May 26 2020 — Wayne Liko — National Newswatch — This month the province of Ontario signaled the first steps of what will be a complex and challenging return to work with the opening of certain stores and essential services but closing schools until September 2020. We face a lot of unknowns – but one thing is clear – the modern workplace as we know […]
May 26 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Both countries could retaliate by halting imports from the U.S. Ottawa—A suggestion by President Trump that U.S. borders should be closed to cattle imports flies in the face of the new North American trade deal, says Bob Lowe, President of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA). Trump said in mid-May the United States might want […]
May 25 2020 — Hassan Yussuff — National Newswatch — We are in the midst of a global pandemic. The federal government is introducing new programs almost daily to support millions of Canadians who have been affected by this crisis. Public service employees are doing amazing work getting that support to the people who need it. Meanwhile, the calls for austerity are already coming fast […]
May 25 2020 — K.W. Grafton — National Newswatch — For months now the world has been subjected to a relentless “infodemic” of COVID-19 media coverage, some of it sensationalistic fearmongering. Conflicting information is rampant, and the real threat of fake news to global health has prompted governments and health authorities to take action to shield the public from harmful misinformation. According to PEW Research, 48% of Americans report seeing […]
May 25 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Fate of WTO reforms uncertain. Ottawa—The sudden resignation of the director general of the World Trade Organization is raising a lot of questions about the maintenance of rules-based international commerce in the midst of the global pandemic. Roberto Azevedo, a career Brazilian diplomat, plans to step down Aug. 31. His second four-year term was […]
May 23 2020 — John Milloy — National Newswatch — Is a basic income on the horizon? Advocates would say “absolutely”. It seems a day doesn’t go by without another opinion piece pointing out that the pandemic has created the ideal conditions for its adoption here in Canada. People want radical change, especially for people who are struggling. COVID-19 may render millions permanently unemployed and […]
May 22 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Pilot to run until May 2023. Ottawa—A three-year program to help agrifood employers hire foreign workers provides a badly-needed route to tackle the sector’s chronic worker shortages. Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino says the Agri-Food Immigration Pilot will test an industry-specific approach to help employers in the meat processing, mushroom and greenhouse production, and livestock-raising […]
May 21 2020 — Agata Soroko — National Newswatch — After refusing to deny bailout money to companies that operate in offshore tax havens, Prime Minister Trudeau recently stated that right now is not the time to solve tax avoidance. When the “right” time does arrive, I hope the federal and provincial governments consider–as part of their solution–mandating financial literacy courses for the CEOs whose firms […]
May 21 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Governments need to act to prevent bankruptcies. Ottawa—A shortage of workers and inadequate government support programs have many fruit and vegetable growers worried about the future of their business, says Brian Gilroy. President of the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC). “We think this is an opportunity for the federal government to continue to demonstrate how […]
May 20 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Many farms will now be eligible for the interest free loan. Ottawa—Changes to the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program make it a lot more useful to farmers, say national farm groups. While more than 600,000 small businesses accessed the program, farm groups and others said sole proprietors and businesses without payroll complained about […]
May 20 2020 — Glen Pearson — National Newswatch — Virtually from the beginning, the World Health Organization has labelled our present predicament as a “global” pandemic. This isn’t just about COVID-19s reach, but it’s ability to turn back the clock on so many international advancements made on the economic front. It’s so frightening, in fact, that the Economist recently ran an article with the […]
May 19 2020 — Hari Suthan — National Newswatch — Our company hasn’t had to lay off anyone in Canada yet, but COVID-19 has been no picnic. Our projections for 2020 now show us booking 50 percent fewer deals than expected. That’s a huge gap that will eventually have to be made up for – and we consider ourselves lucky. I’m not quite sure the […]
May 19 2020 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Survey finds many expect ingredient and packaging shortages in near future. Ottawa—While they’ve worked hard to keep Canadians fed, the country’s food processors are struggling with some costly challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Carla Ventin, Senior Vice President of Government Relations for Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) told the Commons agriculture […]
May 17 2020 — K.W. Grafton — National Newswatch — The April 23rd White House Press Briefing, during which President Trump unveiled his controversial “Bleach Theory” for combating coronavirus, caused a global gasp of horror; but not as much disbelief as one might expect…say if President Obama had said it, or…any other past President for that matter (maybe Dubya). One certainly couldn’t imagine Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, or […]
May 16 2020 — John Milloy — National Newswatch — Are we avoiding the talk? We are desperate for things to return to “normal,” but we also know that “normal” is going to involve more people being exposed to the virus, becoming sick or even dying. So how do we proceed? How do we react to the various plans of action that governments across Canada […]