The Canadian food safety system has been given top grades in a new report from the Conference Board of Canada. The report, released Nov. 20, compared the food safety systems of 17 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Canada and Ireland tied for first, with France coming in second. The United Kingdom, Norway and […] Read more
Stories by Kelsey Johnson
Tories prepare for election with renewed trade emphasis
Trade, trade and more trade: it’s been a favourite cornerstone in the Conservative political agenda for years. Now, with an election looming, the Conservatives have intensified their international push for new market access, again. Trade has quietly dominated the international political agenda for most of November. Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz, whose meeting schedule would leave […] Read more
Feds can delay debate on firearms act change, but not avoid
The latest Conservative gun bill has been quietly pulled from the government’s agenda in light of the Ottawa shooting Oct. 22. The Common Sense Firearms Licensing Act (C-42) was supposed to be debated for the first time Oct. 22. The debate was set to last three days. Instead, members of Parliament found themselves in lock […] Read more
Waffling on railway fine may prove detrimental in rail review
Government promises to stand firm against the country’s two largest railways are being scrutinized, again, after recent revelations that Canadian National Railway still hasn’t been fined for its alleged failure to meet federal grain targets. In September, transport minister Lisa Raitt announced that fines were pending against CN rail after the company failed to meet […] Read more
Canadians unite to defend democracy after shooting in Ottawa
Nerves and emotions here in Ottawa are still raw, days after a lone gunman shot and killed a reservist standing on guard at the National War Memorial and then stormed his way into Parliament’s iconic Centre Block. The deadly shooting, which took the life of 24-year old Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, a reservist from Hamilton, and […] Read more
New COOL victory at WTO good news, but battle far from over
It’s a win federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz could really use right now. After months of speculation, the World Trade Organization ruled Oct. 20 that the United States had not done enough to bring its controversial meat labelling rules into compliance of international trade rules. The WTO’s dispute resolution body said in its ruling that […] Read more
Farm groups take aim at Agricultural Growth Act, outdated APP cap
After months of unexpected de-lays and a lengthy pause for Parliament’s summer recess, the Conservatives’ latest agriculture bill has finally begun its study at committee. Farm groups have anticipated the Agricultural Growth Act since federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz first tabled it in the House of Commons last December. The bill amends nine pieces of […] Read more
P.E.I.’s shortage of young workers bound to worsen as more retire
CHARLOTTETOWN — Drive the red clay roads of rural Prince Edward Island and one cannot help but notice a reoccurring trend. Everyone you meet in these small communities is in their 50s, at least. Many are in their 60s, 70s and 80s, their wrinkled hands roughened by years of hard work. Islanders are aging. It’s […] Read more
Government’s change on railway penalty a typo or backpedaling?
What a difference a week makes. Just days after the federal government announced it would be levying fines against Canadian National Railway for failing to meet its minimum grain volume targets, transport minister Lisa Raitt was left trying to explain how the maximum penalty the railway could face had been quietly reduced from $100,000 per […] Read more
All eyes on how Ottawa handles challenges to railway legislation
It didn’t take long. Just days after Parliament’s return from summer break, the government’s Fair Rail for Grain Farmer’s Act was facing its first real test: Canadian National Railway would be fined. Transport minister Lisa Raitt made the announcement of the undisclosed fine in a statement the evening of Sept. 17. Word of the fine […] Read more
