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” […]
The stateless refugees of Afghanistan
October 7th marked the sixteenth year of the start of the U.S War in Afghanistan—Canada’s role in that conflict began in late 2001. Canada sent its first contingent of Canadian soldiers secretly in October 2001 from Joint Task Force 2 under Operation APOLLO. Sixteen years later, and with an ever constant stream of violence and […]
Why the phrase ‘war on terrorism’ is ill thought
It is rare that one can look back on something composed years ago and see it as relevant today as it was thought to be back then. So much changes as new variables enter into play and our own understanding and appreciation for phenomena matures to reflect these new additions. That is indeed a good […]
Not even sunglasses are spared in Quebec bill
Somewhere in the Quebec government’s legal department, a team of lawyers is bracing to argue in court in what may be the not-too-distant future that the wearing of dark sunglasses puts the safety of the province’s public transit system at risk. Ditto presumably in the case of local libraries and city parks. For a province […]
Anti-niqab law brings Trumpism to Canada
The worst of Trumpism has come to Canada. It has come in the form of a Quebec law that, under the guise of promoting religious neutrality and accommodation, blatantly discriminates against Muslims. And it has met with only the most minimal of resistance from federal politicians—even those like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who like to […]
Keeping whales and dolphins in captivity becoming obsolete
Keeping whales and dolphins in captivity is rapidly becoming obsolete around the world, and Canada is no exception. The Senate Fisheries Committee is currently studying Bill S-203, groundbreaking legislation that would protect whales, dolphins, and porpoises from a lifetime of deprivation in captivity. Our country now has an exciting opportunity to become a global leader […]
Saving whales and dolphins the right way
The Senate has been dealing with a quiet controversy over a piece of legislation that falls into an all-too-common trap: it looks good on the surface but would have terrible and perverse consequences if passed into law. The bill in question is S-203, which purports to end the captivity of cetaceans, but would in fact […]
“The Energy East pipeline project has been scrapped. Is this a good or bad thing for Canada? Why?”/by Laura Ryckewaert
Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “Robust debates are a fundamental part of our national discourse. Unfortunately, some politicians have chosen to use TransCanada’s decision—a private business decision—to stoke regional divisions. Canadians deserve better than leaders who ignore facts and context in favour of politically charged rhetoric. Their intellectually dishonest arguments pit our country’s regions against each […]
House subcommittee on International Human Rights has heard from local activists, community activists
Re: “House subcommittee hearings on mining in Latin America a public disservice,” (The Hill Times, Oct. 18, p. 15). The opinion piece on the House Subcommittee on International Human Rights study on human rights surrounding resource extraction in Latin America claimed that we have not heard from those most affected by this issue: the local […]
