Unpublished Cafe

It’s back to business for MP’s in the House of Commons as the Liberals took the wraps off their agenda with the Throne Speech. The Liberals do carry a minority into the House which means they will need the support of another party to get anything accomplished. The Opposition parties grumbled about the contents and the direction, but with a pandemic still here, supply chain issues costing us on eve...

They are the “frontline heroes “ of the pandemic. They were also first-in-line to be offered the Covid vaccine when it became available. So, it comes as a bit of a “??? “ when health care workers in Canada are still not rolling up their sleeves.  Ontario and Quebec both had announced mandatory vaccines for those workers, who are after all, working with Covid patients. Now both have backed off sayi...

The House of Commons will resume sitting on Monday, the first time since the Liberals won a minority government in the last election. In between, one of the largest Cabinets ever was introduced by the Prime Minister. That still leaves two months of idle MPs. What are the priorities of this next government?  There’s been a lot of road between the last election and the return of Parliament. The Libe...

It’s the Super Bowl for the Environment. COP26—The UN’s climate change summit has just wrapped up in Scotland. Almost 200 countries were in attendance for the two week convention, along with thousands of demonstrators.  Canada made some bold pledges during the event. Will they make a difference?  A lot of words were thrown around, but will they lead to any concrete solutions to rising sea levels a...

Canada’s military has garnered a lot of the spotlight lately, mainly for the wrong reasons. Complaints of sexual harassment and intimidation continue with seemingly no regard for the victims. Former Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan appeared to sit on his hands while decorated members of the military are facing allegations and charges.  Will Canada’s military get its act together?  In searching for a...

Canadians continue to roll up their sleeves for the Covid-19 vaccine. Booster shots are now available for the those who qualify, and children 5-11 years old will soon be getting inoculated.  So, it’s a bit of a head scratcher why Ontario and Quebec have reversed their decision on mandatory vaccines for health care workers. They will no longer be required to be vaccinated to continue to work in a h...

There are some new faces around the federal Cabinet table for the Liberals as the Prime Minister unveiled the “new bench” to lead the country out of the pandemic and toward recovery.  39 ministers in all, including a couple of new portfolios, Emergency Preparedness and Housing. Will this group get the job done?  While the new government signaled it wanted to get down to business right away, it sti...

Glasgow Scotland is the host city for COP26, also known as the United Nations Climate Change Conference. The event brings leaders, from around the world together to discuss the impact of climate change and extreme weather, with an aim to finding solutions.  In 2015, consensus was reached to keep global warming below 2 degrees with an aim at 1.5 to avoid a climate emergency. Canada is represented a...

In a year when Canadians were dragged to the polls for an election no one wanted, that got us back to where we started, Albertans were also trudging to the polls for a referendum on the Equalization Program to gain leverage with the federal government.  The results were over 61% voting Yes to remove Equalization from the Constitution. Will it ever happen?  The referendum was a campaign promise by...

The federal Liberals took the wraps off their new Cabinet following their minority election win in September. Justin Trudeau continued to aim for gender parity in Cabinet despite losing four female MP’s on election night.  There is a bit of strategy to crafting a Cabinet with a number of considerations to consider, regional representation, defeated incumbents, loyalty and success. It’s not an easy...

Since the pandemic started in Canada, the federal government has handed out more than $289 billion in Covid-support to Canadians who were affected by the lockdowns and restrictions. There were also income support programs for employers as well as rent subsidies to help affected businesses impacted.  Now the federal government is pivoting to two new, more targeted programs to get Canada across the...

The Canadian Constitution has been taking a beating from the provinces during the pandemic. Ontario uses the notwithstanding clause to get its way on third party election spending, despite their law violating Charter Rights. Then Quebec wanted to change part of the Constitution that applies to it, to declare itself a Nation and to make French the official language of the Province. Not to be outdon...

