Stalled Government: Causes and Possible Remedies

 Canadians have clearly begun to notice that the Government of Canada doesn’t seem to be able to get things done. The government’s critics go on at length about how the current government is great at theatrical gestures, but remarkably less good at delivering effects, and this is largely true. Performative

Get the Government of Canada Covid-19 app now!

 On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) assessed COVID-19 as a pandemic. The Canadian government of Canada has been keeping Canadians informed with daily briefings from Prime Minister Trudeau and Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam.  Covid-19 remains a serious threat to all Canadians. In response, the government

Memo to the Government of Canada regarding the Wet’suwet’en affair: Listen to Grand Chief Joseph Tokwiro Norton

 ABOVE: Two young Indigenous protester stand in solidarity with the Wet'suwtan'en of British Columbia (March 1, 2020  PHOTO: OLM STAFF) Grand Chief Joseph Norton of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake is one of the great Aboriginal leaders in North America. An eloquent, effective and innovative leader, he has a proven track record and

Ottawa Celebrates Black History Month

 Photo credit: Government of Canada This past weekend, Ottawa kicked off Black History Month with the official opening ceremony at City Hall. Hosted by Black History Ottawa (BHO), the ceremony was an afternoon of music, inspiring speeches, recognition of groundbreakers and leaders in the community, and more. Photo credit: Canada Post

Kid Food Nation gala in Ottawa celebrates young chefs

 Photo credit: Ben Welland, byfield-pitman photography This past Sunday, 26 young chefs from across Canada travelled to Ottawa where they showcased their winning recipes, met famous Canadians and celebrated their love of healthy eating at the second annual Kid Food Nation gala. Hosted by YTV’s Carlos Bustamante, this year’s gala took

Mental health therapies should be fully funded by medicare

 By: Helen-Maria Vasiliadis Media headlines tell us in detail about the mental health struggles of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain before their deaths by suicide.  But what too often goes untold are the stories of thousands of people who die by suicide every year in Canada – our friends, relatives,

Beware of False Green Prophet$

 By: Greg Vezina, Chairman, Hydrofuel Inc. and leader of Ontario’s None Of The Above Direct Democracy Party. Canada needs honest viable energy and environmental policies based on science and economics, not on political rhetoric, nonscience or nonsense. Prime Minister Trudeau’s proposed carbon tax is a clear example of this because

The Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association Concerned Over Untenable Legal Situation

 By Lieutenant General (Retired) Louis Cuppens, Special Advisor Advocacy, Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association / Feature photo by Andre Gagne The Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association, an all veteran organization, is gravely concerned about the current untenable legal situation in which Canadian veterans are trapped. Recently a BC Court of Appeals overturned an earlier ruling

Breaking News: Based On New Evidence, Group Calls for Judicial Inquiry Into Mayerthorpe

 En français The Mounted Police Professional Association of Canada (MPPAC), a Professor of Criminology from Carleton University and the Publisher and Managing Editor of Ottawa Life Magazine are calling for a judicial inquiry to review the conduct and decision making of the RCMP’s senior leadership before, during and after the

K&A: Our Perspective on Budget 2016

 Kathleen Wynne (right) announced the new Ontario budget late February. Photo by Jason Hargrove under Creative Commons license. As our client base continues to grow so too does their demand for objective insight into events like Budgets. This analysis of Ontario’s Budget 2016 and post discussion strives to provide an objective perspective

The Métis — Ignored No Longer

 There are emerging signs that the Federal Government is finaly recognizing Métis land claims. The people of the Métis Nation number 350,000 who are spread across much of Canada and some of the northwestern U.S.A. The definition of the members of the Métis Nation put forward by the Métis National

Time for Improved Transparency and Openness in Pharmaceutical Drug Regulation

 Prescription pharmaceuticals have saved and improved many lives, but they can also be deadly. How can we make sure Canadians get the prescription drugs they need without causing unnecessary harm? The federal government plays a vital role in pharmaceutical drug regulation. We have many reasons to be proud of the

