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.

815 Articles

Canadians want plastics ban expanded, poll finds

Abacus Data polled 1,500 people, a majority of whom want the list of banned plastics to include other commonly littered plastics products: hot and cold drink cups, cigarette filters, and all forms of polystyrene.

Race Against Climate Change

Yasmine Ghania

February 10th 2021

Physician challenges Trans Mountain pipeline in court after protest site demolished

Tim Takaro, a 63-year-old health sciences professor, says he is choosing civil disobedience because his professional code of conduct requires that he protect the health of Canadians.

Trans Mountain

Carl Meyer

February 10th 2021

Senators, human rights groups urge feds to renew Rohingya aid in wake of Myanmar coup

Senators, city councillors, academics and human rights groups who fear Myanmar’s military takeover puts the Rohingya people at greater risk are calling on the federal government to renew the financial aid granted to the ethnic minority that's set to expire next month.

Yasmine Ghania

February 9th 2021

The new green paper sector doesn't need trees

“This concept that we’ve had about things being waste, and no longer of any use, is completely artificial," says the founder and executive director of Vancouver non-profit Canopy.

Carl Meyer

February 9th 2021

Conservatives work to lay Michigan’s Line 5 pipeline dispute at Trudeau’s feet

Federal Green Party Leader Annamie Paul says rhetoric portrays “false choice” between jobs and environment.

Carl Meyer

February 5th 2021

Clearview AI engaged in illegal ‘mass surveillance’ of Canadians, probe finds

The exact number of images of Canadians that were sucked into Clearview’s database is unknown, the commissioners said, but it is a “relative certainty” that it numbered in the millions.

Carl Meyer

February 4th 2021

Cybersecurity experts want more transparency as Amazon government data requests soar

The department of Public Safety did not respond to Canada’s National Observer's request for comment on whether the government demanded users’ data from the company. However, cybersecurity experts see a flaw in Canada's privacy laws that goes beyond Amazon.

Yasmine Ghania

February 3rd 2021

Canada backs Line 3 pipeline as opposition mounts

Canadian Ambassador to the United States Kirsten Hillman has “underscored” to both federal and state-level U.S. officials the importance of “energy security and the free flow of resources over our shared border."

Carl Meyer

February 2nd 2021

Child-porn victim testifies during Day 1 of Pornhub discussions at committee

A victim of child pornography said it took more than a week for Pornhub to remove the video of her 14-year-old self, which was only made possible after she was asked multiple times to prove that it was, in fact, her in the video and that she was underage.

Yasmine Ghania

February 1st 2021

Canada looking at Australia’s experience in regulating social media

Forthcoming regulator will be able to impose "financial penalties" on digital platforms, minister confirmed.

Carl Meyer

February 1st 2021

Here’s what you need to know about Line 5, the latest pipeline fight

A legal battle has erupted over the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline that has spilled into the halls of Canada’s Parliament.

Carl Meyer

January 29th 2021

Advocates, legal experts spot holes in proposed bill to ban conversion therapy

Bill C-6 passed second reading in Parliament with a vote of 308-7, however, witnesses at a meeting of the House of Commons' committee on justice and human rights wrestled with its wording and what it should encompass.

Yasmine Ghania

January 27th 2021

Social media companies should face new legal duty to 'act responsibly,' expert panel finds

“Any regulation needs to reflect the inherent complexity of the issue and the scale at which online platforms operate,” argues Google Canada.

Carl Meyer

January 27th 2021

Opposition slams Trudeau’s pandemic response as Canada marks one year of COVID-19

Opposition leaders were quick to criticize Justin Trudeau’s handling of the pandemic on Monday, the one-year anniversary of the first presumptive case of COVID-19 in Canada.

Coronavirus in Canada

Yasmine Ghania

January 26th 2021

Humanity inseparable from nature, Indigenous leaders remind Canada-Mexico climate forum

The head of the UN Environment Programme called on Paris Agreement signatories to live up to their promise to help poorer nations better adapt to the climate crisis.

Carl Meyer

January 26th 2021