The convoy protest was the biggest political watershed moment for Canada in recent years. The treatment of this event by Canadian political elites however has brought into question the effectiveness of evidence based policy when it comes to fighting vaccine hesitancy .
Canada stands to lose more than it gains by refusing to reopen diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran has shown some movement in a positive direction in terms of willingness to engage with the outside world and moderate its actions on the global stage, which most other Western nations have recognized by reopening communication lines. Continuing a relations freeze in light of this makes Canada appear not only quixotic but ignorant of the consequences.
In today’s political climate, ethical scandals such as the SNC-Lavalin affair or the WE Charity scandal have not been able to affect the outcome of federal or provincial elections as much as might have been expected. Instead, societal polarization and an increase in voter cynicism have led to voters becoming increasingly concerned with tangible results and gains such as the impact on their own finances, healthcare and other aspects of their own lives. Thus, calling out governments for failures in the realms of tangible results is likely to be more effective than raging on about insider scandals that only those already deeply engaged in the process care about.
Despite Justin Trudeau being a self-proclaimed feminist and avid supporter of women’s rights, the province of New Brunswick has continued to undermine access to abortion without significant repercussions from the prime minister. Rather, the issue is being brought to the court system by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. This article will argue that this has been a missed opportunity for the prime minister to make significant feminist change.
The shift from a Keynesian welfare state and the Canadian Assistance Plan to a neoliberal governance and the Canada Health and Social Transfer (CHST) model in the 1980s and 1990s and then the implementation of the current Poverty Reduction Strategy has had numerous implications for poverty in Canada. With a focus on single mothers in Canada, this article will assess the impact of each of these policy shifts to determine whether or not poverty has in fact been reduced.