Public health officials say early data show ‘high’ protection from first shot
Canada’s public health officials are in “live” discussions but not offering a position on doling out single doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, rather than planning for the two shots at the recommended interval, amid vaccine scarcity and new evidence suggesting strong protection from the single shot. One dose of Pfizer/BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine had an efficacy […]
Conservative Party’s national council rejects Sloan’s appeal to run under its banner in next election
The Conservative Party’s national council rejected the appeal of booted Conservative MP Derek Sloan on Thursday night to be allowed to run as a party candidate in the next election, according to senior Conservative sources. Mr. Sloan (Hastings-Lennox and Addington, Ont.), who now sits as an Independent and ran unsuccessfully for the Conservative leadership last […]
RCMP, union stand behind plan to deploy body-worn cameras for front-line officers, but critics warn drawbacks may outweigh benefits
The federal government, the RCMP’s top brass, and the police force’s union are all squarely behind a recent push to see more than 10,000 body-worn cameras deployed nationwide to help “pull the police services into the 21st century,” says the force’s union head, while others have questioned its perceived benefits. Brian Sauvé, president of the […]
Davie shipyard funding more equitable since 2015, but long-term contracts needed for stability, say experts
As federal shipbuilding funds for the Quebec-based Chantier Davie shipyard have increasingly become more equitable in comparison to Nova Scotia’s Irving shipyard and B.C.’s Seaspan shipyard, Quebec MPs are pushing for more contracts for the shipyard and for it to be formally brought into the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The lack of funds for Davie shipyard […]
Pandemic highlights needed change in broadband funding regime, says critic, access expert
As the COVID-19 pandemic approaches its one-year anniversary, with Canadians flocking to Zoom, Call of Duty, and Netflix to manage work and life under lockdown, an internet policy expert and the NDP’s industry critic say the way Canada approaches bridging the digital divide is not working, and is falling hardest on rural and remote communities. […]
New quarantine measures won’t affect hotel industry’s bottom line, but may create more stress, say stakeholders
Hotel industry stakeholders say that Canada’s new quarantine measures for incoming air travellers aren’t likely to have too much of a financial benefit on business, but may put strain on an already strained industry. Introduced Jan. 29, the new rules state that all air passengers returning from non-essential trips abroad must quarantine within a government-chosen […]
Defence Committee should look at broader issues of military culture change and external accountability in Vance probe, say experts
As the House Defence Committee embarks on a study looking into sexual misconduct allegations against former chief of the defence staff General Jonathan Vance, experts say MPs on the committee should look at the bigger institutional issues of changing the military culture and providing external accountability. The committee’s meeting to plan the study set the […]
Unconscious bias training for Senators, staff coming to the Upper Chamber
With heightened attention in the Red Chamber on the issue of systemic racism, the Senate plans to introduce voluntary, online unconscious bias training for Senators, their staff, and the Senate administration this spring, with other efforts to address diversity and inclusion in the works. The Senate Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration Committee, known as CIBA, […]
Feds’ move to cancel CERB clawback long overdue, say critics
The government’s decision to forgo clawing back pandemic income-benefit payments to ineligible applicants after resisting pressure to reconsider was long overdue, say opposition critics who say it needlessly put thousands of Canadians through undue hardship. “I think they’re trying to change the channel on what has been a real debacle on vaccine distribution. There is […]
Dedicated B.C. regional development agency to bring bigger focus to tech sector, innovation: MPs and stakeholders
Parliamentarians and stakeholders from British Columbia are welcoming the government’s efforts to establish a new regional development agency for the Pacific province, saying it represents a shift from viewing the West as a “monolith,” will benefit the province’s flourishing tech sector, and will help spur innovation in more traditional resource-based industries. “The tech sector has […]
