RCMP officers approach a woman as she enters Canada via Roxham Road near Hemmingford, Que., on March 25, 2023. Asylum-seekers at the unofficial crossing will now be turned away following amendments to the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the U.S.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
The renegotiated Safe Third Country Agreement was politically expedient for Justin Trudeau’s government, but poses real policy and programming challenges.
The high cost of groceries is exacerbating food insecurity in Canada, but the federal government’s new ‘grocery rebate’ doesn’t go far enough to help.
(Unsplash/Vicky Mohamad)
Food insecurity is a problem of income inadequacy. The 2023 federal budget’s “grocery rebate” has the right idea, but falls short.
Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino speaks during a news conference on the government’s plan to enable expungements for convictions under the Criminal Code for bawdy house, indecency-based and abortion-related offences in Ottawa in March 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Experts on the history of sexuality in Canada say recent changes to the Expungement Act don’t go far enough, and they urge Canadians to reject attempts to divide marginalized communities.
Even if we achieve our global commitment to limit temperature increase to less than 2 C this century, climate change will continue to impact the culturally significant Rideau Canal Skateway.
(Shutterstock)
Erratic weather patterns occurring due to climate change may become a more significant factor affecting the season start and ice-building processes in the future.
Protesters kneel in front of Surete du Quebec officers on Rideau Street in Ottawa on Feb. 18, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
The Public Order Emergency Commission found that the Canadian government was reasonable in its invocation of the Emergencies Act, but this has implications for any future applications of the act.
Justice Paul Rouleau releases his report on the Liberal government’s use of the Emergencies Act, in Ottawa, on Feb.17, 2023.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The Emergencies Act inquiry final report found that almost all parties involved fell short of upholding the rule of law during the convoy protests.
Police move in to clear downtown Ottawa near Parliament Hill of protesters after weeks of demonstrations on Feb. 19, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Examining how and why we cast blame on others can help us understand the convoy protests and the different ways people reacted to pandemic restrictions.
Justice Paul Rouleau, who headed the Public Order Emergency Commission last year, tables his report on Monday about the inquiry’s findings into national security issues and the so-called Freedom Convoy.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Approaches to security issues in Canada today need to learn from the dire histories of what happens under the banner of national security.
Toronto Mayor John Tory speaks alongside Ontario premier Doug Ford during a joint news conference in Toronto in June 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Mayors are generally successful in getting their policy preferences enacted. That’s why Ontario’s Bill 39 isn’t really necessary.
Police move in to clear downtown Ottawa near Parliament Hill of protesters after weeks of demonstrations in February 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston
Protest is a way to keep potential abuses of the rule of law in check. But what happens if citizens and authorities feel protesters go too far in violating the rule of law?
Bill C-18, the Online News Act, is trying to get the dominant digital platforms to negotiate mutually-acceptable agreements with Canada’s online news outlets.
(Shutterstock)
There’s no evidence that news outlets are worse off because of Google, Facebook and other aggregators. If anything, evidence shows that, overall, news outlets would be in worse shape without them.
Preparations are being made in Ottawa in anticipation of protests on Canada Day.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
The protests in Ottawa are becoming a regular occurrence, so preparations are under way to prevent disruption in the city during Canada Day celebrations.
Tyson ‘Freedom George’ Billings, a prominent figure in the ‘freedom convoy,’ leaves the Ottawa courthouse after being released on June 15, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle
The ‘freedom convoy’ provides a way to express the emotional self-interest of Canadians — mostly white men — who feel they are losing their rightful place in Canadian society.
RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki leaves Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 20, 2020, following a press conference regarding the mass shooting in Nova Scotia.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Allegations of political interference once again confirms the national RCMP culture, structure and systems of organization are long overdue for a divorce from Ottawa political masters.
Damaged wood houses after the San Francisco Earthquake, April 18, 1906.
(Shutterstock)
About 10 million people live in Canada’s earthquake-prone zones. Yet few have practical knowledge of what to do with new early warning system alerts which aim to save lives and protect livelihoods.
People and vehicles fill Wellington Street near Parliament Hill at the beginning of the so-called freedom convoy occupation of Ottawa in late January, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Long-term assessments of the trucker convoy will depend less on questionable interpretations of individual freedom and more on whether the state’s fundamental obligations were seriously threatened.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau walks across an empty Wellington St. to a news conference on Feb. 22.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
The Emergencies Act could have been in place for 30 days or more. But 10 days after it was invoked, the government is now confident it can keep Canadians safe with existing laws.
A lone protester stands draped in the Canadian flag at a fence controlling access to streets near Parliament, in Ottawa, Feb. 20, 2022.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
If federal and provincial governments don’t step up their commitments to teaching citizens how our governments work, social media will continue to fill in the void with misinformation.
A protester walks with a Canadian flag as police move in to clear downtown Ottawa near Parliament Hill of protesters after weeks of demonstrations.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Linda Mussell, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Suggesting jail or prison is appealing because it is tangible and the process is familiar, but we must ask what is a better, effective and safe way to de-escalate potentially violent situations.
Traffic flows over the Ambassador Bridge joining Detroit and Windsor, Ont., a day after protesters who were blocking it were cleared by police under Ontario’s declaration of emergency.
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Racialized and marginalized populations whose protest movements are already subject to ongoing forms of monitoring, infiltration and pre-emptive police action are at risk from the convoy crisis.