Senators have a hard task, choice about Bill C-7
I am very pleased that Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying), finally passed third reading in the House of Commons. It has now gone to the Senate where they are being asked to deal with it by a court-imposed deadline of Dec. 18, 2020, (the government has now […]
Politics without policy, or how to attract voters whose interests you disdain
OTTAWA—In one of the more consequential political shifts in recent years, Republicans in the U.S. under Donald Trump have putatively capped a major realignment making theirs the party of the working class. The extent of that change may be debatable, but there’s no doubt that a fairly large number of “blue-collar” Americans favour the Republicans […]
Anti-abortion laws and radicalization
“Get your rosaries off our ovaries,” chanted the women marching in support of the referendum that made abortion legal in Ireland in 2018. Two years later the 2020 election broke the century-long stranglehold on power of the two centre-right parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. They got fewer than half the votes even together. Did […]
We cannot afford to be naive about climate change—renewables and nuclear must work together
The issue of climate change is so colossal, and the emission reduction goals are so enormous. The stark reality is we must leverage a vast array of complementary solutions to navigate the pathway to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 2050. This includes the right, dynamic energy mix of existing and developing technologies. There is no […]
Anti-disinformation campaign hard to swallow when the problem is homegrown
OTTAWA—Canadian military officials are constantly warning civilians to be on their guard against the ongoing disinformation campaign being waged by meddlesome foreign state actors. There is no specific objective sought by these sowers of “fake news,” we are told, but rather their intent is to cause Canadians to lose their trust in official organizations—such as […]
Supporting Canadians next tax season needs to start now
As we near the end of a very tumultuous 2020, a COVID-19 vaccine will soon be more widely available, ushering in economic recovery and a return to some normalcy. While we remain optimistic, more challenges await as infection rates surge and businesses continue to struggle. Most of us have friends or family or at least […]
MAID is a human right for those who meet the eligibility criteria
The prohibition on medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada was struck down in 2015 when Kay Carter and Gloria Taylor challenged the law. It was established that the right to liberty and security of a person was infringed and the law was deemed overbroad because it protected some, but restricted others. It is now our human right in Canada to […]
Trudeau pulls a huge rabbit out of his hat
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pulled a huge rabbit out of his hat last week. By procuring almost one-quarter million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, the government will be able to start distribution immediately so that frontline workers and the vulnerable elderly will get protection. And once the procurement deal was announced, Health Canada moved quickly […]
CNL working to accomplish responsible action in managing Canada’s nuclear research and development legacy: McBrearty
Re: “If we’re going to spend a billion dollars a year managing our nuclear waste, let’s do it right,” (The Hill Times, Dec. 7, by Lynn Jones). I am writing to correct the many inaccuracies published in the opinion article submitted by Ms. Jones. To start, let’s agree on the facts: Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) provides […]
A timely gift this season could be Canada taking a stand against racism
OTTAWA—The original intent of First Nations reserves was noted by Lt.-Gen. Sir Francis Bond Head in a report to Upper Canada in 1836: places for Indians to go die in peace away from the horrified eyes of the settlers, because obviously Indians “should still continue to wither, droop, and vanish before us like grass in […]
