Liberal, Conservative MPs denied visas to China should have answered questions, says reader
Re: “China denied travel visa to Liberal MP McKinnon, vice-chair of Canada-China Legislative Association,” (The Hill Times, Oct. 9, p. 7). Almost every year since 2005, China has issued me a permit to travel there from Canada. The application’s questions did not seem overly intrusive into my personal affairs. A year or so ago, at […]
Free trade rhetoric has never matched reality
TORONTO—The North American Free Trade Agreement is a tool nobody likes, but everybody needs and uses it. Conversations among the partners are surreal. Since the beginning of the conversations in the late 1980s with the FTA (Free Trade Agreement between Canada and the U.S.), the politicking has always taken over reality. The Canadian Conservatives of […]
The myths about Energy East, just to clear the air
GATINEAU, QUE.—The decision by TransCanada to mothball its proposed Energy East pipeline some days ago risks becoming flotsam in the all-consuming whirl of daily news—from Harvey Weinstein, to Donald Trump’s threats to dump NAFTA, to second-hand Australian jets. But we shouldn’t let the issue fade without hacking away the false claims and apocalyptic predictions surrounding […]
Weinstein story needs to move beyond egregious acts of a single predator
OTTAWA—The ignominious end to Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has all of us in agreement. This predator got what he deserved. But the larger question remains. How did he get away with it for so long? How was he able to assault so many women with so much impunity? Why did so many people say nothing […]
Advocates are right, sexual harassment prevention training should be mandatory
While the bombshell allegations of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment continue to mount against disgraced Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and as the U.S. movie-making industry begins to take a hard look at its culture, here on Parliament Hill in Ottawa people are trying to end sexual harassment in the parliamentary workplace altogether. Four […]
Diversity is our global advantage
It used to be that North America was synonymous with innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. We were young countries willing to take risks, break down class and social barriers and challenge old myths in the hope of building something better. One of the drivers was immigration and opportunity. Brave people from around the world willing to […]
Why Canada’s Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence is in the wrong department
OTTAWA—First of all, kudos to the Trudeau government for its commitment to the Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence (CCCEPE—that name is way too long, however). The $35-million over five years is an excellent start and, although details are wanting, the government sees the new office as a leadership post for Canada’s […]
Election of Jagmeet Singh Canada’s answer to Trump’s white tribalism, says letter-writer
In a scathing essay: “Philosophical Assault on Trumpism,” noted U.S. conservative columnist David Brooks recently wrote in The New York Times: “The only way to beat Trump is to beat him philosophically. … The Trump story is that good honest Americans are being screwed by aliens. White Americans are being invaded by immigrants who take […]
A tale of two strategies
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Although New Democrats and Conservatives are different in so many ways, they both share a common dilemma: how do you beat an opponent like Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a man who’s abundantly blessed with that most important of political assets—likeability? And, yes, I know Trudeau has hit a few bumps on the road lately, […]
Concrete is meeting the low carbon challenge
Governments are preparing to spend hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade on infrastructure, an investment characterized by elected officials as short-term stimulus to meet ambitious longer-term social, economic and environmental needs. It’s hard to imagine getting this right without considering concrete. Activities related to our industry contribute $73-billion a year to the […]