Following our last federal election, which saw the Liberals return to government with another minority, voices have been rising about a more fair and equitable form of elections to better represent all voters. Does Canada need electoral reform now?  In 2015, then Liberal leader, Justin Trudeau said if he won the election it would be the last federal election under the “First Past the Post” system....

The mantra is clear for most small business operators, “we can’t find people to work because of government subsidies” and it’s hurting their recovery. How true does that ring?  It’s a sight seen many places across the country as lockdowns were eased and restrictions lifted, small businesses were delighted to resume operations. The only problem was finding people to work.  When the pandemic arrived...

he lay of the land politically has not shifted since the beginning of the pandemic. When COVID arrived, the Liberals had a minority government propped up by the NDP. Fast forward to this summer and the Liberals plunged the country into an election which no one wanted, only to arrive back at the same point, a Liberal minority.  Now, they will have to lay out their agenda with an eye on support from...

It was a promise seen as broken from the 2015 Federal election. Then Liberal leader Justin Trudeau promised that if elected the 205 election would be the last First-Past-the-Post federal election in Canada. Well, he was elected with a majority and here we are two elections later—both were First-Past-the-Post.  Will electoral reform come to Canada?  The Liberals promised electoral reform in 2015 an...

One thousand and twenty days. Almost three years behind bars in China. And in one fell swoop, the two Michaels were on a plane to Calgary, while Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Huawei pleaded guilty in a deferred prosecution agreement and was on a plane back to China.  It’s been three years of frosty relations between Canada and China. Can or will the relationship be repaired? Canada does trade with China, b...

Less than two weeks after the 44th Federal election, it’s time to start lining up the priorities and looking ahead at the next session of Parliament. What is on the horizon for us?  The snap election called by the Liberals failed to give them a majority which means they will have to work with others to accomplish anything.  Our Unpublished.vote question asks:  What should be the top priority of th...

Canada’s most populous province has introduced vaccine passports. Despite initially refusing to introduce them, Ontario has reluctantly jumped on board. Will it make a difference? Quebec initiated the idea to allow those double vaccinated to access non-essential services and events, like restaurants, concerts and sporting events. When you look at the polls on vaccine mandates, vaccine passports an...

A $600 million election for Canada to wind up pretty well where we started: A Liberal minority. For those of us who lamented the lack of discussion on foreign policy in the campaign, there is one huge issue facing this country and that is the Chinese government.    Will Relations be different this time around?    There has been a dark cloud hanging over Canada-China relations for 3- years now. Bef...

The finish line is in sight for the 44th Federal election. Polls close at 8 pm this evening in eastern Canada in a campaign that was overridden by one nagging issue. Why are we having this election?  It was something the Liberals under-estimated and it left the Opposition an opening. Will it work?  The 36-day campaign saw the Liberals holding an 8-point lead on the Conservatives and hoping for a m...

Remember when the pandemic started more than a year and a half ago? Lockdowns, masks, fear of the unknown. A vaccine against Covid-19 would spare us those restrictions and pave the way back to normal, or as normal as we might see.    But it hasn’t. Now we have a divide between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated over mandatory vaccines and vaccine passports. Which side are you on?    Not only have...

Canadians are one week away from heading to the ballot box in the country’s 44th Federal election. We have just come out of the first weekend of advanced polling and the leaders and candidates continue to stump for your approval. According to a number of polls, the top issues for Canadians are affordability, housing and the economic recovery from the pandemic.  What do you think of the plans to ge...

That’s a wrap on the televised leaders debates in this federal election campaign. Thursday’s was the only English language debate and the Liberal leader was in the cross hairs of the other candidates.    Did any of them make an impression?    The one thing not clearly answered by Justin Trudeau is why he called an election. Usually in these debates, everyone wants to make an impression—maybe a kno...

It’s the dream of pretty well every Canadian to own their own home. Do you remember the time you got the keys to your first home? I do. It’s a goal fulfilling feeling. But, it’s a dream out of reach for many Canadians right now, which is why all the federal parties are preaching about their platforms to provide more affordable housing.  Will any of the parties’ plans for affordable housing work? ...