Ukraine: time for belling the Russian bear
The war in Ukraine changes. Today it is not the war of two months ago, when the Russian military marched across an internationally-recognized border based simply on the Russian president asserting Ukraine was not a country, and therefore his to invade and conquer. Ironically, it seems Vladimir Putin has not read Napoleon, whose military operations […]
Canada’s big, urgent economic priority is dynamic growth
TORONTO—Canada’s big and urgent economic priority is a dynamic growth agenda that can promise good jobs, deliver the wealth we need to pay for essential public services, such as education and health, and improve the lives and life chances of the disadvantaged. So it’s critical that we get it right. Despite headline statistics suggesting we […]
Red light flashing over the whole world, not just over Ukraine
HALIFAX—It is getting clearer by the day, that a red flashing light is flashing not only over Ukraine, but the whole world. The West decided last February that it would not use direct force to stop Vladimir Putin’s homicidal war against an innocent nation. Why? The Ukrainians didn’t have the right paper work. They weren’t […]
Ukraine: the reversal of expectations
LONDON, U.K.—Two months ago, when Russian tanks first rolled into Ukraine, every message from Washington or NATO about the invasion included a prominent passage saying what the western alliance would not do. It would not send NATO troops to help Ukraine. It would give Ukraine some “defensive” weapons, but no “offensive” ones, e.g., anti-tank missiles […]
Speaking out: former DND employee recounts journey to landmark sexual harassment ruling in new memoir
With complaints of misconduct and harassment in the military no longer “as hidden” as they once were, Bonnie Robichaud, a former Department of National Defence civilian employee whose harassment claim against a supervisor led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling 35 years ago, says she believes the public today is “getting fed up” with the […]
Politics This Morning: Bank of Canada governor to defend inflation plan before House Finance Committee
Good Monday morning, The House of Commons is sitting again for the next four weeks, after two weeks off. House and Senate committees are back in full swing today, and the Senate will return to the Red Chamber tomorrow. MPs will have a chance to continue the House debate on Budget 2022, now that they […]
As casualties mount in invasion of Ukraine, truth remains at top of the list
OTTAWA—Last week there was yet another warning from the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) that the Kremlin is deliberately targeting Canadians with disinformation about the ongoing war in Ukraine. The most-recent allegation was that the Russians have circulated doctored photos purporting to reveal that Canadian troops are actually on the ground fighting against Russians in the […]
Joly rightly called Canada a convener, and it’s time to put her words into action
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly is right. During a recent CTV appearance, she offered a deep political insight, noting that Canada is “a middle-sized power and what we’re good at is convening and making sure diplomacy is happening.” To be consistent with her government’s track record, however, she ought to have replaced “what we are […]
Dairy, agriculture hurdles need to be addressed for CETA to reach full potential, says new Spanish envoy
Spain’s new ambassador to Canada says more work needs to be done for the trade pact with the European Union to reach its full potential. Madrid was one of the early adopters of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), ratifying the deal weeks after Canada did in 2017. Alfredo Martínez Serrano, who presented his […]
Finnish ambassador talks Russian invasion, need to keep communications line open
With Moscow’s bombardment of Ukraine and allegations of war crimes, Canada and the West are seen to have relinquished their long-held engagement policies on Russia, as has Finland, which is on the doorstep of dropping its historic position of neutrality and applying to join NATO. But there’s still debate over how diplomatic engagement should carry […]
