Government clams up on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Treaty which comes into force on Jan. 22
EDMONTON—With NATO breathing down its neck, the Government of Canada has clammed up on what it will say about the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which enters into force Jan. 22. The treaty, signed by 122 nations in 2017, is a breakthrough because it bans the possession of nuclear weapons for those states adhering […]
In understanding the makings of an extremist, there’s a lot of work ahead
The violence on Capitol Hill was badly co-ordinated by Trump’s rabid supporters against democratic institutions during one afternoon on Jan. 6, and there may be more domestic terrorist attacks prior to Jan. 20, inauguration day, and after Joseph Biden’s assumption of power that need to be combatted. Twitter and Facebook locked outgoing U.S. President Trump’s […]
COVID-19: a national emergency demands a national response
OTTAWA—There are many things about this pandemic that we do not know, such as vaccine efficacy against emerging variants or the long-term health implications of infection. However, we do know that close to 17,000 Canadians have died directly from COVID-19 and even the most optimistic projections push the eventual number of deaths to more than […]
Is a Trudeau electoral victory inevitable?
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Rumour has it the federal Liberals would like to see an election occur as early as this spring. And why wouldn’t they? At this point, a Liberal electoral victory seems all but inevitable. Or does it? Certainly, you can conjure up all sorts of reasons as to why Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would want […]
This is no time for half measures or vague aspirations
TORONTO—The most urgent task in Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s forthcoming budget will be to set the country on the path to sustained and sustainable economic growth. Going forward, we will need more and better innovation to achieve good jobs, improved competitiveness, and increased productivity. The budget has to make this its priority. In her fall […]
When is a cabinet shuffle more than a shuffle? When it means an election is coming soon
Just before starting a four-day virtual cabinet retreat, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shuffled his cabinet Jan. 12, probably for the last time before a federal election. This shuffle was triggered by Navdeep Bains, the minister of innovation, science, and industry, telling the prime minister that he would not be running in the next election as […]
COVID-19 is causing a national mental health crisis and Canada needs a national response
Canada has never seen a public health crisis like the one caused by COVID-19. It has also never seen anything like the mental health toll the pandemic is taking. The latest evidence comes with the tragic death by suicide of Dr. Karine Dion, a front-line physician from Granby, Que. Dion’s death eerily mirrors the one that shocked […]
Congress must use all the might of its gavel to impeach Trump
We witnessed such an insane and shameful week that was caused by a sitting U.S. president. He was the architect of the desecration of Congress. He was the engineer of the assault on those legislators performing their sacred duty following the dictates of the electoral college. He was the instigator-in-chief of those who wished to […]
Nurses, doctors aren’t only front-line workers in need of the first wave of vaccine doses
Canadians breathed a huge sigh of relief when the federal government approved the first COVID-19 vaccine and saw the first immunizations take place. The end of the pandemic, and the prospect of a return to normal, whatever that means, became a real possibility. Rolling out a national vaccination program will be no small feat. In […]
Presidential power should be limited during transition, says reader
Re: “Trump’s Idiocracy is in action,” (The Hill Times, Dec. 14, 2020, p. 13). Michael Harris has drawn a parallel between President Donald Trump’s actions during his stay in the White House and those of President Comacho’s antics in the movie Idiocracy. All of Mr. Trump’s actions aside, Mr. Harris brings out a very important point in his concluding […]
