Canada failing to take Havana syndrome and its effects seriously
We are a group of Canadian diplomats, spouses, and children who all were afflicted with the mysterious “Havana syndrome” while posted at the Canadian embassy in Cuba. A recently released U.S National Academies of Sciences report provided much-needed information regarding the likely cause of our injuries. In particular, the report’s striking conclusion is that a […]
Canada has chance to change course on drug decriminalization
Between January 2016 and March 2020, more than 16,000 people in Canada died as a result of a toxic drug supply. Each individual had goals and dreams, and friends and family. Each was a preventable death, officially listed as “overdose.” But in the terrible, tragic case of Canada’s relentless overdose crisis, we know that our […]
Trudeau government supporting farmers at a time of volatility
The strength of our farmers and our food supply chain is something we Canadians too often take for granted. Many of us are fortunately accustomed to having our grocery shelves stocked with food at some of the most affordable prices in the world. Our food system, however, is a bit like a duck: we notice […]
The EU: Germany is the reason…
LONDON, U.K.—In Brussels, the English-speaking journalists are all speculating about which way British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will jump. He’s there now, dithering over whether to cave in to the European Union’s terms for a post-Brexit free trade deal. Most people reckon it’s his last face-saving show of defiance before he surrenders to the bitter […]
Christmas gift ideas for our leaders
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Now that Christmas is just around the corner, it’s time to ponder that most important of seasonal questions: what gifts would each of the main federal party leaders like to see under their tree this year? Okay, a trite way to start things off I know, but given the sad state of 2020 I […]
Who will pay down the deficit, Chrystia Freeland?
Runaway fiscal deficits, no matter their cause, always lead to the same place—a day of ultimate political reckoning, followed by budgets of punishing fiscal restraint. Sometimes, it’s the same government that guts the very deficits it has created. Remember Paul Martin back in the mid-1990s? Sometimes, the task falls to a new government that pledges […]
China’s security challenge—let’s use our resources
Even after all the concerns voiced these past years, including by our own intelligence service, we still do not have a clear sense of the Trudeau government’s position on Canada’s national security interests when it comes to China. Take Huawei. The government has been dithering, even though four of the Five Eyes have prohibited that […]
Path to Canada’s green future hinges on pragmatism, transparency
The fall economic statement reaffirmed the federal government’s ambitious goal to tackle climate change. Transparency and accountability will be crucial in this fight, and Ottawa must demonstrate these attributes not just in setting targets, but also in the even more vital task of determining how we’ll meet them. In the meantime, natural resource exporters, including […]
Canada lagging in its pledge on climate finance
Five years ago, in Paris on Dec. 12, the global community delivered a message of hope when 195 countries came together to adopt the world’s first universal climate agreement. This was a source of great pride to me, as secretary-general of the United Nations at the time, and I continue to regard the Paris Agreement […]
‘No justice, no truth’ for Canada’s immigration detainees
“The reason I came [to Canada] is to seek refuge, but the punishment I got for that—I never experienced that anywhere else,” Ebrahim Toure testified on Nov. 16 from the Toronto immigration holding centre at his detention-review hearing, which we monitored on behalf of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Over his 10 years in […]
