Arctic sovereignty is contested, Inuit rights are not
Recently, the question of “who owns the Arctic” was thrust back into the news following comments by U.S. Secretary General Mike Pompeo challenging Canada’s sovereignty over the Northwest Passage. Pompeo was speaking at the Arctic Council’s Ministerial meeting in Rovaniemi, Finland. In his speech, Pompeo restated the long-held American position that the Northwest Passage is […]
If he wants to win, Scheer needs to build his own brand, separate from Ford’s and Kenney’s, say political analysts
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer will have to build his own strong brand to win the October election as perception about his close association with Ontario Premier Doug Ford could prove to be politically risky and could drag down the federal Conservatives in the upcoming federal campaign, say pollsters. “People are taking a closer look at […]
Who is the real Conservative leader? It depends on who you ask
Andrew Scheer is on record as being the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. But who is the de facto leader? Is it Doug Ford, Jason Kenney or Stephen Harper? Who is really running the show or calling the shots? Ontario Premier Doug Ford has shut down the Ontario legislature until after the federal […]
Lessons from the Doug Ford School of Public Administration
OTTAWA—School is out at Queen’s Park, but here are the lessons for the next semester based on the first year of Premier Doug Ford’s government in Ontario: Talk about helping “the people” while you slash programs that many need: Roll back promised funding increases for rape crisis centres, cut legal aid by 30 per cent, […]
Is the Navy missing a great opportunity?
OTTAWA—At a recent Canadian Maritime Advisory Council meeting in Ottawa, I was disappointed to learn again that the Royal Canadian Navy still had no plan to install multi-beam echo sounders (MBES) on the Arctic offshore patrol ships (AOPS) which are under construction now. I was also concerned with the fact that only approximately eight per […]
Conservative Leader Scheer makes changes to his OLO communications team
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer recently made some changes to the communications team lineup in his Official Opposition Leader’s Office, with two former advisers to Ontario Premier Doug Ford marking their first day on the job last week. News that two of Mr. Ford’s communications aides—Veronica Green and Simon Jefferies—would be making their way to Ottawa […]
International interest in the Arctic continues to heat up, is Canada ready?
The Arctic has always been an important symbol for Canada, a geographic statement of our place and status in the world as a northern power. Unfortunately, Canada’s interest in and attention to the Arctic has often been just symbolic. Generations of Canadians and their governments have grown used to thinking of the Arctic as “up […]
Inuit Nunangat policy space would be a sign of genuine reconciliation
All perspective is relative, including what is North. “The North” means different things to different people in different contexts; Thunder Bay, Churchill and Grise Fjord are all “northern” from various policy perspectives, but have very different and distinct needs. “The North” as a policy space within the Canadian context is a notional concept without a […]
Building a new Arctic strategy for Canada
In April, the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development issued a comprehensive report on the Arctic. The report is timely because of the rising ambitions of other nations in the Arctic, the impacts of climate change, and increasing commercial activity in Arctic waters. Ensuring security in the region will mean pursuing a strategy […]
Feds on an ‘island of delusion’ concerning energy development in the Arctic: expert
In a report addressing Canada’s involvement in the Arctic, CEO and chair of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation Duane Smith described energy insecurity for remote communities in the North as “a cycle of pollution and poverty.” Inuvialuit, a region in the western Arctic, suffers from extremely high costs of living due to the price of energy, […]
