Category: debate

Debate in Parliament, Committees Paused Due to Technical Issues in Ottawa

Parliamentary proceedings, including committees and debate in the House of Commons, have been suspended due to technical issues Tuesday evening. Some members of Parliament weren’t able to get online at all, according to deputy Speaker Chris d’Entremont, and the House of Commons streaming service Parlvu was down. Some MPs debating Bill C-21, the government’s latest…


Feds’ Curb on Debate of Online Streaming Bill Condemned as Draconian by Tories

The federal government is cutting short debate by MPs of its online streaming bill, a move Tories are condemning as draconian and disturbing. They say curbing scrutiny of the bill line by line in committee is a Liberal attempt to rush it through the Commons and will lead to the creation of a flawed law….


Debate Over Arming Teachers Resurfaces After Shootings

The tragic and deadly shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, have renewed the debate over gun control measures, but another policy idea also has been thrust back to the forefront: arming teachers. After the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2013, Texas passed a law allowing teachers to sign up…


Quebec’s Use of Notwithstanding Clause in Language Law Opens Constitutional Debate

When federal Justice Minister David Lametti reacted last week to the adoption of Quebec’s language law reform, he took aim at the provincial government’s proactive use of the notwithstanding clause to shield the law from constitutional challenges. Lametti and other critics of Bill 96 say the government’s use of that clause—Section 33 of the Canadian…


Ontario Party, New Blue Object to Exclusion From Ontario Election Debate

Ontario Party Leader Derek Sloan is objecting to his party’s exclusion from the Ontario election leaders’ debate that took place on May 16, saying it puts his party at a disadvantage. The New Blue Party which, like the Ontario Party, has a sitting MPP in the current legislature, is also objecting. “This is more election…


Ontario Liberals Participating in Monday’s Debate Despite Controversy

The next Ontario election leaders’ debate will be hosted on Monday night, this time in the provincial capital, Toronto, ahead of the June 2 election. The debate, taking place at the TVO Broadcast Centre, will be from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST, and moderated by TVO’s Steve Paikin and Toronto Star’s Althia Raj. In…


English-Language Debate Ahead of Quebec Vote Cancelled After Premier Pulls Out

An English-language leaders debate that was scheduled to take place ahead of Quebec’s October election has been cancelled after Premier François Legault refused to participate. Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon also said Friday that he wouldn’t participate in the Sept. 20 debate because Quebec’s common language is French. “Without the participation of all the…


Conservatives Debate Freedom, Foreign Policy, and Energy in First Official Debate

The candidates running in the Conservative leadership election convened in Edmonton on May 11 for their first official debate in English. The debate wasn’t as contentious as the last week’s unofficial debate hosted by Canada Strong and Free, but still the candidates took the occasional jabs at each other while putting forth arguments on why…


The First Official Tory Leadership Debate Was Both Strange and Unproductive

If I had to describe the second debate among the leadership contenders for the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) in one word, it would be “weird”. The first leadership debate was held by the Canada Strong and Free Network at their annual conference in Ottawa. Five out of six of the candidates participated with Patrick…


Ontario Election Leaders’ Debate Focuses on Housing and Transportation in the North

Ontario’s party leaders faced off for the first time in a debate in North Bay, Ontario, on May 10. The debate focused on issues in Northern Ontario, with each leader presenting how their respective plans would benefit one of the regions whose economy had been hit particularly hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his opening statement,…