By Richard Cannings, Member of Parliament As the NDP critic for post-secondary education, I’ve met with a number of groups over the past weeks and months to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing universities, colleges and technical institutions, as well as with the students who are working hard to better their...

Petty. One word that springs to mind after last week's B.C. budget. At best, it's a lip service budget. Tweak here, tweak there, but devoid of any real purpose. To be sure, some were tossed a chicken wing. But you can almost hear the minions in the backroom: “just make sure it doesn't cost us anything, the rubes will never ...

“For every noble lord, bishop, gentleman or priest enjoying his life of cultured leisure, there exist thousands of impoverished men, women, and children living in desperation. Noble wealth is the blood of The People… [T]he substance of The People is devoured by this class of voracious parasites. The aristocracy’s ‘culture’ ...

In a budget that rewards the wealthiest British Columbians at the expense of all other citizens, Christy Clark maintained a billion-dollar tax cut for millionaires and created a slush fund with unfair MSP tax hikes. "This is not a budget for B.C. families,” said Katrine Conroy, MLA. “This budget continues the tax break for ...

One of the last things anyone would ever imagine the B.C. government doing is adopting an old NDP program, but that's exactly what Energy and Mines minister Bill Bennett did this month when he announced a five-year, $300 million hydro bill deferment plan for 13 mines owned by six companies. There's a price to pay when B.C. ...

The word “traumatized”is a fascinating and viciously misused word. You had a brutal experience? You saw something no one else should ever see? If you responded to it like a normal person, then you’re not ‘traumatized’, and we don’t need new words to describe it. You had the mother of all bad days, and that […]

“It is impossible to argue with a story that simply reflects the experience of the storyteller.” – Mary Pipher Climate change has aroused the concern of the human family for decades through scientific analysis, media attention, and letters to the editor. Yet because a reported three percent sliver of scientists do not believe...

Are Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland's officials misleading her about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)? Freeland signed the agreement Thursday in New Zealand, but repeated her assurances that critics shouldn't worry -- the government hasn't committed to ratifying it and consultations and a full debate will precede a vote...

Last month, lobbyists gathered in Vancouver for The Future of Lobbying, a one -day conference put on by B.C.'s Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists, Simon Fraser Institute's Governance Studies and Public Affairs Association of Canada (B.C. Chapter). Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there does seem to be a future for the...

Pipelines are a hot topic in Ottawa and across the country these days.  Last Wednesday the Liberals outlined their plans for a revised environmental assessment process for pipelines, and on Thursday the Conservatives put forward a motion asking the House to support the Energy East pipeline. Here is the overall picture: the ...