U.A.E., Canada committed to shared goal: enhancing prosperity
This past week saw an important gathering in Calgary hosted by the Canada-United Arab Emirates Business Council, which contributed to the growing relationship between the United Arab Emirates and Canada. I am pleased to have participated in my role as co-chair of the council, a relatively young organization, which is facilitating long-term relationships to improve overall […]
In political hot seat, Morneau needs to send strong signal on feds’ plan to address economic uncertainty
Time flies, and nowhere is this truer than for governments with fixed terms in office. The heady days of 2015, when Justin Trudeau and the Liberals arrived in office in an aura of sunny optimism, have given way to a struggling government that faces the possibility of a narrow minority win, or even a loss. […]
Feds’ fight over carbon tax with Ford could help Trudeau score points, say NDP, Liberal politicos
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s fight with the feds over the carbon tax delivers the Trudeau government the kind of political opposition that could work to its favour, say some Liberal- and NDP-connected politicos, while some Tory insiders say that the growing provincial opposition will help strengthen the Conservatives’ appeal federally. “The Liberals like the fight […]
AMLO gets his chance to drag Mexico out of feudalism
OTTAWA—For anyone accustomed to the relative prosperity and order of Canada, spending a lot of time in Latin America inevitably produces a catalogue of shocks. But, for me, few were as grim as visiting a garbage dump on the outskirts of Mexico City, where hundreds of people lived and worked as scavengers among the mountains […]
Departing Slovak envoy foresees ‘smooth’ CETA ratification
Amid hurdles thrown up by Italy potentially not ratifying the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement, the departing Slovak ambassador says he is convinced of the success of the deal between the European Union and Canada. Since the agreement was 98 per cent provisionally implemented in September, Andrej Droba, who arrived in Canada in September 2014 for […]
Trudeau must seek change in Russia policy at NATO summit
At the NATO leaders’ summit this week, Canada must offer strong support for the alliance. At the same time, it should take a more visible and assertive role to ensure its greater effectiveness. Most importantly, Canada needs to seek a change in policy towards Russia. The West’s policy of accommodation has failed. Russia views it […]
U.S. embassy draws about 1,000 party-goers to Fourth of July bash
Despite some threats of a boycott, U.S. ambassador Kelly Craft’s Fourth of July party drew in MPs, ministers, and journalists among the roughly 1,000 guests who attended. The guest list for the party had been pared down to about 1,000 invitees, The National Post reported, citing sources outside the U.S. embassy. In previous years it often […]
America’s trade war with China: a losing battle
The U.S. could probably extract major concessions from China in a carefully managed confrontation on trading issues, because the Chinese don’t want a trade war with their best export customer. But the U.S. can’t win the trade war that U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to wage, and it kicks off on Friday. That’s when […]
‘Extraordinary’ Canada-U.S. trade spat brings lobbyists ‘out of the woodwork’
The growing trade war between Canada and the United States prompted almost three-dozen new filings in the federal lobbyist registry over the last two months as Canada plotted its response to U.S.-imposed steel and aluminum tariffs. Even with Canada’s retaliatory tariffs kicking in July 1, lobbyists are predicting the uptick will continue in Ottawa as […]
Revenge of the Harperites
OTTAWA—By now, it’s easy to have forgotten that day in 2011 when Stephen Harper, fresh from winning a majority Conservative government, showed up as the surprise guest at a 700-person barbecue in the backyard of the Ford family home in Toronto. “He’s my new fishing partner,” the late Rob Ford told the enthusiastic crowd at […]
