FOREIGN POLICY
Asad Aryubwal and his family fled Afghanistan three times by the time he was 40, the fourth was because of me
By the time Asad was in his 40th year, he had been compelled to leave his country three times. The first was to escape being drafted into the Soviet-led Afghan army. The second was to…
Some Liberal and Conservative MPs say rules that permit lobby groups and foreign governments to pay for MPs' trips abroad warrant review, including regarding limits on the value of free trips and where lobbyists fit…
The Parliamentary Centre started out to support the Canadian Parliament. Fifty years later, it's expanded to help 120 legislatures in 45 countries better serve the people they represent. On the evening of April 23, the…
The word came up again and again last week as the political world marked the loss of former United States first lady Barbara Bush: grace. It wasn’t the surface grace of a sample-size silhouette or…
Canadians care about their health. In an ideal world we would all recognize, and act upon, the importance of taking care of our own bodies and minds. Complementing these healthy living practices would be a…
OTTAWA—In politics, as in sport sometimes, a rally cry based around desperation can be a powerful motivational tool that changes a game or series. Many times we have heard an NHL hockey coach say of…
The call from the Prime Minister’s Office in March 1982 came as things were not going well for the Liberal opposition in Newfoundland and Labrador. Premier Brian Peckford had called a snap “referendum” election for…
A century ago, a diagnosis of diabetes was a death sentence. The only treatment that was able to somewhat slow the progression of the disease was a starvation diet. Eating no more than 400 calories…Hill Times Columnists
OTTAWA—In recent weeks, we have seen two major incidents occur: the March 4 poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, and the April 7 attack on the embattled Syrian town…
LONDON, ENGLAND--The time limit for a majority government in a two-party system is now usually 10 to 12 years. After that, it is living on borrowed time. Neither major party in the United States has…
State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III. Bob Woodward New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. The water-cooler take on Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein has long been that Woodward was the plodding, anal one…
OTTAWA—The fault lines in Canada’s federal-provincial arrangement never disappear; they just lie dormant from time to time. With the system already under renewed pressure from the Trans Mountain pipeline dispute between Alberta and British Columbia,…
OTTAWA—I am not a Father of Confederation, but I am a son of Confederation. I was an interested observer, albeit young, when Newfoundland was roiled politically with the renewal of its historical debate of whether or…
Foreign Policy
TORONTO—It is the latest wake-up call for Canadians, another effort to shake our complacency about our economic future and the misguided belief that we can count on our natural resources to shield us from the…
In the last federal budget, the Liberal government announced that it would spend up to $500-million to shore up Canada’s cybersecurity defences. Details are still being ironed out, but the majority of the money will…
For the eighth month in a row, trade was the top-lobbied issue in March, a month that included the creation of an investment agency to draw in foreign capital, signing of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement…
Patience with Russia for many Western states is running out. This mood may have repercussions at the G7 foreign ministers' meeting being held on April 22 to 23 in Toronto, ahead of the G7 summit…
Canada should reassess its approach to Russia, say opposition critics who accuse the federal government of not having a plan and taking cues from the international community rather than leading the way. On March 26, the…
We read about accidents, deaths, kidnappings, child abductions, and arrests overseas. For the Canadians involved, these are real-life tragedies. In Ottawa, the Emergency Watch and Response Centre at Global Affairs Canada works 24/7 to respond…
Foreign Policy
Good Thursday morning, We start in Calgary, where Transportation Safety Board investigators are set to release their long-awaited report on how a Cessna Citation 500 plane crashed near Kelowna, B.C., on Oct. 13, 2016, killing…
As the federal Liberals face mounting pressure to get the $7.4-billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion approved, NDP MP Kennedy Stewart, who was arrested for protesting the pipeline in March, says he doubts it will actually…
Keith Ashfield, a former Conservative federal and provincial cabinet minister, died in his sleep this past weekend at the age of 66. Kevin Price, Mr. Ashfield’s former executive assistant, told the CBC that he could have…
Police won’t be ready to properly test Canadians for drug impairment when cannabis is legalized, say critics who point to “terrible” new data showing 665 Canadian police officers as of Feb. 1 are certified to…
Status of Women Minister Maryam Monsef recently promoted her policy and Ontario regional affairs adviser, Christopher Evelyn, to serve as director of operations in her ministerial office. Mr. Evelyn has been working for Ms. Monsef…
After getting rushed through the House, advocates are calling for the Senate to pump the brakes on the government’s bill wiping out historical unjust convictions and to broaden the legislation’s scope to add more offences…
While the Peace Tower flag flies at half-mast in Ottawa, Liberal MP Ali Ehsassi is back in his north Toronto riding of Willowdale to be with his community. He said he never expected a mass casualty…
The government is looking to pay the next parliamentary budget officer way less than it should, which could lead to it picking the wrong person for the job, say a former PBO and his ex-deputy.…New Cuban ambassador helped negotiate U.S.-Cuba détente
Cuba has sent a top diplomat with 25 years of experience in North American relations, and who helped negotiate the 2014 U.S.-Cuba détente, to lead its embassy in Canada, just as a new president is…Argentine envoy ‘confident’ Canada-Mercosur deal will wrap quickly
The second round of trade negotiations between Canada and Mercosur countries will be held in June in Brazil, says the new Argentine ambassador, adding that despite a few areas of concern, the four-country South American…Pakistan celebrates national day in Ottawa as MPs, Senators prepare to see country for themselves
Close to 300 diplomats and senior officials came to celebrate Pakistan’s national day celebration at the Chateau Laurier, just before a group of MPs and Senators set out for Pakistan to foster closer ties. On…Australia’s new top envoy says her ‘focus is firmly on the future’ of CPTPP
Australia’s new high commissioner says officials from her country signalling they would block Canada’s admission to Asia’s top security forum, the East Asia Summit, had nothing to do with tensions that bubbled up when Canada…De Adder's Take
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