‘Don’t mention the war’: what message are the government, military delivering?
OTTAWA—Over the weekend, I was riding my bike beside the Rideau Canal and I passed a troop of young soldiers. As I passed, I thanked them for their service. Others said nothing. It is disappointing, but not surprising. Our men and women in the military don’t get much recognition beyond Remembrance Day, or when the […]
What does defence policy look like in the 21st century?
I am so very honoured to write this as the newly elected Member of Parliament for Nanaimo-Ladysmith. My road to running for the Green Party was a long one and not the subject of this article, but I can say it was reading “Vision Green,” the Green Party’s policy document, that hooked me. I read […]
Building a national consensus on defence
Canada is facing increasing and multifaceted national security challenges in today’s international security environment. For one, a serious threat continues to emanate to Western nations from terrorist movements, such as ISIL, al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Hamas. These movements fuel domestic radicalization and when supported by hostile states such as Iran, they pose a serious threat to […]
Military slow to address sexual harassment problem: Senators
PARLIAMENT HILL—In 2014, Maclean’s and L’actualité revealed that sexual assault in the military takes place with disturbing regularity—about five times per day. To its credit, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) took these reports seriously. The military hired a former Supreme Court justice to conduct a wide-ranging assessment of military policies and practices regarding sexual assault […]
‘Year of the fighter procurement’ to be on display at CANSEC
Canada’s biggest defence trade show will be in Ottawa this week, as defence procurement has been thrust into the spotlight by the Mark Norman affair. CANSEC, which is hosted by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), typically attracts over 11,000 visitors, including 3,000 from the Department of National Defence. The two-day trade […]
Our men and women in uniform deeply ingrained in fabric of our communities
The important work our Canadian Armed Forces do here at home has an incredible impact on Canadians across the country. Our women and men in uniform are deeply ingrained in the fabric of our communities. I saw that first-hand in my riding of Bathurst, N.B., recently as the North Shore Regiment invited the entire community […]
Federal government responds to Defence Committee Report on Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova
On Dec. 12, 2018, the House Standing Committee on National Defence delivered its report on the evolving geopolitical situation in Eastern Europe, titled “Responding to Russian Aggression Against Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia in the Black Sea Region.” The report took a comprehensive look at various ongoing conflicts in the region and provided 13 recommendations for […]
New thinking needed to conserve Canada’s wildlife and ecosystems
In recent years, we’ve seen a bold new vision for the coexistence and flourishing of humans and wildlife on Earth. A growing movement of scientists, conservationists, policymakers and business leaders are calling for governments to set aside 30 percent of their land and waters by 2030, with the long-term goal of achieving sustainable land management […]
Scheer’s fiscal policy reveals a Conservative Party stuck in the past
With some fanfare, the Conservative Party not long ago announced that its leader, Andrew Scheer, would engage Canadians with a series of speeches outlining how his party would govern, should it win the upcoming federal election. But if Canadians had been hoping for creative and bold new thinking to address the big challenges facing the […]
Canada must not abandon Mali
New Democrats remain critical of the government’s plan to withdraw Canada’s Task Force in Mali, currently scheduled to take place at the end of July 2019. The current Liberal government policy and the Standing Committee on National Defence’s Interim Report on Canada’s Task Force in Mali fail to properly understand that the early departure of […]
