This just in: Donner Prize, Dafoe Prize name books shortlisted for honours
The nominees for 2020’s prestigious Donner and Dafoe book prizes are now out, with 10 books earning the nod and offering Canadians another enlightening way to pass their time in the COVID-19 lockdown. The five books nominated for the Donner Prize for best public policy book include Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson‘s Empty Planet: The […]
MPs join fight to stamp out COVID-19 disinformation that’s ‘spreading faster than the virus’
The World Health Organization has warned of an “infodemic” of misinformation and disinformation around COVID-19, and as authorities, companies, and individuals work to combat it, two Members of Parliament have joined an international initiative aimed at calling out and fact-checking online content around the virus. “We’ve seen misinformation in many other contexts—electoral contexts and certainly other […]
Feds ‘on the hot seat’ for past and new decisions, as journos, staffers contend with new media environment
Despite the dwindling numbers of journalists standing face-to-face with decision makers as the COVID-19 pandemic pushes more people to work from home, public officials and the media have done an effective job of communicating with the public so far, despite challenging conditions, say observers. In addition to daily updates by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, […]
How to save the Canadian media industry from mass extinction
TORONTO—If current trends continue, Canada’s news media will not survive the COVID-19 recession. Even during the boom years of 2009-2019, nearly 300 Canadian outlets shut down and 16,000 journalists were laid off. But the good times, if you can call them that, are over. In the last two weeks, nearly 500 more journalists have been […]
Guilbeault announces support for media; Winnipeg Free Press publisher blasts feds, saying ‘no new support’ forthcoming
The federal government announced long-awaited support on March 25 for media organizations suffering significant losses of revenue, after news media organizations in Atlantic Canada and Quebec joined the long list of businesses laying off employees across Canada. Winnipeg Free Press Publisher Bob Cox, however, says the announcement contains “absolutely no new support whatsoever” for journalism. […]
Catherine McKenna offers virtual civics lesson for furloughed students
With Ontario’s children stuck at home following the provincial government’s school closures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna decided to sub in. Ms. McKenna hosted a 45-minute civics lesson on Facebook live last week. “I thought I would try do something different, which is, talk about being a Member of […]
The Hill braces for Covid-19
As Canada tries to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the Hill is also adjusting. Like many sports leagues across the world, the House of Commons has suspended until April 20, missing two sitting weeks. Access to the House and Senate is being limited to parliamentary personnel and to the Hill media. Tours are being […]
Stop downgrading the role of Parliament
TORONTO—Our democratic system is in trouble, with MPs seen as out of touch with public needs and ineffective in dealing with public problems. One reason for this is the downgrading of the role of Parliament itself and the diminished role of individual MPs in shaping legislation or holding governments accountable. If we want to restore […]
It’s time to stop using the ‘rule of law’ as a weapon against Indigenous peoples
Protests against the RCMP’s attempts to remove Wet’suwet’en traditional leadership from their homeland gained steam last week. First Nation and other allies set up blockades on railways, bridges and public buildings across Canada. As the civil disobedience grew and began to affect urban Canadians, many of whom found themselves inconvenienced in this way for the […]
In fast-moving political reality, Trudeau uses Incident Response Group to seek ‘quick resolutions’ to complex problems
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s ad hoc cabinet committee, the Incident Response Group, has regularly met in recent weeks to discuss and to quickly communicate the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, Iran’s downing of the Ukrainian passenger flight, and ongoing rail blockades across the country. Ad hoc committees established by prime ministers to deal with […]
