How the universities lobby got $1-billion-plus from the feds
The $900-million in federal funds doled out to universities last week was part of a research fund green-lit by a Conservative government looking for an “out-of-the-park” scientific success story, say some of the key players that lobbied for the fund’s creation. The story of that two-year lobbying campaign adds a wrinkle to the anti-science reputation […]
Construction truck impaled by barrier on Parliament Hill
A hulking construction truck towing a trailer was pierced by a ground-level security-barrier pole on Parliament Hill Friday afternoon in a doozy of a collision that disrupted traffic at the Bank Street entrance for hours. The vehicle, owned by Ottawa-based Exel Contracting Inc., was skewered by the black security blockade as it drove from the […]
Supreme Court debate underscores importance of second-language education
The furor over the Liberal government’s decision to change how Supreme Court justices are appointed has raised questions about the importance of bilingualism at the highest levels of the judiciary, and how it should be weighed against the importance of regional representation on the country’s top bench. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau signalled his priorities, assigning […]
MP juggles fasting and legislation during Ramadan
The most challenging part of serving in Parliament during Ramadan, the Muslim holy month when adherents fast from sunrise to sundown, isn’t the long hours or hunger, it’s missing out on family gatherings celebrating the breaking of these daily fasts, says Liberal MP Salma Zahid. Ms. Zahid (Scarborough Centre, Ont.), a practising Muslim, said the first week […]
Putting the pieces in place for development
The Northwest Territories’ potential to contribute to the national economy is huge. While vast reserves of gas and oil have been identified, only small pockets have been exploited. Territorial mines have, for more than 80 years, produced gold, diamonds, tungsten, lead, and other minerals, and are the largest contributor to the territorial GDP. Much of […]
Territorial Development
Canada should make education a core theme in aid policy
No nation will achieve gender equality without quality education. Economic development and education similarly go hand in hand, as does educating a nation and ensuring healthcare for all its citizens. In fact, name a worthy, large-scale goal—poverty reduction, peaceful coexistence, good governance – and you’ll find a well-established link between the ability to attain it […]
Canada has yet to succeed as a scale-up nation
CANADA & THE 21ST CENTURY: PART 3 OF A 6-PART SERIES TORONTO—Canada is clearly succeeding as a start-up nation. New tech companies are being created in record numbers. This is where much innovation happens. But Canada has yet to succeed as a scale-up nation—it is failing to grow many of its start-ups into viable companies […]
Nurturing the next BlackBerry
TORONTO—Building a more innovative country, with good jobs, will depend on close collaboration among business, universities and colleges, and government. This is no time for limited or small government any more than it is a time for risk-averse businesses or academia operating in silos. As the old TV commercial used to put it, “together, we […]
The importance of military soft power
In the late 1980s, Joseph Nye coined the term “soft power” to refer to the ability of a country to shape the preferences of others. That is, the ability to shape their long-term attitudes and preferences without using “hard power” tools such as force or coercion. It is why embassies and consulates around the world […]
