Canada’s greater potential, bigger strengths are hydrogen and fuel cells technology
TORONTO—If it plays its cards right, Canada should benefit much more from pursuing an aggressive strategy for hydrogen and fuel cells than it would from pinning its hopes on electric vehicle battery plants and battery-ready minerals. This is not an either-or-choice. We should do what we can to be part of the battery-powered future. But […]
Bloc bill seeks to protect Quebec seats as riding redraw gets underway
The Bloc Québécois has begun its push to protect Quebec’s share of seats in the House of Commons through a new private member’s bill from MP Martin Champoux, following leader Yves-François Blanchet’s vow to “unleash the fires of hell” if the province loses a seat through the now-ongoing electoral redistribution process. Tabled on Feb. 8, […]
To the protesters: it’s not about you
I’d like to say to all the protesters: the public health restrictions obviously affect you, but they are not about you. Your freedom is very important. But nobody is actually trying to take it away, or to control you. None of us likes the restrictions, but unfortunately, they are necessary for protection because of the […]
Nova Scotia MPs receive packages containing chemical irritants
Three Liberal and two Conservative Nova Scotia MPs were on the receiving end of similar suspicious envelopes containing chemicals two weeks ago, and one staffer ended up being taken to hospital as a result, prompting Nova Scotia MPs to urge people to “pay attention to what’s happening in this country.” CBC News also reported last […]
Alberta: problem child of Confederation
TORONTO—Unlike the founding provinces of Confederation, Alberta was created by the federal government. Although Ottawa granted Alberta control of its natural resources in 1930, no other English Canadian province has whined as much about the federal system. Equalization is the provincial government’s current leading grievance. Alberta’s governments have fought Ottawa for over a century. The […]
COVID’s very real demands taking a toll on purveyors of populist flimflam
OTTAWA—Boris Johnson’s troubles have ballooned to the point of creating a moment of truth for the British prime minister. By the weekend, his ability to hang onto his job was dangling in the balance, as Johnson tried to fend off attacks on his integrity from across the political spectrum. One of the most successful politicians […]
Alexa McDonough and the cost of blazing trails
Trailblazing isn’t easy, but those who knew her say Alexa McDonough had the character and resilience to do it with grace, earnestness, and always a sense of humour. Since her recent death, McDonough has been described as a “role model,” an “icon,” and the reason many women in politics who came after her were able […]
Take a look in the social media mirror before casting the first snowball
OTTAWA—Doug Ford fascinates me. Maybe I am a COVID long hauler, and I am suffering some sort of pandemic-induced delusion. Maybe my Atlantic-Canadian, Red Tory soul is opening to Ontario populist Tories. Maybe I was blind all along or maybe I just need something different to write about. Who knows? You be the judge. Where […]
Anti-vaxxers are doing no one any good
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—A friend of mine recently posted the following note on Facebook: “I phoned my cousin on Boxing Day to wish her a belated Merry Christmas. The exhausted voice at the other end of the line politely accepted my pitiful attempt at good cheer. As a Quebec public health nurse, she had been working straight […]
Cowardly Canadian leaders point fingers at the unvaccinated
CALGARY—Imagine a Black woman who writes about, and advocates against, inequities, who rails against injustice, with an emphasis on the Black experience siding with the anti-vaxxers she cussed only a few months prior. But here we are. Politics makes for strange bedfellows. On Jan. 11, Quebec Premier François Legault announced a tax on the unvaccinated […]
