Published in the Huffington Post Wednesday March 2, 2016
After some rather minor tinkering with one part of the CETA free trade deal with Europe, our new Liberal government is now saying the deal could be signed, ratified and in force by 2017.
Not so fast.
There is still much to be concerned with here. But we can still fix what’s wrong, and not just with CETA. The announcement Monday proves that.
Published in the Huffington Post February 24, 2016
Now is no time to be slaying deficits.
Ever since Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced Monday that the federal deficit would top $18.4 billion, all the familiar voices of right wing commentators, Bay Street analysts and Conservative politicians have made their all-too predictable calls for budget cuts and curtailed spending.
Published in the Huffington Post February 17, 2016
The real threat of Uber goes well beyond taxis and how we hail a cab.
It goes to basic respect for the laws of the land, the willingness or ability of governments to enforce those laws, and to the responsibility we all bear to pay our taxes to support the kind of society we want for ourselves and our families.
Published February 3, 2016 in the Huffington Post.
It took only a few minutes, but with a quick motion in the House of Commons last week, the new Liberal government moved to repeal two appalling pieces of federal labour legislation brought in by the former Harper government, Bills C-377 and C-525.
Almost immediately, Conservatives in the Senate promised to do all they could to block that repeal. We can’t let that happen. For those who thought this particular struggle was over, there is still much work to be done.
Published in the Huffington Post February 10, 2016
Now that the Trans Pacific Partnership has been signed, maybe we can have the honest, open and transparent debate that Canadians were denied during the federal election – and which the new Liberal government in Ottawa has promised.
Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland signed the TPP last week, saying it was merely a formality before the deal could be put before Parliament for debate. So, let’s have that debate. There’s certainly a lot to talk about.
This was published in the Huffington Post Wednesday January 27, 2016
At a time when our consumption of the news is at an all-time high, the very institutions at the heart of our news media are in crisis -- and demanding the attention of our political leaders.
In just the past week, Postmedia combined newsrooms in Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver in a move that not only saw many talented and dedicated journalists pushed out the door, but also saw distinctive voices quieted.
While your editorial on the widespread abuse of labour standards revealed through Ministry of Labour inspections aptly describes the poor working conditions faced by many workers, the emphasis you place on the need for education for employers is misplaced.
As the COP21 climate conference comes close to a conclusion, the world can breathe a bit easier.
All-night negotiations chaired by France’s Laurent Fabius produced a near to final agreement that delivers at least some of the ambitions we have been waiting for.
A state of emergency has seized Paris this December, although sometimes it is hard to determine just which emergency is foremost. Armies of police surrounding the Le Bourget Climate Conference and smaller groups at every transit station and downtown shopping centres speak to one emergency. The massive posters and displays on the COP21 and environment and climate themes that dominate public spaces throughout Paris and its underground metro stations point to the other global emergency that brings us here.
Here on Day 3 of COP 21, Human Rights and worker rights have emerged as one of the key issues in the early negotiations. In the current draft text of "Article 2" there is a provision committing the parties to recognition of human rights and just transition for workers in implementing the COP21 agreement. However, a number of countries including Mexico, Norway, and the US are pushing to have these commitments moved to the non-binding preamble section. That is unacceptable for the labour delegates at COP who are lobbying hard to have Article 2 maintained in its present form.
