Some Canadians are booing the U.S. national anthem at sporting events. “Buy Canadian” websites are springing up like desert wildflowers after the first spring rain. And folks from the north of the border are swearing off trips to the U.S. of A. It’s been a remarkable start to the new year in Canada; like nothing I’ve seen in my 44 years living in the True North Strong and (for now) Free. Canadians (not all, but a majority, I would say) began to worry last November when U.S. voters decided to re-elect Donald Trump. (Full disclosure, I was born and raised Read more
Justin Trudeau
I keep seeing stories with screaming headlines saying “Feds Won’t Intervene to Stop Air Canada Strike.” I disagree. If you look closely, that’s not what they’re saying. Here are some of Prime Minister Trudeau’s comments yesterday. “I’m not going to put my thumb on the scale on either side. It is up to Air Canada and the pilots’ union to do the work to figure out how to make sure that they are not hurting millions of Canadians,” he told reporters in Quebec, according to a report from Reuters. “Every time there’s a strike, people say ‘Oh, you’ll get the Read more
Canada has a new tourism strategy aimed at cementing the country as a top global destination. The new strategy, announced today in Niagara Falls, “will unleash the full potential of Canadian tourism and cement Canada as a top global destination” through the following five priorities: Investing in Canada’s tourism assets Embracing recreation and the great outdoors Partnering to grow Indigenous tourism Attracting more international events Improving coordination through a federal ministerial council Attracting more international events would presumably help Canada’s biggest cities. Given the interest in indigenous tourism around the world, that also seems like a good strategy (as well Read more
A group of influential Toronto business and travel leaders are calling for Canada to quickly create its own trusted-traveller program, a move it said will boost Toronto Pearson Airport and boost the local economy. Leaders from Destination Toronto, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Toronto Airports Authority today announced the formation of a coalition advocating for enhancements to air travel through Toronto Pearson and airports across Canada. The coalition – Innovate. Travel. Canada. (“ITC”) – is a group of business and local leaders joining forces to ensure Toronto’s status as a global beacon of air travel. The coalition, Read more
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is asking Canada’s top bureaucrat to look into the controversial ArriveCAN app. Trudeau this week said it was “illogical and inefficient” for the public service to give millions of dollars in contracts to a two-person firm that subcontracted out its work on the app, which was used to keep track of Canadians and visitors coming over the border during the COVID-19 pandemic. Published reports say the app could end up costing taxpayers $54 million. Critics have said the app could’ve been developed for a tiny fraction of that amount. The CBC reports that “GCstrategies subcontracted out Read more
