23 Apr, 2012 | By Hill Times | As the world's seventh largest arable land area, we are exceptionally placed to profit from this boom in food sales. Canada's economic equivalent of Silicon Valley could run across the Prairies. Yet, for all its posturing, the Conservative government is squandering this opportunity.
9 Apr, 2012 | By Senator Percy Downe | Revenue Minister Gail Shea’s op-ed article (The Hill Times, April 2, 2012) certainly shows her willingness to highlight the Conservative Party line regarding overseas tax evasion, but it does little to illuminate the Government’s response – or lack thereof – to the four year old revelations of 1800 Canadians with secret bank accounts in Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
2 Apr, 2012 | By Senator Percy Downe | When this Government has searched the tax havens of the world, recovered the taxes owed, and punished those who illegally hid their money there, then we can talk about cutbacks.
28 Feb, 2012 | By Senator Colin Kenny | A front-page article in the National Post this month reported that our government is considering purchasing drones - perhaps half a dozen - as it begins to reappraise its commitment to 65 expensive F-35 fighter jets.
28 Feb, 2012 | By Senator James Cowan | We remember when a Canadian Prime Minister spoke of building “a just society”. There is no such talk from the federal government today. Instead, we have a government obsessed with punishment, retribution and prison time. But we will not reduce crime in the long run by putting more people in jail and giving them even longer sentences.
27 Feb, 2012 | By Senator Colin Kenny | Given the proper re-sources, police do two things: They deter crimes, and when prevention fails, they solve them.
25 Jan, 2012 | By Senator Colin Kenny | On the question of Senate reform, let me say this: “oink.”
30 Nov, 2011 | By Senator Art Eggleton | It's been 22 years since the House of Commons voted unanimously to eradicate child poverty in Canada by 2000. All parties supported the motion and it appeared that we were finally on the right track to ensuring that no child ever had to grow up hungry or homeless again. However, a new report from Campaign 2000 reveals that over two decades later 639,000 children are still living in poverty. That's one in 10 children.
21 Nov, 2011 | By Senator James Cowan | The government chose to bring forward its nominee, Michael Ferguson, in a process that was so deeply and seriously flawed, that in the end no opposition party could support him. Here is what happened.
15 Nov, 2011 | By Senator Percy Downe | In these difficult economic times, every job is precious, both to the people who need the work to support themselves and their families, and to the economy in general. Nowhere is this truer than here in Atlantic Canada where this current economy has resulted in thousands of our young people pulling up stakes and heading west. However, while the Government of Canada has been eliminating federal government jobs in Atlantic Canada, it has been on a hiring binge in other parts of the country.
8 Aug, 2011 | By Senator Céline Hervieux-Payette | I need you... These are the words of Asia Bibi, a woman whose story has touched the lives of millions and has renewed the debate on religious freedom and human rights from Pakistan to the United Nations.
25 Jul, 2011 | By Senator Robert Peterson | The federal government's move towards unilaterally dismantling the single desk of the Canadian Wheat Board is gaining momentum, and the outcry from farmers is growing louder and more desperate.
12 Jul, 2011 | By Senator Tommy Banks (retired) | With increasing frequency in the past very few years, matters and issues of governance have arisen in Canada that boil down to the question of whether Parliament is supreme.
6 Jul, 2011 | By Senator Mobina Jaffer | Many years ago, when several aboriginal women went missing, their loved ones and colleagues sought help from the police. Unfortunately, the police did not heed their plea.
17 Jun, 2011 | By Senator Colin Kenny | I write in praise of the Senate of Canada – the useful Senate we have had since Confederation, wrapped lovingly in the arms of the Constitution of Canada, not the Senate on steroids proffered by Stephen Harper.