Twists and turns in upcoming U.S. election never ending
OTTAWA—The twists and turns in the upcoming American election are never ending. Just when we thought we had seen everything, the president, his spouse and high-ranking staffer, Hope Hicks, have all tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Not only will this stop the Trump campaign in its tracks, it will return COVID-19 front and centre […]
How Ottawa can help small businesses digitize, grow amid economic recovery
The federal government’s Speech from the Throne rightly recognized small businesses as the lifeblood of communities and the backbone of the economy. While the ripple effects of pandemic-related shutdowns in local, regional, and national economies have been devastating—particularly for small businesses—these businesses will attest that e-commerce has been essential to their survival. Canadian companies are […]
Addressing mental illness: what is to be done for our youth?
Mental Illness Awareness Week is a time to reflect on achievements in improving outcomes for young people experiencing a mental illness and committing to improvements yet to be done. The last decades have successfully built awareness about mental illnesses. However, this awareness has not transformed into addressing where needs continue to be the greatest. We […]
Germany’s quite possibly best major country right now
LONDON, U.K.—I have just spent two weeks driving around Germany interviewing people (mostly climate scientists, since you ask), and I have come to the conclusion that it is the best-run—and quite possibly just the best—major country in the world right now. Some small countries are absolute jewels, of course, but it’s easier if you’re small. […]
Bob Rae has arrived on the scene
EDMONTON—When Canada lost its bid for a seat on the UN Security Council the second successive time last June, I thought a foreign policy review from top to bottom was the solution to get Canada back on track internationally. But I’ve changed my mind for two reasons: the world is in multiple crises revolving around […]
Consider the costs of not acting on mental health
Mental health was dubbed the poor cousin of health care as a result of the 2006 Senate report, Out of the Shadows at Last: Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada. Two weeks ago, the government acknowledged the urgent need to remedy the inadequacy and inaccessibility of mental health services. Canada is recognized internationally for our […]
The case for a pandemic war cabinet
The government resources required both domestically and globally to combat COVID-19 are in many ways equivalent to those needed in times of war. While government efforts during the First World War and Second World War focused on developing domestic supply chains to build armaments and mobilize troops, we are now facing a different kind of […]
Transit electrification fulfils feds’ Throne Speech promises
The recent Throne Speech mapped out a vision for Canada as a 21st-century nation: one that prizes gender equity, a green economy, and puts stock in the value of public transit. It outlined a Canada in which green-energy technologies power a low-carbon economy, green-mobility technologies are developed, and jobs are created by moving people and […]
Let’s not turn COVID-19 fight into Canadian versus Canadian
OTTAWA—Last week in this space, I wrote about the need to consider gradually opening the Atlantic Bubble. Let me just say, the reaction from my home region was not overwhelmingly positive. Note the sarcasm—if they could have burned me in effigy, they would have. I had not been called some of the names I was […]
Canada should examine its moral failings in Libyan intervention
OTTAWA— Last week, the British Parliament was in a flap over the fact that during a heated debate, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace stated the U.K. had previously been involved in “illegal wars.” Wallace was obviously referring to the war in Iraq, and his Labour Party counterparts took offence. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office had to later issue a statement […]
