The day after the nuclear bomb
The day after the next nuclear detonation, it will all be so clear: what we could have done—what we should have done—to prevent it. All the signs were there: a global nuclear arsenal with the capacity to destroy the earth hundreds of times over, with thousands of warheads on high-alert status at any given time; […]
Co-operatives: connecting northern communities
Arctic communities are using the federated co-operative model to meet their needs, from food and clothing to rifles and snowmobiles. The federated co-operative model allows for local co-operative stores, all across the Arctic, to work together to lower costs and provide high-quality products to their communities. This Artic federation of co-operatives is known as Arctic […]
Abortion: an issue that won’t go away
OTTAWA—When I was 18, Dr. Henry Morgentaler opened an abortion clinic in Montreal, and for several years after was dragged through the courts repeatedly; each time he was acquitted. In order to raise awareness, stickers were distributed calling for the repeal of Section 251 of the Criminal Code, which dealt with abortion. Because I supported […]
Two years in, Liberals doing the North well
Over the last two years, our government has made significant progress for northerners on a number of important issues. High food prices in remote Arctic communities have initiated a process that has started with extensive consultation and study of the existing subsidy program, with a goal of making the program more efficient and food more affordable. […]
‘Look at the results’: Morneau touts fiscal success in fall update
OTTAWA—Finance Minister Bill Morneau set out a good news fall fiscal update in hopes of helping the government recover from its mid-term stumbles and reset his and the Liberals’ political course. Morneau cited the government’s increased spending and income tax cuts when it took power two years ago as the driving force behind the country’s […]
Northern archives, northern development
‘Archives’ runs a gamut of meanings. From the austere and restricted form of government records, which require specialized protocols for use and access, to the ephemeral and public sum total of social media, the idea of ‘archives’ is fuzzy. It is this fuzziness that has prevented any proper consideration of the role of archives in, […]
Canada’s colonial grip on the North needs to end
Earlier this month, I stood before a crowd in Reykjavik, Iceland, at the 2017 Artic Circle Assembly and again called for a strong vision for Canada’s North from our federal government. There is a lot of talk in Canada about reconciliation with Indigenous people right now. This is good news for a territory where approximately […]
Hamish Marshall is no Ezra Levant
OTTAWA—Andrew Scheer will not win the 2019 federal election if he espouses and advances the editorial content of Rebel Media. But he is not jeopardizing the Conservative Party’s prospects by bringing former Rebel Media corporate director Hamish Marshall on board as his campaign chair. Marshall, affectionately known by some in Conservative circles as the “Nerd […]
Too much of a good thing: Canada’s consultation crisis
After years of often feeling excluded from the policy-making and legislative process, many civil society groups were excited by the prospect of a new government committed to public consultations and feedback. The Liberal government moved quickly to consult on all manner of issues, providing hope that an emphasis on participatory democracy would lead to better […]
Stretched too thin, Liberals should focus on consultation where it counts
You know how sometimes when you repeat a word ad nauseam it starts to lose all meaning? The Liberals are guilty of a few of these buzzwords, chiefly with “innovation,” and now “consultation” is becoming equally amorphous and meaningless. When it came to power two years ago, Justin Trudeau’s government promised a return to “evidence-based” […]
