The risks and rewards of offensive cyber operations
Bill C-59, among other things, enabled offensive cyber operations—attacks on others that take place from within cyberspace. This brings Canada in line with most of our Five Eyes partners, and many other nations. However, the freedom to carry out offensive cyber operations creates challenges. Offensive cyber operations have different properties from conventional (kinetic) weapons. They […]
Military making progress on Indigenous, visible minority recruitment, lagging on attracting women
New statistics on military recruitment provided to The Hill Times show the Regular Forces and Primary Reserves are close to meeting their targets for Indigenous people and visible minorities in the armed forces, but are still lagging on bringing more women into the fold. The data also shows certain positions are well short of the […]
Potent threat of biochemical weapons deserves greater attention
There were approximately 10,000 ISIS prisoners in camps across northeastern Syria, but already more than 800 suspected detainees have escaped due to Turkey’s military incursion into northern Syria. ISIS was ranked by Forbes in 2018 as the world’s richest terrorist organization. Its annual turnover, estimated to be $2- to $3-billion, was due to occupying oil […]
Canadian Armed Forces members deserve easier access to health care
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) voluntarily and selflessly dedicate their careers to keeping our country safe while putting their bodies through tremendously high physical stresses. Unsurprisingly, musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries are one of the most common occupational risks in the military population. In fact, MSK conditions are responsible for 42 per cent of career-ending […]
Defence
Canada’s new transport minister must captain a bold environmental agenda for shipping
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is busy building his new cabinet for a Nov. 20 unveiling. Whether or not Transport Minister Marc Garneau remains at that helm, the position’s new mandate must address the dramatic implications of shipping on climate, wildlife and pollution, especially as traffic ramps up in the melting Arctic. Every time a cruise […]
Canadian farmers are the on front line of climate change
For many Canadian farmers, the focus on climate change in the recent election campaigns missed the mark. Climate change was front and centre, as it should be. It’s the biggest threat we face as a country. And while there was plenty of talk about what we should be doing to mitigate its impacts—from clean energy […]
Conservatives name Seidman new Senate whip, replacing Plett who’s now Tory Senate leader
Conservative Senator Judith Seidman will serve as the new whip for the Conservative caucus in the Senate, Leader Senator Don Plett confirmed Wednesday afternoon. Sen. Seidman represents De la Durantaye, Quebec in the Senate. She was appointed to the Chamber by prime minister Stephen Harper in 2009. Sen. Seidman will fill the void left by […]
Better innovation policy means investing in the public administration
Improving innovation performance has long been recognized as key to success in the 21st century economy, yet fostering innovation is much easier said than done. While the importance of increasing innovation is widely recognized and there is a perennial sense of urgency about doing so, Canada’s innovation performance continues to disappoint in global rankings and […]
Innovation policy: the adaptation challenge
Innovation policy is caught up in a narrative problem. It has come to only mean the funding of new “things” in an international race to develop new stuff (think superclusters). Smart adoption or even government experimentation with adaptation strategies seem far from the policy debates. The debate swirling around this topic seems largely caught in […]
