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Let’s make Canada a global leader in COVID-19 treatments 

Tuesday, November 24th, 2020

Canadian-led breakthroughs in medical sciences can improve our health and well-being, bolster our universities and research hospitals, strengthen our reputation in the global competition for resources and talent, and result in economic benefits for Canadians. And, most importantly, these trials could quickly develop novel therapies for treating COVID-19 while creating the downstream benefits of infrastructure and know-how to help us discover treatments for the next pandemic as well as for other diseases.

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The Minister of Health should do the right thing and decriminalize drug possession

Tuesday, November 24th, 2020

Criminalization has never been shown to minimize drug use, nor does it advance the pursuit of care, if needed. It may trigger a series of consequences and pathways that rarely help the individual, let alone promote public interest. The most pressing needs of people who depend on substance use are not met by the criminal justice system… Criminalization should not be justified as an alternative to the shortfall in services to support people with complex requirements to restore their well-being.

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RCMP union opposes Ottawa’s plan to ban certain semi-automatic rifles 

Tuesday, November 24th, 2020

… the group wants Ottawa to dedicate funding to the RCMP Border Integrity Program to investigate and dismantle gun-smuggling rings, and the Canadian Firearms Program, which it says lacks the resources “to provide effective gun crime tracing and enforcement units.” … The paper highlights the role of illegal handguns – rather than legal rifles – in rising national gun violence.

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Canada needs a robust Digital New Deal to ensure data is used effectively for a public good

Wednesday, November 18th, 2020

The Digital New Deal would introduce Canadian data protocols so that data generated from public infrastructure investments can be shared and accessed effectively, for the public interest… With real data governance, Canadian municipalities, innovators and problem solvers would no longer be working in isolation, without common guideposts or clear, shared goals… we can… be a country that uses technology to its advantage, and doesn’t just let it use us.

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The feds can’t make the provinces ‘do the right thing’ on the pandemic, but they can make it worth their while

Wednesday, November 18th, 2020

… it can still structure its assistance in ways that offer provinces incentives to take a tougher line… That was the idea, you’ll recall, behind the Safe Reopening Agreement: in return for $19-billion in federal dough, the provinces made certain undertakings with regard to things like testing – they were supposed to be testing 200,000 people a day by now (actual figure: roughly 50,000). Any further assistance should be contingent on provinces meeting broader standards of policy stringency – and should be withheld without it.

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Pharmaceutical industry offers Ottawa $1-billion to scrap pending drug pricing rules, documents show

Monday, November 16th, 2020

The pharmaceutical industry has made a last-ditch $1-billion proposal to the Canadian government in hopes of fending off parts of a drug pricing crackdown set to go into effect on Jan. 1… to boost local manufacturing and commercialization, and on new programs to improve access to drugs for rare diseases… “The position of the Government of Canada remains unchanged – Canada has among the highest patented medicine prices in the world, and these high prices negatively affect the ability of patients to access new medicines”

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Canada needs a bold pro-growth strategy for both pandemic recovery and a successful future

Sunday, November 15th, 2020

… we need to remove the barriers that prevent some of our citizens from realizing their potential. This includes a stronger income-security framework and skills programs that are better aligned with labour market needs. Affordable and accessible child care that… can improve the participation of women in the labour force, and help close the gender pay gap. Greater workplace accessibility for disabled Canadians can also add workers. Improved integration of newcomers into the economy through better recognition of skills, education and qualifications can increase labour productivity…

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Canada needs a permanent fix for its abuse-prone caregiver programs 

Friday, November 6th, 2020

A clear and sustainable long-term caregiver program must be developed. Government must do away with flimsy pilot programs that only confuse our caregivers. There is a clear demand for caregivers in Canada and the vocationdeserves its own permanent place in the immigration system.

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Without a path to fiscal recovery, we’re lost

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020

Ms. Freeland seems to believe that setting fiscal targets is somehow contradictory to committing to the pandemic-fighting task at hand. As if the second you identify where you want to take your fiscal balance down the road, you are implicitly starting to withdraw necessary stimulus… Maybe it’s the image of an “anchor”… Fine. Let’s call it something else. Let’s create a fiscal compass.

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Thanks to Quebec millennials, another referendum isn’t looming

Sunday, November 1st, 2020

… Among those age 55 and older, there is a big difference between francophone Quebeckers and people in the rest of Canada in the proportion saying their provincial government best represents their interests; among those under 40, this difference has disappeared… the differences between the outlooks of young adults in different parts of Canada have never been as small as they are today. Our historically weak transnational ties have been getting stronger under the radar.

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