NAFTA is dead; long live NAFTA
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Trump administration’s first summer was atypical for Washington, D.C. Whenever we thought the White House might be on track, another political meteor suddenly appeared and knocked everything off balance. The object was not from outer space but from the very heart of the presidency. This was the pattern the president set on his […]
Canada should take lead to encourage UN to welcome people of Taiwan whenever possible
On Sept. 12, 2017, the UN General Assembly convened its 72nd year around the theme of “Focusing on People: Striving for Peace and a Decent Life for All on a Sustainable Planet.” This month marks the 10th anniversary of the passage of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), a document which […]
The girls (and boys) are back in town
OTTAWA—On the heels of a cool, wet summer break, things are about to heat up inside the political precinct and, as entertaining as that may be, it will also set the path to Canada’s 43rd general election and, by extension, the makeup of the 43rd Parliament. There will be plenty of legislative protein in the […]
Dinner is ready, but the guest list isn’t finalized
GATINEAU, QUE.—At the mid-point of his mandate, Justin Trudeau must be a happy prime minister. He retains a comfortable edge in the polls, he has survived many mostly self-inflicted errors, and, there are no obvious giant killers on the parliamentary horizon. And he keeps winning hearts (if not votes) one selfie at a time. But […]
Bains overpromises on superclusters
TORONTO—One of the best examples of the Trudeau government’s practice of overpromising is the superclusters project of Industry, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains. With $950-million to be spread out over five years and to be matched by industry, the plan is to fund about half a dozen so-called superclusters which, in the space […]
After Clinton’s defeat, now more than ever women need to seek and serve in electoral politics for democracy’s sake
OTTAWA—We always wondered when she would emerge. Bruised and battered from an American election campaign like none other in the country’s history, Hillary Clinton took a well-deserved, and much needed break from the limelight. Except for a couple of brief appearances, she has said little and shared even less. And, really, who could fault her? […]
Economic self-determination through lending: empowering Indigenous peoples, implementing UNDRIP
In the 1980s, the federal government and Indigenous leaders were on the right track. Prior to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and even prior to the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, it was known that the Indigenous economy needed attention. This resulted in the creation […]
Suu Kyi’s Rohingya reaction tarnishes a respected image
TORONTO—Another idol bites the dust. The world had been told that Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi was a heroine of democracy and human rights. Now it turns out that her idea of human rights doesn’t include the roughly 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims living in Burma’s western state of Rakhine. It seems she approves of […]
What does Health Canada’s latest biomonitoring study say about the state of Canada’s toxics law?
In 2010, Canada was the first country to declare bisphenol A (BPA) toxic and to ban its use in polycarbonate plastic baby bottles based on its risks to babies. This was celebrated by Canadians and positioned Canada as a global leader in addressing the health risks of toxic chemicals in consumer products. Fast forward to […]
It’s a globalized world after all
MONTREAL—As tends to happen with words that get tossed into the post-truth Trump-o-lizer, “globalization” has taken on some negative associations lately. In the same way that “loser,” “classy,” and “huge” have evolved in this era of small bigs and horrible “tremendouses,” globalization has been repurposed to mean something it didn’t used to. Trump’s astonishing performance […]
