National Newswatch

Mar 25 2023 — David McNairn — National Newswatch — When the very body responsible for adjudicating human rights complaints actively discriminates against their own Black and racialized staff members, the impact goes far beyond individual employees and becomes a matter of national importance. Regrettably, the muted response to date from the Minister of Justice and other governmental officials suggests an intention to underplay the […]

Mar 25 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — It was exactly 30-years-ago today that British Columbia’s Kim Campbell announced her candidacy for the PC party’s leadership on this date in 1993. She quickly became the front-runner and was easily elected leader, also becoming Prime Minister, in June 1993. With her victory she became Canada’s first (and so far, only) female Prime Minister. Arthur […]

Mar 24 2023 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Government must work with farmers on emissions reduction. Ottawa—A working group of government and agriculture representatives will be formed to look for ways to reduce farm fertilizer emissions without harming productivity, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau says. The group will consider more than 2,000 submissions received through online consultations, technical workshops and town hall meetings held […]

Mar 24 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Agnes MacPhail, the nation’s first-ever female MP, was born on this date in 1890. In 1921 the former teacher ran for a seat in the House of Commons under the Progressive Party’s banner and was successful, earning her a spot in Canada’s history books. She would remain on Parliament Hill until 1940. After her service […]

Mar 23 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Veteran Ontario MPP Ernie Eves was elected his province’s Tory leader on this date in 2002. He was replacing Mike Harris who had stepped down after receiving back-to-back majority mandates from voters in Canada’s largest province. Under Harris, Eves had served as both Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance. Eves officially became Premier of Ontario […]

Mar 23 2023 — Glen Pearson — National Newswatch — The reasons why we stop paying attention to media and political narratives are many, and occasionally, they bring about a growing disconnect between Canadians in general and those who are supposed to be taking care of their public affairs and reporting on them.  We appear to be undergoing such a distancing at present. There are […]

Mar 22 2023 — Bea Bruske — National Newswatch — Behind the smiles and handshakes when a U.S. president visits Canada are long hours of painstaking negotiations. Officials plan the trip to the minute and fight it out over every item on the agenda. An agenda that will no doubt include U.S. protectionism and ‘Buy American’ policies, North American supply chain disruptions, and more. But […]

Mar 22 2023 — George Monastiriakos — National Newswatch — Canada’s politicians – and the people who advise them – have sacrificed the Canadian national interest on the altar of progressive and conservative ideology for far too long. The foundation of Canada’s security and prosperity – the peace dividend Canadians have reaped because of our special relationship with the U.S. – is a historical anomaly. […]

Mar 22 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Canada’s Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, and U.S. President Richard Nixon spoke on the telephone on this date in 1973. Nixon initiated the call as he and his Administration hoped Canada would remain part of the International Commission for Control and Supervision for Vietnam. Trudeau was under great domestic pressure to order Canada’s withdrawal from the largely […]

Mar 21 2023 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — Governments need to focus on a well-designed strategy. Ottawa—Sustainable agriculture will only happen if farmers can see how it can be made to work with their operations over the long term and that will depend on the kind of regulatory environment governments set up, says Scott Ross, Executive Director of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. […]

Mar 21 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Members of the Red Chamber gathered on this date in 1918 for the first time since the death the previous December of former Senator and Prime Minister Sir Mackenzie Bowell. While his service as Prime Minister was brief, he had been a member of both the House and Senate during his 50-year parliamentary career. “No […]

Mar 20 2023 — Alex Binkley — National Newswatch — The WTO is becoming powerless to enforce trade rules. Ottawa—The sorry state of world affairs must not distract Canada from continuing to work at producing more food, says Janice Gross Stein, the Belzberg Professor of Conflict Management in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. Agriculture will be more important than ever […]

Mar 20 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — Canada’s new Conservative Party had a new leader on this date in 2004 with the selection of Stephen J. Harper as their standard bearer. He received almost 70 per cent of the vote, easily defeating Tony Clement and Belinda Stronach. Two-years later Harper would be elected Prime Minister and the newly merged Conservative Party, a […]

Mar 19 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — United States’ forces, joined by the British, Australian and Polish contingents, began the invasion of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq on this date in 2003. Approximately 160,000 armed forces personnel would be involved in this part of the military campaign. By March 1 President George W. Bush had announced “mission accomplished” and the end of hostilities. Canada, […]

Mar 18 2023 — Arthur Milnes — National Newswatch — It was a big day in the life and political career of NDP leader Jagmeet Singh on this date in 2019 as he took to his feet in the House of Commons for the first time. Though elected federal NDP leader in 2017, Singh had been leading his party from outside the Commons. Eventually, he […]