Throne Speech a missed opportunity to signal real action on tackling systemic racism
A Throne Speech isn’t meant to be much more than a high-level outline of what the government intends to do in the coming session of Parliament. But there is room for specificity, and the government has taken advantage of that for other initiatives. For example, this time around, the Liberals zeroed in on the creation […]
Has failing to call a fall election signalled Trudeau’s undoing?
Justin Trudeau possibly made his first fatal mistake when he prorogued Parliament on Aug. 18 rather than calling an election to reset the government agenda to face the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. His decision to prorogue was likely a calculation that Canadian voters would turn against the Liberals for calling a snap election in the […]
Armenia, Azerbaijan head for biggest clash over disputed territory since 1994 ceasefire
It’s probably Azerbaijan that started the shooting in this latest round of fighting with neighbouring Armenia. Which is not to say that it’s all Azerbaijan’s fault. The killing that started on Sunday is the biggest clash since the ceasefire of 1994: helicopters shot down, tanks blown up, and dozens of soldiers dead already. It could […]
Our Indigenous cultural heritage has sustained us since time immemorial
VANCOUVER—Indigenous heritage has been the focus of significant media attention over the past few years. Both the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015) and the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (2019) have demonstrated how the Canadian state has engaged in systematic acts of “cultural genocide.” […]
Nuclear threat remains so long as nuclear weapons exist, anywhere: Turcotte
Chapter 11 of Bob Woodward’s latest book entitled Rage begins in 2017 with U.S. President Donald Trump’s then secretary of defence, General James Mattis, stealing away from his security detail to visit the National Cathedral in Washington to pray and reflect upon a possible nuclear war that could kill millions. Woodward writes, “North Korean Chairman […]
Canada’s an ocean nation, time to take our place as a leader on world stage
ST. JOHN’S, N.L.—Canada is surrounded by ocean on three sides and yet, for many Canadians living in the middle of the country, we likely do not give our ocean frequent thought. We have the longest coastline in the world (243,042 km), the fourth largest ocean territory, and over 300,000 people working in coastal jobs contributing […]
Election cat and mouse games begin
OTTAWA—The election cat and mouse games begin. In a minority situation, an election can happen at any time if parties clash on spending priorities. But these are not ordinary times. In the middle of a pandemic, even getting to the polls is complicated. The British Columbia government just called an Oct. 24 election. Hours after […]
Throne Speech fails to set out a credible plan for the future economy
TORONTO—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had been promising an ambitious Throne Speech. For those of us hoping he would include bold plans for building back better—a stronger, more innovative economy with good jobs and the prosperity needed to fund the things we would like to do as a country—there was far too little ambition. We face […]
For John Turner in 1984, ‘fortune came and fortune fled,’ writes Hatfield
In the summer of 1982, during the 1981-82 recession, a Gallup poll was published showing the federal Liberals at 28 per cent. Undaunted by this, the Liberal research softball team appeared at their next game wearing T-shirts with the slogan “28 in ’82, 48 in ’84.” And, indeed, in 1984, just after John Turner was […]
Canada among the most dangerous places for language interpreters
OTTAWA—A new international study places Canada among the countries with the highest rate of acoustic shock incidents suffered by language interpreters. The study found that Canada ranks 13th of 81 countries with six-in-10 (59 per cent) Canadian respondents reporting they have suffered symptoms typical of exposure to an acoustic shock. Almost half (46 per cent) […]
