Diplomatic Circles: EU, Norway counsellors settled in
Security, trade and climate change are among the top priorities for a pair of diplomats who arrived in Canada during the federal election campaign. Else Kveinen, minister counsellor and deputy head of mission at the Norwegian Embassy, and Stefano Fantaroni, first counsellor at the European Union delegation, both arrived in Canada late last summer: Ms. […]
Northern Tour return sign of an engaged government, say diplomats
A popular government-subsidized tour of northern Canada for diplomatic heads of missions is back this year after a hiatus of a few years. The group is set to depart on Sunday for a week-long trip that run to June 6. John Babcock, a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, wrote in an emailed response to questions on […]
Liberals use consultation as cover for promise-breaking
When Public Services Minister Judy Foote appeared to be reneging recently on a Liberal campaign promise to restore home mail delivery services, it’s notable that she leaned on consultations as cover. “In light of the commitment that was made, we’ve heard from Canadians that maybe that’s not the way to go,” Foote told reporters. Now that […]
Resolute Bay should be a major government Arctic security hub
A number of years ago, I recommended that Resolute Bay be developed as a major government Arctic security hub. A number of recent events make it timely to revisit this recommendation. Global warming has continued to make the waters of the Arctic Archipelago more accessible to maritime traffic. Data from the National Snow and Ice […]
MP Saganash pushes Liberals to support his indigenous rights bill, says no need for more consultation
NDP Member of Parliament Romeo Saganash hoped that when Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould went to the United Nations earlier this week to announce Canada’s plan to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples that they would have supported his call for a legislative framework […]
Canadian Arctic territorial claim dependent on inclusivity and collaboration with Inuit
Canada’s claim to its extended Arctic continental shelf can only be legitimized through an inclusive and collaborative engagement with circumpolar Inuit peoples. This was the sentiment that grounded panellists’ comments on Inuit and Canadian Arctic territorial claims at the Senate Liberals’ Open Caucus on Wednesday. Rapid ice melting in the Arctic has resulted in a […]
Trudeau sets himself a high bar on promises to First Nations
OTTAWA—Perhaps it was the impatience of youth. More likely, it was the impatience of a First Nations generation meeting a prime minister who has raised expectations sky high. When Justin Trudeau visited Saskatoon’s Oskayak High School last week, he got his share of selfies and delighted squeals, but he got something else—tough questions from First […]
Dragon boat season on the horizon
Public servants and embassy staff are signing up once again to shed their business-wear for life preservers and a chance at glory. Entries are already rolling in for the annual Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival, a contest for bragging rights among 200 teams of paddlers at Ottawa’s Mooney’s Bay Park on Riverside Drive that will […]
Trudeau flirts with betrayal and political backlash
GATINEAU, QUE.–Is the Northern Gateway pipeline dead, or isn’t it? The fact that people are asking raises serious doubts about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s honesty, not to mention his environmental cred. Trudeau was never against pipelines per se; indeed, he endorsed the since-rejected Keystone project. But he spoke unambiguously against the Northern Gateway, which would […]
Politics this morning: A cheat sheet for the Shaughnessy Cohen finalists
Tonight, the Château Laurier ballroom will host a crowd comprised of writers and lovers of literature, politicians and political junkies, diplomats and local business leaders. It’s the annual Politics and the Pen gala, which has earned a secondary, unofficial title as Ottawa’s social event of the year. The swanky gathering supports the Writers’ Trust of […]
