When the government cries broke when faced with common sense decisions like supporting passenger services on the ACR (while stakeholders find a permanent solution to a government-created crisis) that claim should be viewed through the lens of their huge and growing advertising budget. Spending [Read more]
I saw an interesting editorial cartoon where workmen are dismantling a house to build a fence. The fence is labelled security and the house is labelled privacy. It cuts to the heart of the debate on new anti-terrorism legislation that is being rushed through parliament as the Conservatives [Read more]
As oil prices slump and take the Canadian dollar along for the ride the question of how budget projections that predicted a modest surplus can be maintained is the flavour of the month in Ottawa. Despite negative indicators the government is holding firm to its projections, but has also moved the [Read more]
An Oxfam report this week showed that one percent of the world’s population will control half of the world’s wealth by 2016. It also explained how the world’s richest 80 individuals have as much wealth as the poorest 3.5 billion people combined. While this may sound inevitable, given [Read more]
We are often told not to put all our eggs in one basket and not to count our chickens until they hatch. Someone should have reminded the federal government about those poultry related maxims as they set out to spend a surplus based on assumptions which included oil trading at a high price. Now [Read more]
OTTAWA, ON – Minimal interaction between the Aboriginal health research community and senior leadership at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is undermining a decade of achievement and future advancement in aboriginal health research, according to Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing MP, [Read more]
OTTAWA, ON – September 2014, Green Party MP Bruce Hyer (Thunder Bay – Superior North) during Question Period with a query regarding changes to the Reform Act. [Read more]
Parliament held an emergency debate on Canada’s response to the situation in Iraq this week. The fact that it was an emergency debate and not a government-led one spoke volumes about the Prime Minister’s go-it-alone approach on this issue. That was hammered home when Thomas Mulcair was the [Read more]
For years New Democrats have called for the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to be used to catch tax cheats who use offshore accounts to avoid their responsibility to Canada. Money spent in this way always results in a larger amount coming back to our national coffers. While catching tax cheats [Read more]
People who had been denied federal disability benefits were thrown a curve ball as new rules have stripped them of their right to have an appeal in person. Where in the past individuals were able to meet face to face with an adjudicator, they will no longer be legally entitled to this method of [Read more]
BATCHEWANA FIRST NATION, ON — Tuesday May 27, 2014 Batchewana leadership attended the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Special Chief’s Assembly to discuss the Federal Government’s controversial (proposed) Bill C-33.The Act titled, “First Nations Control of First Nations Education”, [Read more]
UPDATE: : Prayers & Tobacco for Makayla Sault) “There was a meeting today with CAS and they will not be investigating further. They have closed the file and do not see Makayla as a child in need of protection!! She is released to take onongwatri:yo: and stay with her [Read more]
‘Nero fiddled while Rome burned’ may not be a historically accurate phrase, but it describes being occupied with unimportant matters while faced with a more urgent crisis. That is pretty much what is happening with Stephen Harper who leads a government that has clearly demonstrated their [Read more]
It was a noteworthy week in Canadian politics despite the fact that it was a constituency week for MPs. What made it interesting were announcements that Olivia Chow and Jim Flaherty are stepping down to pursue other options. We know that Olivia is leaving to run for Mayor of Toronto, while Mr. [Read more]
ELLIOT LAKE, ON – People struggling just to keep up need to know their government has their back, and that just isn’t happening according to Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing, MP Carol Hughes. Hughes was commenting on NDP Leader Tom Mulcair’s Affordability Tour which stopped in Sault Ste. Marie [Read more]
