Outlasting Trump: the decisive year ahead for Canadians
OTTAWA—The high stakes for Canada in the events of the coming year could not have been made clearer than they were when the Iranians shot down a Ukrainian International Airlines flight near Tehran on Jan. 8, killing all 176 on board including 57 Canadians. The horrendous tragedy was traceable to a mistake by the Iranian […]
‘Still a mess, still needs a lot of work’: Shared Services Canada gets new master under digital government minister
With the responsibility for Shared Services Canada now squarely under Minister of Digital Government Joyce Murray, PIPSC president Debi Daviau says the move seems like “a natural progression towards trying to get a handle on the government of Canada’s IT systems, which everybody knows could really use the attention.” “From my perspective, overall what Shared […]
Leave politics out of decision about Huawei’s 5G future in Canada
For some time, I have noticed that Huawei’s 5G has been a hot topic of discussion in Canadian media recently. There are different opinions across Canada about whether Huawei should be allowed to participate in Canada’s 5G network construction or not. In my opinion, 5G development, utilization, and co-operation should not be politicized. Huawei is […]
Why Canada needs to take the plunge on AI
Canada has received acclaim around the world for supporting researchers, like Dr. Jeffery Hinton, who pioneered the deep learning approaches that have led to an explosion in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Accenture estimates AI has the potential to double economic growth rates by 2035, and in the private sector, we are witnessing tremendous adoption of […]
From ‘failed state’ to stability: Rwanda has made ‘impressive’ strides, says envoy
A former Rwandan presidential candidate, who once served as a cabinet minister and a Senate vice-president, is starting his diplomatic career in Canada. High Commissioner Prosper Higiro’s path to politics was “very difficult,” and during a Nov. 28 interview, he explained that journey first began with his family’s decision to stay in Rwanda in the […]
Legislative preview: Grits face tricky landscape with dozens of legal changes promised in mandate letters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has given his cabinet ministers dozens of objectives that will likely require changes to federal laws, setting up an ambitious legislative agenda for his first foray through a minority Parliament. Mr. Trudeau’s (Papineau, Que.) Liberals managed to pass 88 bills during four years of majority government in the last Parliament. Some […]
Donald Trump gets his war
OTTAWA—John Bolton, the former White House national security adviser who was dumped in September for supposedly being too much of a war lover, was ecstatic. “Congratulations to all involved in eliminating Qassem Soleimani,” he tweeted after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a drone strike in Iraq that killed Iran’s second most important national figure. “Long […]
The future of Canada’s contribution to the fight against ISIS in hands of Americans, say experts
As the Canadian government hopes to continue the fight against ISIS, its ability to stay in Iraq will be determined by a continued American presence, say military and security experts. The global coalition against ISIS, which is led by the United States, has been put on hold in preparation for a threatened retaliatory strike from […]
With no dog in this U.S.-Iran fight, it’s time for Canada to get out of Iraq
OTTAWA—In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, American pundits and politicos took to the airwaves to justify this state-sponsored extra-judicial execution. We were told by these cheerleaders that Soleimani was the terrorist of all terrorists and has been for the past two decades. Those trumpeting Soleimani’s death claimed this […]
The nation-state may be making a comeback, and that is not good news
OTTAWA—Happy new year. I am not going to add an exclamation mark: I am not sure if we should be greeting the coming year with expectations or fear. On that note, I thought I would begin this first month focusing on themes that could define the next decade, beginning with the nation-state. To begin with, […]
