Analysis
Policing protest: a double standard
Robin Tress | October 18, 2020
In the past week we’ve seen shocking acts of violence and vandalism in the St Mary’s Bay area of Nova Scotia as non-Indigenous fishers continue to oppose Mi’kmaq rightsholders exercising their treaty right to fish. Settlers trapped two Mi’kmaq fishermen in a lobster pound,…
Trapped in Conflict: How the corporate megafishery Clearwater has set the stage for violent conflict in Mi’kma’ki
Robin Tress | October 15, 2020Today across the country, people awoke to reeling images of violence and racism carried out against Mi’kmaq fishers. Many people are asking key questions such as why the RCMP has not pro-actively intervened and defended Mi’kmaq leadership and fishers, what are the economic…
B.C. chapters use election to call on politicians to end fossil fuel subsidies
The Council of Canadians | October 14, 2020During the B.C. election, the Council of Canadians, through our B.C.-based chapters, is joining a broad coalition of other groups to demand that the B.C. government end the many ways it subsidizes fossil fuel corporations. Our question for all candidates is simple: Will you end…
A promise is a promise! Liberal government should end back-room, corporate trade negotiations
Sujata Dey | October 7, 2020Free trade agreements have consistently worked against the interests of people and the planet. Trade deals are hatched in secret, with corporate interests represented around the table. The Council of Canadians and our labour, environment and civil society allies have to fight…
Yes, We Can! Climate Lessons from A Good War
John Cartwright | October 7, 2020
A year ago, millions of people took to the streets demanding real action to address the climate emergency. Inspired by Greta Thunberg and a dynamic movement of students and youth across the globe, Fridays for Future seemed to be an unstoppable force in world politics. And then…
BREAKING: Exxon Mobil will continue to fuel the climate crisis
Robin Tress | October 5, 2020In truly shocking news from Bloomberg this weekend, we learned that Exxon Mobil, the fourth largest climate polluter in the history of fossil fuel companies, has no plans whatsoever to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
In fact, the company plans to expand its operations and…
Ford government an example of why long-term care shouldn’t be in the hands of the provinces
Jan Malek | September 24, 2020On July 30, 2020, the Ontario government quietly released a study on staffing in long-term care. The government-initiated report recognizes "the critical importance of staffing in long-term care homes" and says the government must "urgently address the staffing crisis in long-…
Throne Speech full of big, vague promises – but will it deliver?
Christina Warner | September 23, 2020This afternoon, in the looming shadow of a second wave of COVID-19, Prime Minister Trudeau set his government’s new agenda. The government’s response to the pandemic and its plans for a national recovery to the crisis will impact our country for years to come.
As I watched the…
Pallister government using COVID-19 as an excuse to gut public oversight
Chris Kruszewski | September 23, 2020What do you call a government using a global pandemic to push through legislation that takes away the right to public consultation and impartial oversight on water, electricity, hydro rates and other important services?
Unfortunately, there is no punchline to this. Using the…
We need pharmacare now
The Council of Canadians | September 17, 2020People should not have to worry about whether they can afford their medications - especially during a global pandemic. In the last few months, we've heard from hundreds of people who are struggling to be able to get the medicine they need.
Read some of their stories here and…
Where does your MP stand on a just recovery?
Dylan Penner | September 14, 2020We’re at a major turning point in the fight for a just recovery and a Green New Deal that supports people and the planet, not corporate bailouts.
You’ve likely seen for yourself. The pandemic has exposed and sharpened the deep inequities and injustices that have always existed…
B.C. Supreme Court delivers massive win for public health care
Jan Malek | September 10, 2020Today, B.C.’s Supreme Court struck down a Charter challenge against public health care. Launched by private clinic owner Dr. Brian Day, the case was a direct threat to Canada’s publicly funded medicare system.
The case, which went to trial in B.C. Supreme Court in 2016, pitted…