John Woodside

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 John Woodside.

John Woodside

Poilievre vows to kill industrial carbon pricing in ‘desperate’ move against Liberal surge

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre’s new promise to kill industrial carbon pricing would eliminate the central plank of Canada’s emission-reduction efforts, while making Canada’s economy less competitive in the long run, experts say. Poilievre has long railed against the consumer carbon price, which Prime Minister Mark Carney removed as one of his first actions in office on Friday. But following...

John Woodside

In one of her last moves as finance minister Freeland loaned the Trans Mountain pipeline project $20 billion

One of the last things Chrystia Freeland did as finance minister was authorize an additional $20-billion loan to the Trans Mountain pipeline project, bringing the total disclosed federal commitment to nearly $50 billion. The latest financing, described as “repayment of higher-cost TMC debt/working capital support,” was disclosed on Export Development Canada’s website on January 30, but is dated Dec. 1...

John Woodside

Tired slogans in face of Trump tariffs spell real risk for Poilievre

As incoming U.S. President Donald Trump threatens a trade war to push Canadian officials to cave on a list of demands, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is in a political bind that represents his first real threat to his electoral chances, experts say. Poilievre is still riding high in the polls, and his party is widely expected to form the next...

John Woodside

COP29 presidency slammed as ‘deplorable’ in the homestretch of finance negotiations

As the annual climate change negotiations enter their final days with countries still deeply divided over key issues, Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault blamed host country Azerbaijan for the disappointing options on the table. “The lack of ambition from the presidency so far is deplorable,” Guilbeault told Canada’s National Observer Thursday evening. With over 90 per cent of...

John Woodside

Carbon tax's future uncertain as Parliament returns

On the last day of the NDP caucus retreat, leader Jagmeet Singh took swipes at the climate records of his top opponents, setting the stage for an intense battle over climate policy as politicians return to the House of Commons next week. Speaking to reporters in Montreal on Thursday, Singh criticized both the Liberals and the Conservatives over their strategies...

John Woodside

Conservative network to bring US far-right provocateur Chris Rufo to Alberta

The Canada Strong and Free Network intends to bring far-right American provocateur and writer Chris Rufo to Red Deer in September to share his views about the future of the conservative movement. Rufo is a prominent figure in American right-wing circles focused on attacking progressive race and gender policies. He refers to critical race theory, an interdisciplinary scholarly field focused...

John Woodside

What a Harris-led USA would mean for Canada and the climate

Former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau famously compared Canada-U.S. relations to sleeping next to an elephant. “No matter how friendly and even tempered… one is affected by every twitch and grunt,” he said 55 years ago — before climate change was a broadly accepted and accelerating phenomenon. Today, that same elephant holds the biggest levers to slow global catastrophe, and the...

John Woodside

What would Mark Carney as finance minister mean for Canada's climate ambitions?

As rumours mount that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to recruit former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney as the next finance minister, climate advocates say finance has long been a missing piece of the country’s climate strategy. The Globe and Mail reported last week that the Prime Minister’s Office is frustrated with Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s inability to communicate...

John Woodside

The Ford government kneecaps provincial energy regulator

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government is tabling new legislation to overrule the provincial energy regulator in a move worth billions of dollars that benefits gas giant Enbridge. If passed, the Keeping Energy Costs Down Act would give the provincial government the authority to reverse a decision from the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) ordering changes to the province’s energy systems based...

John Woodside

Canada tapped by United Arab Emirates to help broker final deal at U.N. climate summit

The annual U.N. climate change negotiations are entering the homestretch, and the summit’s host, the United Arab Emirates, has tapped Canada to help land an agreement expected early next week. Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault now finds himself, alongside a select handful of other countries, in a pivotal role brokering the fierce debates around phasing out fossil fuels...

John Woodside

Steven Guilbeault’s very political, grand climate fight

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have a tremendous problem at hand: the Conservatives’ war chest is overflowing with cash, their popularity is soaring, and Canadians appear exhausted with his government that will be approaching a full decade in power by the next scheduled election.