Why Canada Shouldn’t Compete with the U.S. for the Worst Performing Health System in the Developed World

 B.C. Court Challenge Looming The latest Commonwealth Study ranked Canada’s health care system a dismal second to last in a list of 11 major industrialized countries. We had the dubious distinction of beating out only the Americans. This latest poor result is already being used by those bent on further

Greenhouse Producers Seek Light During Darkest Days

  Now that Canada is in the midst of the shortest and coldest days of the year, light and heat management are top of mind for many producers who operate greenhouses. Managing supplemental lighting to promote growth is not as simple as flipping a switch – it’s an art form. From December

Financial Literacy: An Essential 21st Century Skill

 It may surprise you to learn that November is Financial Literacy Month. And yet, financial literacy deserves to be given more prominence in today’s world of complex mortgages, loans, insurance policies, complicated investment products and sophisticated financial scams. As Leslie Byrnes, Vice-President, Distribution and Pensions at the Canadian Life and

Harper Government’s Disdain For Science

 In recent years, science in Canada has come up against an increasing disdain for evidence-based decision making and a disappearing commitment to transparency. In brief, evidence-based policy-making in Canada is under attack and it is orchestrated by our own federal government. In the absence of evidence, government policy is increasingly

Opposition Leader Tim Hudak says with Ontario facing unprecedented job losses and a massive deficit, six million in bonuses to LCBO management is wrong

 Premier Dalton McGuinty recently announced that the Ontario government is considering selling off crown assets such as the LCBO to reduce the deficit. Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak is convinced that such a move is not the right way to go. "Selling off crown assets is the wrong approach to

Canadian Innovation and 21st Century Challenges

 Like other countries, Canada faces profound challenges in the decades ahead. An aging population, the need to mitigate and adjust to climate change, the transition to a low greenhouse gas emissions economy and pressures from rising economic superpowers are issues we all confront. Science, technology and innovation will be crucial

Andrea Horwath says LCBO bonuses show a culture of entitlement

 By: Dina Zeldin OLM: Ex-LCBO employee Larry Paterson discovered through Freedom of Information requests that the LCBO dished out over 6 million dollars in bonuses to employees in 2008 (which had increased from just over 400 thousand in 1997). Can you comment on why these bonuses were awarded? What was

The Future of Northern Resource Development in Canada — Optimism or Pessimism

 Natural resource development in the Canadian North is emerging as one of our country’s most interesting economic policy issues. Climate change, mineral prices, Aboriginal relations, northern sovereignty, and environmental review efficiency are environmental review efficiency are among those issues that are closely integrated with northern resource development and will influence

Innovation in Canada’s Science and Technology Sector: Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s New Strategy

 Governments do not create prosperity. It's created by business and the best thing government can do is mitigate any unnecessary interference with companies as they do their business. Canada has the world's fifth-largest aerospace industry with world-beating companies, such as Bombardier and CAE, and with the workhorse of NASA —

Canada’s Muscular Military: The Throne Speech Façade

 Pity the Canadian Forces. They must surely be suffering from an identity crisis. It was only a month ago that the government strutted the Forces before the public eye so we could see their biceps bulging, their pecs rippling. Just listen to the overflow of machismo in the Throne Speech

Afghanistan and the Polls: Change the Question – Change the Numbers

 Quick media conclusions on polls released regarding Canadian participation in the Afghanistan mission are flawed. Part of the difficulty in interpreting the polls lies in the fact that the two principal polling firms involved with the longest databases use very different questions in their polls. Strategic Counsel, which is the

Sometimes Compensation is the Road to Closure

 For more than 150 years, the Government of Canada attempted to assimilate aboriginal children by placing them in residential —otherwise known as boarding — schools. Since it was too difficult to change adults, they began "Christianizing" children as early as age five. But over the years, tens of thousands of

A New Russia Emerges

 Canada and Russia are kindred spirits. We share the coldest climates in the northern hemisphere, a multicultural population spread over vast landmasses, and regional governments that blame all their problems on a federal or central authority. In Canada, the provinces blame the feds, while in Russia, regional governments blame president