Canadians being left in the dark on changes to assisted death, as court-imposed deadline approaches
New legislation that will have a tremendous impact on the lives and deaths of Canadians, Bill C-7, is in committee this week. The bill is a response to a Quebec court decision that rendered unconstitutional the clause in the existing assisted suicide legislation requiring that one’s death be “reasonably foreseeable” for a patient to qualify […]
Looming changes to assisted-dying law put persons with disabilities at risk
Joey Moss passed away on Oct. 26. For those unfamiliar with Mr. Moss, he served as a longtime locker room attendant for the Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton football team. He was also a person with Down syndrome. At the time of his death, his achievements were covered by almost every Canadian news outlet. Friends and […]
Polarization in Canada, real or not?
OAKVILLE, ONT.—When it comes to politics, we Canadians are becoming increasingly polarized. Or are we? After all, maybe all the gloomy warnings we’re hearing these days about how our society is becoming divided along stark ideological lines is nothing but media hype or exaggeration. So, always eager to get to the bottom of things, I […]
Time to put some heat on Trudeau to advance electoral reform
Four years ago this week, the Special Committee on Electoral Reform published its final report. Following months of citizen and expert input, the committee’s report recommended the implementation of a proportional voting system for federal elections. But this key 2015 campaign trail promise was not to be kept; Justin Trudeau ignored the report, and months later […]
Can’t we agree to end torture?
MONTREAL—In 1984, the United Nations Convention Against Torture was passed. Given the atrocities of the 20th century, the UNCAT sought to “recognize the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family.” Nearly 25 years later, Canada still has not ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture, leaving us a pariah on the international stage. Article 2 of the UNCAT required […]
Unite the forces of government, business, and science to combat climate change post-pandemic
COVID-19 has dominated news headlines in 2020, with governments around the globe focused on protecting the health of its citizens, and businesses across all industries scrambling for ways to both survive and keep their employees safe. This has been the year of a pandemic, but it has also been the year of Australian wildfires, deforestation […]
An Ottawa valedictory: time to leave
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—The poet Kahlil Gibran wrote in The Prophet, “the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.” As I take my leave from a city that has been home off and on for almost 50 years, I look back with affection and ambivalence, rather than love or hate. While my friend Andrew Cohen […]
How we travel to low-carbon destination needs more consideration: letter writer
The last time I travelled by air, my ticket indicated both the point of departure and the destination. It was obvious where I was and where I was going. I can now see a parallel with the concept of “transition”—you start in one place and move to another. In both cases, the destination is known […]
Move climate milestone to 2025 to spark real action, reader says
Re: “Feds’ climate bill is a plan to oversee a plan, but Parliament can improve it,” (The Hill Times, Nov. 25, p. 8). The introduction of Bill C-12 is certainly a step in the right direction, one that advocates have been urging for many years. Canada does not have a good track record when it […]
Erin O’Toole has fumbled the push for Canada’s 988 suicide hotline
Suicide is serious. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, which has been a source of unprecedented emotional stress, 11 Canadians died by suicide, and dozens more attempted to end their lives, every day. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth; in some Indigenous communities it has reached epidemic levels. Since the upheavals produced by […]
