël Lightbound took a rarely seen step on Parliament Hill to advocate a position not being endorsed by his leadership—and one former Liberal whip said he risked his political life in doing so. On Feb. 8, Lightbound (Louis-Hébert, Que.) took his grievances about the Liberal government’s handling […]
As protest stretches on, Ottawa MPs struggle to offer resolution for worried constituents
The Ottawa MP who represents the Parliament Hill riding overrun by occupying protesters says he feels helpless in the face of appeals from his constituents, such as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who said she no longer feels safe in Ottawa. With the ongoing trucker protests, and with sightings of Nazi and Confederate flags, […]
Immigration Minister Fraser takes heat for ‘short-sighted’ approach to processing backlogs
Opposition MPs accused Immigration Minister Sean Fraser of being “misleading” about processing times for Canada’s considerable immigration backlog, with the department’s timeline to address the 1.8 million applications still “opaque.” Fraser (Central Nova, N.S.) fielded questions and took heat from some MPs on the House Immigration and Citizenship Committee during his Feb. 15 briefing on […]
Protesters overtake Ottawa for third week
‘Disconnected and disempowered’: border blockades suggest growing populist threat in Canada, say politicos
While anti-vaccine mandate protests and blockades at several border crossings between Canada and the U.S. are having “deleterious” impacts on the economy, politicos say they are also an indication of a populist, far-right movement becoming bolder in Canada. “I don’t like the discourse about Canada being divided, but you have a critical minority of the […]
Invoking Emergencies Act necessary step to tackle protests amid jurisdictional ‘squabbling’ and inaction, say top security experts
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “stunning” invocation of the Emergencies Act is the right move to handle the escalating entrenchment of protesters in the nation’s capital and anti-vaccine mandate protests across the country, according to some top security and defence experts. If anything, Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) waited “too long to take control of the protests” and […]
Hate symbols at convoy protest bolster urgency for online hate legislation, say advocacy group, NDP
The display of hate symbols, including swastikas and the Confederate flag, in Ottawa during the truck convoy protest is fuelling the need for the Liberal government to move forward on legislation to combat online hate speech, according to non-profit organizations and advocacy groups. “We are having more attention on the issues of hate because of […]
‘The government is clearly being hurt by this’: Trudeau government criticized for its handling of Ottawa occupation
Justin Trudeau’s handling of the occupation of Ottawa, combined with his own caucus members’ public criticism of their government’s more recent approach on the pandemic, could be politically damaging to the prime minister and the government, say politicos. “The government’s getting a big black eye right now,” said Greg Lyle, president of Innovative Research, in […]
Politics This Morning: Counter-protesters surround convoy vehicles near Ottawa bridge
Good Monday morning, The occupation of downtown Ottawa continues, but CTV News reported yesterday that counter-protesters blocked a road near one of the main bridges into the downtown core for most of the day, surrounding vehicles that were attempting to drive north across the Rideau River to join the main occupation site around Parliament Hill. […]
