Time to lead on human rights, including with China
The death in custody of Chinese democracy advocate and Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo should strengthen Canada’s commitment to human rights. In light of continuing systematic violations of human rights in Russia and China, their presence at the G20 meetings underscored the threat to human rights emerging in the world order that is being created in […]
‘Full court press’ by ministers, Trudeau ahead of NAFTA negotiations
Canada’s “full court press” on U.S. relations is one coordinated from the top and taken up by MPs of all political stripes ahead of North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations expected to begin next month. “Our strategy is quite simply to work at all levels. We are doing everything reasonably possible to expand our relationship […]
The cities’ problem with CETA
POWELL RIVER, B.C.—The trouble with demonizing the leader of an unpopular government is that it gives the next leader a way too much slack. I remember writing a column years ago comparing Brian Mulroney with Paul Martin (who more or less ran Jean Chretien’s government). Who was more destructive to the public interest and progressive […]
TPP minus the U.S. gives Canada a leg up in Asia and in NAFTA talks
Given that more than three-quarters of Canada’s trade is with its North American neighbours, upcoming North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) negotiations must be a top priority for the government. But they cannot be the only priority. As important as NAFTA talks are, they are still largely about trying to preserve, not add to, Canadian […]
From Macdonald to Mulroney: transformative Conservative leadership
Like most political movements, Canadian Conservatives in the past 150 years have celebrated the heights of achievement, suffered the ignominy of defeat, seized opportunities and lost them, been divided, reunited and redefined several times, recovered to regain victory and persevered. As other parties, they have celebrated heroic leaders and spurned bad ones who left behind […]
Closed government consultations are not the answer
TORONTO—In 2020, Canada and China will mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, which began in 1970. Since then the relationship has evolved, not so much by grand gestures, but by incremental advances and a succession of initiatives in what has been called a strategic partnership and by both Liberal and Conservative governments. But now […]
EBay uses NAFTA angle in lobbying for wider import-duty loophole
Officials with the online sales platform eBay are continuing their long-running lobbying effort with the Canadian government to raise the limit for which imported products are assessed duties and sales taxes, and say the upcoming NAFTA renegotiations provide the right opportunity to do this. The U.S. company—which has a Canadian division and some hired lobbyists […]
Freeland’s foreign policy recipe amounts to same old soup
TORONTO—I didn’t pay a lot of attention three weeks ago when Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland delivered a speech heralded as the “new blueprint” for Canadian foreign policy. However, later reading the media reports, considering the increasing tension in the world and the dangerous lack of leadership, I read it many times hoping to find […]
Protecting human rights requires a collaborative approach
OTTAWA—When it comes to the topic of a potential human rights ombudsperson, the Mining Association of Canada (MAC) welcomes healthy dialogue. Last week, two civil society groups, Above Ground and the Netherlands-based Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO), published op-eds in The Hill Times on the subject. Their perspectives are appreciated and point to […]
Canada should ‘step up’ on Israel-Palestine
On June 6, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland told Parliament that in a moment when the United States is stepping back from global leadership, Canada should re-emphasize its role as an advocate for the “preservation and strengthening of the global order from which we have benefited so greatly.” Minister Freeland is right. Canada can and […]
