Ottawa Insider

Natasha Bulowski reports from Ottawa with a slant on how federal policy is impacting British Columbians.

Canada's National Observer is a proud participant of the Local Journalism Initiative, which supports the creation of original civic journalism that covers the diverse needs of underserved communities across Canada.

808 Articles

Canadian banks are loaning Enbridge over $1B with questionable sustainability requirements

Canada’s largest banks have signed a new deal to pump $1.5 billion into Enbridge that will help the oil and gas company expand its pipeline network, with the vast majority of that money referred to as “sustainability linked” in the term sheets.

Financing disaster

John Woodside

September 27th 2021

Gladys Radek urges Canadians to end ‘vicious cycle of racism’

Canada’s National Observer spoke with Gladys Radek, a longtime activist for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Natasha Bulowski

September 27th 2021

Activists, MP say Trudeau failed to act on MMIWG. Will he act now?

The Native Women’s Association of Canada is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take Indigenous women’s issues seriously this time around.

Natasha Bulowski

September 24th 2021

World leaders urged to turn off the tap on fossil fuel subsidies

Hot on the heels of major climate announcements at the United Nations this week, more than 200 civil society organizations from dozens of countries are calling for an end to public financing of fossil fuels.

COP26: Uniting the World to Tackle Climate Change

John Woodside

September 23rd 2021

Jagmeet Singh calls Liberals’ climate record ‘abject failure’ in home stretch

As the federal election campaign nears its end, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is fighting off criticism from progressive environmentalists by trying to shift the focus back to Justin Trudeau’s climate record.

Election 2021

John Woodside

September 17th 2021

Mayors demand housing action ahead of federal election

Mayors across Canada are calling on the federal parties to take urgent action on housing and homelessness as voting day fast approaches.

Election 2021

Natasha Bulowski

September 17th 2021

Canada’s climate plans ‘highly insufficient’ in global ranking

“Highly insufficient” means that as it stands, Canada is on track for 4 C warming –– far higher than the Paris Agreement goal of as close to 1.5 C as possible.

Election 2021

John Woodside

September 17th 2021

Election 2021: Who will fight for tax fairness?

How will the four main federal parties ensure tax fairness? Compare and contrast their platforms.

Election 2021

Natasha Bulowski

September 17th 2021

Thousands call for fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty as UN meeting kicks off

More than 2,000 academics from around the world signed an open letter calling for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, as the United Nations’ 76th General Assembly kicks off its annual meeting.

John Woodside

September 16th 2021

Lheidli T’enneh First Nation has a simple message for Enbridge: Get out

On Tuesday, the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation called on the federal and B.C. governments to support its request to have Enbridge’s T-South pipeline routed off its reserve territory.

John Woodside

September 15th 2021

Hundreds of land defenders were killed in 2020, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg

At least 227 land and environment defenders were killed in 2020, making it the deadliest year on record, and international NGO Global Witness says that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

John Woodside

September 15th 2021

Justin Trudeau hopes this endorsement will swing B.C. voters, but will it?

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was in Richmond, B.C., Tuesday to flex an endorsement from former B.C. Green Party leader Andrew Weaver in an attempt to lock down climate-conscious voters.

Election 2021

John Woodside

September 14th 2021

Leaders’ debate highlighted Canada’s challenges in tackling the climate crisis

At Thursday night’s debate, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau was hit from all sides for setting ambitious climate goals and failing to deliver, and it’s an open question whether his defence will convince voters.

Election 2021

John Woodside

September 10th 2021

GreenPAC’s election debate blitz makes climate a local concern

Unlike the federal leaders' debate, candidates participating in GreenPAC’s 100 Debates for the Environment this week were able to give thoughtful, clear answers and respectful rebuttals, the non-profit environmental organization’s executive director said.

Election 2021

Natasha Bulowski

September 10th 2021

TC Energy wins approval to keep insurers secret months after Trans Mountain decision

Late last week, the Canada Energy Regulator granted TC Energy’s request to shield its insurers from prying eyes after the company said it was concerned its bottom line could be hurt.

John Woodside

September 10th 2021