Breaking down Defence Minister Anand’s 21-member team
Hill Climbers is overdue for a full dive into Defence Minister Anita Anand’s now 21-member ministerial office, where Jonathan Salna is the most recent addition as executive assistant to the minister’s chief of staff, Mike Power. Salna joined Anand’s team in April after a year as a legislative assistant to Ontario Liberal MP Marcus Powlowski. […]
Liberals should define Poilievre juggernaut now, or risk losing next election, say top political strategists
With the presumed Conservative leadership front-runner Pierre Poilievre widely expected to become party leader on Sept. 10, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals should start to define their future opponent now before he gets a chance to define himself, say top political players. “In our day and age, the velocity of politics is much faster than […]
Peacekeeping commitments continue to go unmet as Canada lags on long-promised Quick Reaction Force
Ottawa’s once-trumpeted return to United Nations peacekeeping has gone by the wayside as the Canadian government still hasn’t fulfilled a 2017 pledge for a Quick Reaction Force and has only a scattering of personnel assisting UN peace operations around the world. With added focus on Canada’s military contributions following Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, […]
Delivery timelines for vital defence procurements haven’t changed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The federal government has spotlighted a need to increasingly focus on Canada’s defence, but there hasn’t been any changes to when consequential purchases will be delivered to the military. In response to an Order Paper question from Conservative MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay (South Surrey-White Rock, B.C.), the Department of National Defence said it had “not accelerated […]
On China, Canada cannot blindly follow the U.S. into another Cold War
TORONTO—With the conflict in Ukraine, are we headed for an era where war—or the threat of war—becomes the new normal? In an important speech to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, Defence Minister Anita Anand implied that this indeed may be our future. If so, is the real future target China, not Russia? And in this […]
Military investments in the North must also benefit northern communities
Any increase to military spending and resources in Canada’s Arctic must also have the dual function of serving Canada’s northern communities. Amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, Russia’s involvement in Arctic co-operation has been called into question, as seven of the eight members of the Arctic Council have withdrawn their membership and refused […]
Spike in NATO member defence spending warrants closer look
For decades, Western powers have promised Ukrainians a lifelong insurance policy by signing up with NATO. Ukraine fell for it, though that membership never came. The country even changed its constitution to include a clause to join NATO. Then Russia invaded. Instead of safety and security, Ukraine got death and devastation. Despite their performative posturing, […]
March 8 marks a ‘lady’ member in the House
When Agnes Macphail took her seat in the House of Commons for the first time on March 8, 1922, a bouquet of flowers greeted her at her desk, not as a warm welcome but because somebody lost a bet that she’d win. The flowers were only the beginning of the taunts, teasing, and name calling […]
Canada boosts Ukrainian military training mission, but yet to match Kyiv’s ask for lethal weapons, sanctions
Canada came short of matching Kyiv’s appeals for help, announcing it is extending and expanding its military training mission to Ukraine, but defensive weapons and sectoral sanctions are not part of the assistance package. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) announced on Jan. 26 Operation Unifier would be extended for another three years. He also […]
Public accounts detail how feds’ deficit rose by more than 700 per cent during pandemic
The federal government’s deficit skyrocketed in 2021, hitting $327.7-billion for the fiscal year that ended March 2021, compared to a deficit of $39.4-billion in the previous fiscal year—an increase of 731 per cent. The Public Accounts of Canada 2021, which includes the federal government’s audited consolidated financial statements and the records maintained by its various departments and […]
