Apr 13 2019 — Peter MacKay — Sun Media — The ejection from caucus of former ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott is the culmination of a slow burn ongoing within the government for more than six months. It has dominated the news cycle, overshadowed the budget and paralyzed governance, leaving allies and adversaries alike wondering, “What the heck is going on?”
Jul 25 2018 — Peter MacKay — National Post — Lost in the summer haze is one of the largest nation-building job opportunities seen in a generation. The Energy East pipeline project would have been a massive game changer, not just for the Atlantic provinces, but for the entire country. It would have assured our energy independence and kick-started an increasingly sluggish economy. Unfortunately, Justin […]
Dec 8 2017 — Peter MacKay — iPolitics — With all the controversy sparked by Prime Minister Trudeau’s recent trip to China, there is one critical issue that cannot be overlooked: the need to stop the takeover of major Canadian industries through direct investment in Canada by the Chinese government through state owned enterprises (SOEs). There is a very limited role in the Canadian […]
Mar 28 2017 — Peter MacKay — Toronto Star — The federal government has a fundamental responsibility to appoint a sufficient complement of judges such that our courts can function properly. Its failure in that regard creates a constitutional crisis that goes to the very rule of law that underpins our justice system. A lack of judicial appointments in the context of increasing pressure to […]
Nov 7 2016 — Peter MacKay — Policy Options — In Ottawa and Washington, you can hear the hand-wringing and the teeth-sucking over Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton would be a far more “acceptable” partner to work with, or so the thinking goes. But once one is outside the bubbles of the capitals, one finds a much different sentiment driving American voters. “Fed up,’ “disgusted,” “exasperated” […]
Aug 27 2016 — Peter MacKay — Sun Media — Much ink will be spilled in the coming days to describe Canada’s sixth longest serving prime minister, Stephen Harper. My reflections on having served with him in Parliament and as a member of his cabinet are of course biased but also very personal. Our early interactions were guarded, but gave way to a common cause […]
Aug 24 2016 — Peter MacKay — National Post — A former Conservative cabinet minister says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has “spit” in the eye of Atlantic Canadians by not guaranteeing the next Supreme Court justice will hail from the region. In a column published Wednesday in the National Post, Peter MacKay — a former Nova Scotia MP and justice minister — accused the Liberal […]
Jun 19 2016 — Peter MacKay — Sun Media — The Trudeau government has lost its way in directing Canada’s Defence portfolio. The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Forces, as well as pertinent stakeholders, are confused and frustrated by this Government’s shifting positions and priorities. Industry and others are now challenging the Government on key decisions regarding the Defence Policy Review, the National […]
May 5 2016 — Peter MacKay — Sun Media — In the aftermath of the Second World War, with much of Europe in ruins, millions of people displaced, the horrors of the Holocaust a recent memory and an uneasy peace splintering the European continent, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was founded. NATO tied the security of European democracies to American military power in order to […]
Apr 25 2016 — Peter MacKay — National Newswatch — Canada’s Supreme Court has again struck down criminal laws enacted by a democratically elected and accountable parliament, which were genuinely intended to reform our criminal justice system. These reforms were intended to re-balance our justice system to ensure greater accountability for offenders and to place victims in the central role they rightly deserve. This was […]
Feb 22 2016 — Peter MacKay — National Post — During the boom, many Canadians headed to Alberta to make a living. For every Canadian who landed one of the once-plentiful, well-paying jobs in the energy sector, many more benefited from the money they sent back to their families. And many of those families were in my home province of Nova Scotia. They used that […]
Jun 14 2014 — Peter MacKay — National Post — In response to the Bedford decision made by the Supreme Court of Canada last December, which struck down criminal laws pertaining to prostitution, our government has delivered Bill C-36, the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act. This is a comprehensive bill that would protect the victims of this inherently dangerous activity by cracking down […]
Jan 4 2014 — Peter MacKay — The Leader-Post — There has been some misguided commentary recently surrounding the new mandatory victim surcharge. This modest fine was implemented in 1989, to help our nation’s victims of crime with the $100-billion annual price tag of crime in Canada – 70 per cent of which victims tragically end up paying for themselves. There is no excuse for […]
Jun 5 2013 — Peter MacKay — This week, Canadians will be reminded of beaches far away from our shores where, on June 6, 1944, our forefathers stormed ashore during D-Day. Lancaster aircraft and the No. 6 Bomber Group had pounded the enemy from the skies, 10,000…