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Student demonstrations against a proposed increase in tuition fees have grown into the most potent protest movement in North America of the day. Like Occupy, the ‘Red Square’ movement demands less emphasis on neoliberal values. And like the Arab Spring, young protesters in the streets want to bring the government to its knees.
North America’s only safe injection site for drug addicts will remain open. The Canadian government wanted to close Vancouver’s Insite clinic, where addicts can inject under medical supervision. But the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled the government must consider the initiative’s benefits. “The clinic saves lives and improves public order.”
Canada is resisting efforts to curb international trade in asbestos, the building material that can cause cancer. The country, which prohibits its use, wants to continue to export the material to developing countries where it is still allowed. In the mining town of Asbestos, people are hoping for a revival of good times.
Like the Netherlands, Canada is engaged in an intensive debate on whether or not to extend the military mission in southern Afghanistan. “It is time to define what are the attainable strategic goals,” says the Canadian politician and author Michael Ignatieff.
An exceptionally mild winter has helped propel the issue of climate change to the top of the political agenda in Canada. With the appointment of a new Environment Minister, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is hoping to make a fresh start on environmental policy, the Achilles heel of his government.
The French-speaking population of Quebec has been recognized by the Canadian parliament in Ottawa as a nation within Canada. House of Commons members of all parties voted by a large majority for approval of a motion to that effect. It is recognition of the cultural identity of ‘a large village of survivors’.
Unlike most other Western countries, Canada wants to bring in more immigrants – but not just to the country’s metropolitan centres. Canada’s Minister of Immigration proposes to send newcomers to smaller towns, to meet regional labour market needs.
Canada is about to ratify the Kyoto Protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Ever since the unilateral rejection of the climate treaty by the Bush administration, Canada is in a tough spot, says Environment Minister David Anderson. “Kyoto is very uneven, but it’s a start, and at the moment it’s the best we […]
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