2024 was the year of creeping authoritarianism
Talk of creeping authoritarianism mostly conjures images of foreign places—the toxic influence of Hungary’s Viktor Orbán in the European Union...
Dale Smith
While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Dale Smith.
From Higgs to Trump, what did this fall’s elections teach Canadians?
The recent spate of provincial elections in Canada were a mixed bag of results. They were in turn dwarfed by...
With introduction of anti-trans policies, Danielle Smith rewrites the rules
Alberta premier Danielle Smith released a six-minute video last week to outline what her government’s legislation on trans issues in...
A strong signal to social media giants
The Federal Court of Appeal’s recent finding that Facebook Inc. violated its privacy obligations by failing to properly advise people...
Queer and trans people should be wary of provincial parties’ shift to right
Three provinces are going to the polls this fall—New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and British Columbia—and all three feature conservative parties that...
Pierre Poilievre hasn’t won yet
If you listen to Canadian political commentary, a certain kind of fatalism has sunk in: a Pierre Poilievre and Conservative...
What is Canada doing to aid queer rights around the world?
Queer diplomacy globally has made tremendous strides from the first mass demonstration outside of the United Nations in New York...
Canadian politicians are modelling the LGBTQ+ scapegoating of Eastern Europe
Anew report by Over Zero, a research and training group founded in response to the global need to counteract and...
Concerns raised about immigration detention provisions in federal budget bill
The federal government’s budget implementation bill contains controversial provisions that would allow the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to use...
Can the federal government ban the 'Big Lie' in elections?
Given the preponderance of “Big Lie” claims in the United States that spread falsehoods about election fraud, it’s no surprise...
The dangerous potential of Poilievre’s promise to use Notwithstanding Clause
After weeks of riding high in the polls, Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre has become much more emboldened...
What’s in Budget 2024 for the justice system?
The 2024 federal budget contains several measures for the legal system, most of them having to do with new funding...
Canada must be a leader in response to Ugandan anti-LGBTQ+ laws
Last week, nearly a year to the day since Uganda passed its latest draconian anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, the country’s constitutional court...
More municipalities likely to follow Alberta town’s lead with crosswalk ban
There were national headlines made last week when the citizens of the town of Westlock, Alberta, voted in a new...
Canada's digital safety balancing act
Bill C-63 is a significant departure from an earlier effort to pass online harms legislation, which died on the order...
Age-verification bill relies on magical thinking about technology
Could the government be one step closer to monitoring Canadians’ porn habits? Bill S-210, the Senate bill reintroduced in 202...
How long of a delay?
For now, it appears Canadians will have to wait, at least until after the next election cycle, but the word...
BC reaches settlement on legal aid for people suffering domestic violence
The BC government has reached a settlement agreement in a Charter challenge around the funding of legal aid that will...
Can the federal government stop Danielle Smith’s trans policies?
In the wake of Danielle Smith’s announced policy about limiting gender-affirming care in Alberta and taking other measures such as...
Danielle Smith is pandering to her reactionary base
Alberta premier Danielle Smith appearing as a featured guest at a Calgary event last week featuring American far-right entertainer Tucker...
Standard of proof - SCC to examine whether provinces can mandate that inmate discipline hearings operate on a balance of probabilities.
What standard of proof should disciplinary hearings in provincial jails rely on? The balance of probabilities or beyond a reasonable...
Poilievre’s concern over press freedom is just dystopian world-building
Last week, there was a major hullabaloo made of Rebel Media personality David Menzies being detained by an RCMP protective...
Parliament's winter sitting
The House of Commons witnessed its fair share of chaos during last year's fall sitting. Speaker Anthony Rota resigned in...
New Brunswick premier doubling down on anti-trans policies to win next election
New Brunswick premier Blaine Higgs has declared that he’s not going to back down from his attacks on trans kids...
Court rules that ‘groomer’ is a slur, not protected speech
An Ontario court has dismissed an attempted defence of a defamation suit launched by drag performer Caitlin Hartlen and Rainbow...
How the moral panic around ‘parental rights’ in Canada defined 2023
In Canadian politics, 2023 was the year that the moral panic around “parental rights” made a comeback in a very...
Canadian Conservative ties to Hungary and Orbán are cause for concern
One particular story has been lurking under the surface for the past couple of months, which was how a group...