Domestic food supply is critical: supply management guarantees delivery
Ideology has never been a good substitute for data, a fact that has been brought out very vividly by the pandemic that is ravaging the world presently. The Canadian government response has been practical and pragmatic and has made a potentially horrendous situation less so. The fact that Canadians have not experienced persistent shortages of […]
Israel/Palestine and the Pottery Barn rule of toponymy
As the infinity-loop melodrama of Israel’s political corruption capture careens on amid an amplifying pandemic crisis, it might be a good time to consider creative solutions to the region’s notoriously intractable problem. As an editor trained on U.S. wire service desks handling foreign copy, a columnist writing about international affairs and, for a time, the PR for […]
Judicial decision or no judicial decision, it’s same old crap for off-reserve Indigenous
April marked four years since the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Ottawa must take responsibility for Indigenous people living off reserve. But the federal government made extra sure the overwhelming majority of Indigenous people have nothing to celebrate by virtually leaving them out of pandemic relief. Back on April 14, 2016, in a rare […]
Don’t sacrifice official languages during times of crisis
The first virtual session of the Special Committee on COVID-19, to which all MPs belong, started up this week. Professional interpreters have already worked hard to translate the spoken words of MPs in the few parliamentary committees that have met in recent weeks, so we have some experience in interpreting virtual meetings—albeit on a small […]
Ontario government making wrong environmental call
The decision to suspend Ontario’s Environmental Bill of Rights has been poorly considered. In March of this year, the online version of Scientific American reported that a number of researchers who study infectious diseases think that “humanity’s destruction of biodiversity … creates the conditions for new viruses and diseases like COVID-19 … to arise—with profound […]
Taxing Canadian expats not the silver bullet for generating post-COVID revenue
Chandra Arya, the Liberal MP for Nepean, Ont., recently argued for changing the current residency-based taxation approach to the U.S. citizenship-based taxation (CBT) approach, understating the complexity involved in making such a change and overstating the potential benefits. (Similarly, Andrew Caddell argued in his April 22 Hill Times column that “the three million Canadians abroad […]
From MP Sloan’s comments to PM briefings, tiresome patterns amid COVID-19
OTTAWA—Tiresome is a sentiment that has more potency in this time of COVID-19 containment. Many of us are tired of our house-bound routine and desire some return to what we had seven weeks ago before the new normal set in. Most of us get that there is still a way to go, and diligence is […]
As Canadian a committee as possible, under the circumstances
As he began the proceedings for the House of Commons’ first special COVID-19 committee meeting on April 28, House Speaker Anthony Rota recalled the 1972 CBC contest to complete the phrase “As Canadian as …” The ultimate winner was a 17-year-old’s submission: “As Canadian as possible, under the circumstances.” Mr. Rota said the forthcoming arrangement, […]
Nova Scotia massacre again drives home urgent need for action on gun control, gender violence
OTTAWA—At a raucous party in Portapique, N.S., some years ago, the shooter in the recent massacre had an argument with his girlfriend, removed the tires from her car so she couldn’t leave, and then locked her out of their house, a long-time neighbour recalled. Trying to help the girlfriend, John Hudson went to the house […]
The tragedy in Nova Scotia should teach us all key lessons
OTTAWA—In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I joined the crowd watching Netflix. One series I found compelling was Mindhunter, a true story about the behavioural sciences unit set up by the FBI in the 1970s to profile serial killers. The unit’s purpose was to stop serial murders by identifying the personality traits of suspects. […]
