Léger poll on eve of first French debate shows O’Toole gaining momentum in Quebec
As party leaders prepare for the Sept. 2 TVA debate—a crucial event for reaching many Quebec voters—a new poll from Léger Marketing suggests the Conservatives are on the rise in the province. “The reason why this poll is this really important is over the past two years, ever since the 2019 election, we’ve never had […]
A pox on all their houses: the major parties pander shamelessly on language
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—One of my mother’s cousins was married to a prominent Franco-Ontarian, Marcel Joyal, who was a lawyer in Ottawa and later became a Federal Court judge. They summered here, and I was lucky enough to enjoy his company from time to time. Joyal was a passionate Canadian, and late into the Kamouraska summer nights, […]
Paula Simons launches video series celebrating Alberta
Continuing her crusade to share the amazing variety in her home province of Alberta, Independent Senator Paula Simons has started filming a set of videos as of the week of Aug. 9 focused on exploring different aspects of the region and its people. “Calling them ‘mini-docs’ may be a bit grand,” she said in an […]
Survey says: health care, COVID benefits, affordability, and climate change top of mind for voters
OTTAWA—Over the past two weeks, I have had the great pleasure of guest hosting VOCM’s Openline program in Newfoundland and Labrador. Openline is a long-standing platform for all manner of discourse in my home province. It can often be a useful barometer of which issues are top of mind for the people of the Rock […]
Sharp-witted ISG Senator Keating remembered as a ‘relentless champion’ with an ‘insatiable intellect,’ sardonic sense of humour
Sharp, devoted, and extremely funny, Independent Senator Judith Keating is being remembered by her Red Chamber colleagues as a passionate advocate for New Brunswick. Throughout her life and after she was appointed to the Senate in January 2020, she advocated for women, people living in rural areas, access to medical health, and access to abortion […]
A dose of optimism—and realism—to decarbonize Alberta
An economically viable path to decarbonize Alberta’s oil and gas sector is starting to look much less like fantasy and a whole lot more feasible. Five recent announcements show that the pieces are coming together: plans for a new $1.3-billion net zero hydrogen plant in Edmonton; an announcement from Alberta Energy to facilitate creation of […]
Quebec’s anglophones have been cast adrift by the Trudeau government
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—It is tough being abandoned. On June 16, virtually the entire House of Commons dropped any historical commitment to the anglophone minority in Quebec, as it supported a Bloc Québécois motion recognizing Quebec’s “right” to unilaterally amend its provincial Constitution. This was effectively an endorsement of Quebec’s plans to enshrine French as its official […]
NDP’s Qaqqaq says nearly two years as MP an ‘isolating’ experience, did not ‘belong’
When NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq delivered her farewell speech remotely to the House of Commons on June 15, she called out Canada for its treatment of Indigenous communities, saying the country’s history “is stained with blood” and urged immediate action. “It is the blood of children, youth, adults, and elders. It is time to face […]
Community-centred, Indigenous approach needed for mental health in the North, say territory denizens
Although the recent federal budget included some new provisions for mental health in Canada, it fell short in addressing the pressing needs in the North, says Nunavut’s representative in the House of Commons. NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq (Nunavut) said she less pleased with broader efforts outside of the “bare minimum” of government apologies. “They keep […]
The notwithstanding clause has long passed its best-before date
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—“An abject failure.” These were the words Pierre Elliott Trudeau used to describe the new Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, when asked for an assessment by reporters in November of 1982. He did not elaborate, but many experts speculate it was the inclusion of Section 33, the notwithstanding clause, which offended […]
