Jun 6 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — Canada’s conservatives have spent decades denying the fundamental scientific reality of climate change and disputing the central role human activity plays in creating and exacerbating it. But as those arguments became increasingly untenable with the public, they’ve had to retreat to attacking the proposed solutions for it, most notably carbon pricing. Now, it seems, they’ve […]
May 30 2023 — Nate Erskine-Smith — National Observer — Young people in Ontario are too often underrepresented and underserved by political parties. As the largest bloc of working-age people in the province — yes, you read that right — this is a big problem. More than one in three eligible 18-25 year olds stayed home in the last federal election, higher than any other […]
May 29 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — You almost have to feel sorry for David Johnston. After a lifetime of esteemed public service and achievement, which includes long stints at the head of key post-secondary institutions and a term as governor general, he’s now being dragged through the filthiest partisan mud for his role as Canada’s “special rapporteur” on foreign interference in […]
May 25 2023 — National Observer — After four weeks of relentless campaigning, an endless barrage of partisan advertisements and arguments, and one damning ethics commissioner report, Monday’s provincial election in Alberta will come down to one question: How much anti-LGBTQ bigotry, conspiracy theorizing and American culture war nonsense will voters put up with in the name of keeping corporate taxes low? […]
May 24 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — Stephen Harper is, without question, one of his generation’s sharpest political minds. But even he couldn’t have foreseen the Parliamentary Budget Officer role he created as part of his 2006 Federal Accountability Act would play a leading role in undermining support for climate policy in Canada in 2023. After all, its stated mission revolved around […]
May 23 2023 — National Observer — For the past three weeks, thousands of Albertans have been forced to evacuate their homes while firefighters and even Canadian troops battle massive wildfires. But in some corners of the province, there are whispers that the soldiers’ presence has nothing to do with the fires. In a video posted to Twitter on Tuesday and viewed […]
May 17 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — With two weeks left until Albertans go to the polls, the United Conservative Party is starting to feel the heat. And no wonder: they have a leader who’s playing hide-and-seek with the media, candidates who seem to be competing to see who can fit their own foot furthest into their mouth, and a growing list […]
May 15 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — Remember when the Canadian passport was just a boring government document? Yeah, me neither. Barely a year after processing backlogs and lineups at government offices turned them into a political hot potato, passports are back in the headlines thanks to a long-running redesign process that has culture war conservatives outraged over the changes. In other […]
May 11 2023 — National Observer — While Canada has set a deadline to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, several provinces and cities, including Toronto and Prince Edward Island, have made commitments to reach that goal a decade earlier. To do so, all of their existing buildings and houses will need to be retrofitted so they no longer use fossil […]
May 10 2023 — National Observer — Despite differences of opinion, a clear majority of delegates voted to adopt the Canadian Labour Congress’ (CLC) proposed climate action plan at its tri-annual convention in Montreal. On May 9, workers representing local, regional and national unions weighed in on a climate action plan that will shape the mandate of Canada’s largest labour organization for […]
May 9 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — It’s one thing to quarrel with the analysis of an expert during an election campaign. It’s quite another to quarrel with the analysis of an expert your party paid to do the study. But that’s where the United Conservative Party and Danielle Smith find themselves right now after their misrepresentation of work done by Navius […]
May 4 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — Peter Lougheed was Alberta’s 10th premier, the creator of its Heritage Savings Trust Fund, and the architect of a four-decade political dynasty that would see his Alberta Progressive Conservatives win 12 consecutive elections, most of them in a walk. He went to war with Pierre Trudeau, helped defeat the National Energy Program, and fought effectively […]
May 2 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — Truth and honesty are rare commodities in politics, and even more so when an election is in the offing. But when it comes to the pledges from the oil and gas industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, senior members of Alberta’s United Conservative Party government are in the process of offering up a long-overdue confession: […]
Apr 18 2023 — Max Fawcett — National Observer — Score one for Pierre Poilievre. After tattling on the CBC to Elon Musk, who apparently spent $44 billion to become the world’s most powerful digital hall monitor, he notched a victory when the public broadcaster’s main Twitter account was tagged with the same label Twitter has recently stuck on the BBC, PBS and other public […]
Apr 13 2023 — National Observer — The latest federal budget focused on promoting clean electricity to catch up to American climate policies. The more electricity we save, the easier it will be to achieve zero-carbon grids and electrification of heating, transportation and industry. However, the budget had little emphasis on saving electricity, an area where Canada significantly lags behind the United […]