Sadly, the lesson from the Brexit referendum in the U.K. is that once the Pandora’s Box is opened by political leaders in unnecessary referendums, one may not be able to close it once expected and unexpected dangers become too difficult to manage or impossible to suppress.
Canada is highly respected, but it seems many Albertans and Quebecers don’t care, and prefer to gamble with our country’s future in a time of crisis.
‘It demands the action of democracy, and I think unless we address it, it will be like an itch that is not scratched,’ says Conservative MP Stephanie Kusie of Alberta’s separatism question.
British Columbia Premier David Eby has expressed concerns about Mark Carney’s chummy relationship with Danielle Smith. Carney appears to be treating Alberta’s demands and desires with special attention, particularly the desire for a new pipeline.
By taking concrete action on key issues for Albertans, PM Mark Carney is trying to send a message that he wants the federation to work better for Alberta, says pollster Janet Brown. Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he and his MPs will campaign for Alberta to remain part of Canada.
Given current polling trends, if an election were to happen now, the Liberals would win the B.C. riding of Cloverdale-Langley City, says pollster Greg Lyle.
Rachel Notley’s watching Danielle Smith make bold deals with the federal Liberal government to help develop Alberta’s energy sector, the same sort of deals Notley tried but failed to make. But she was just the victim of cold political calculations.
The next step for Ottawa is clear. The Canada Health Act provides that the government ‘shall’ reduce transfer payments to provinces for extra-billing or user charges. If there are no financial consequences to Alberta, the financial pressures on other governments to follow suit will be hard to resist.
A movement openly questioning the legitimacy of Confederation is being normalized as part of democratic discourse, while First Nations asserting their treaty rights are portrayed as procedural obstacles standing in the way of the people’s will.
If Quebec fails to bring the defence bank to Montreal, it’ll have no one to blame but itself.
A three-member Ontario Liberal Party arbitration committee is scheduled to meet May 20 to review Nathaniel Erskine-Smith’s appeal against the provincial Scarborough-Southwest nomination election result, according to Liberal sources. In the meantime, Ontario Liberals are pushing back.
A third-party review of the food affordability program for northern and remote communities was due on March 31. Over a month later, Ottawa is still waiting. Northern Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand says she has her own data to guide future action.
A Pollara poll from April had support for Alberta separatism at 27 per cent, the highest level recorded in five years of tracking. A recent CBC News poll showed that 57 per cent of UCP members would vote for Alberta to separate from Canada. This means Smith is dependent on separatists to remain leader.
The implementation agreement marks another step towards the construction of a new oil pipeline running from Alberta to British Columbia’s coast.
The feds would be wrong to think that taking action to address Albertans’ claims they are mistreated by Ottawa would make much, if any, difference among separatists.
Health Canada has six sets of funding deals with provinces and territories—some of which expire next March. Marjorie Michel will only confirm she’s in talks to renew the ‘Working Together’ deals.
‘It’s a security concern for people like me who are in the public eye and who deal with angry constituents all the time,’ says Alberta Senator Paula Simons of an Elections Alberta data leak that exposed the personal details of nearly three million people.
If resilience is the goal, then communities cannot be treated as liabilities to manage; they must be recognized as assets to mobilize.
What is crystal clear is conservatives flirted with far-right grievances to gain political power only for those monsters of Confederation to use their access to undermine federalism.
Whenever Canadians elsewhere downplay the importance of French, an incipient paranoia raises its head among nationalists.
In the past, the Senate of Canada had a special committee on the Arctic, which should be reinstated.
The federal government has emphasized the need to build more, and build faster. Integrating climate considerations into these investments will help ensure communities are prepared for what’s ahead.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Hill Times, Frank McKenna talks about paying it forward in challenging times, his passion for public policy, and how he’s not likely to advise the prime minister any time soon.
The declining birthrate of francophones offers a nightmare scenario for Quebec.
This is not a country that is founded on justice; it is, however, founded on order, which is a cudgel the powerful continue to use against the powerless.
