Russia is holding millions of people’s food supply hostage
The increased food price volatility is likely to persist as long as Russia puts the global food supply under deliberate stress.
Opinion
Published by Observer Media Group. The opinions expressed on this page are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of National Observer's editorial board.
My hometown is primed to become yet another sacrifice zone
An American community offers a precautionary tale about what happens when an oil refinery is allowed to expand.
Justin Trudeau’s ‘shrug and blah’ approach to housing could get him evicted
Housing may not be the federal government's primary responsibility, as Justin Trudeau said on Monday. But if he wants his Liberals to get re-elected in 2025, it needs to become his party's primary focus — and fast.
Growing up in the atomic age: How the Manhattan Project affected my childhood
Dr. Donald (Moll) Flanders had dreams of peace as the Manhattan Project’s head of computation. But unlike his boss, Robert Oppenheimer, Moll did not live long enough to crusade for global abolition of the atomic bomb — and of all forms of warfare.
We can’t ‘manage’ nature
The inventory of loss in British Columbia’s forests is long and includes accelerating declines in stored carbon, salmon populations and irreplaceable ecosystems like the inland temperate rainforest.
Nate Erskine-Smith wants to change the game in Ontario
Nate Erskine-Smith has been a federal MP since 2015. Now, he wants to lead the Ontario Liberal Party back to relevance. Can he do it?
Government handouts to woo sustainable industries must pass the cost-benefit test
Neglecting evidence that green subsidies generate jobs and investments, detractors of the recent Stellantis deal seem driven more by an ideological conviction than rigorous cost-benefit analysis, writes researcher Gideon Salutin.
Be strong and stand up to Big Tech, Canada
Big Tech is trying to crush Canada’s efforts to sustain its news industry by making scary threats and attacking Canadians’ right to freely access local news. But Canada must not back down.
Zen and the art of not freaking out
At the most basic level, when climate chaos gets overwhelming, we can turn to mindfulness to regulate the nervous system.
Cabinet shuffle in a troubled time
The federal government needs policies to create more affordable housing, better health care, more child-care spaces and measures to combat the climate crisis, writes economist David Macdonald. Can Trudeau's new cabinet deliver?
Justin Trudeau makes his last stand
Winning four elections in a row is a rare feat in Canadian politics, and it’s one Justin Trudeau seems determined to match. But with his party trailing the Conservatives, it’s increasingly clear the prime minister had to do something drastic, writes columnist Max Fawcett.
Canada’s conservative rage farmers get a taste of their own crop
Prominent conservative pundits who have spent years farming rage against the prime minister seem genuinely surprised by the latest ugly outburst against him, writes columnist Max Fawcett. Who knew that reaping what you’ve sown could be so much trouble?
Will this experimental nuclear reactor escape federal scrutiny?
Sierra Club Canada and three community groups want the federal environment minister to order an assessment of NB Power's plan to prep a site on the Bay of Fundy for an experimental small modular reactor.
Health Canada's dangerous call on pesticide rules
Health Canada and the pesticide industry are using made-up and irrelevant science to drive the bus on maximum residue limits in the wrong direction, writes food safety advocate Mary Lou McDonald.
Jagmeet Singh needs to go
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh's latest idea about housing might be his worst yet, writes columnist Max Fawcett. Is it time for the NDP to replace him before voters get another chance to do it themselves?