Colin Freeze, writing in the Globe and Mail, says that "For the first time in Canada, the federal attorney-general has overridden a judge’s order to release documents that the government considers to be national-security secrets ... [specifically] ... Attorney-General David Lametti signed a secrecy certificate to prevent details about a Canadian Security Intelligence Service surveillance operation … Continue reading Collisions
A policy dilemma
Matthew Fisher, writing for Global News, says that "Canadian foreign and security policy is sure to test the mettle of Global Affairs Canada, the Department of National Defence and the federal government during its new, more complicated minority mandate." Bingo! Mr Fisher says that the three "defining issues" are: "How Canada and its friends and … Continue reading A policy dilemma
Squaring the pipeline circle
So, two things caught my eye the other day: First, TVA Nouvelles reported that "l’écologiste Steven Guilbeault serait nommé à la tête du Patrimoine canadien" (roughly: environmentalist (anti-pipeline activist) Steven Guilbeault will be appointed Minister of Canadian Heritage) which did happen; and Second, Kelowna Capital News reported that "Two First Nations in B.C.’s Interior that had … Continue reading Squaring the pipeline circle
Disappointing, but I wish them well
So, the new Trudeau cabinet is here: Chrystia Freeland becomes Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs; and then, in alphabetical order Anita Anand, a new entry to cabinet, becomes Minister of Public Services and Procurement; Navdeep Bains becomes Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry; Carolyn Bennett remains Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations; Marie-Claude Bibeau remains … Continue reading Disappointing, but I wish them well
Cabinet making.
Later today (and I will have comments tomorrow) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will unveil his cabinet. In an item on the CBC News website, TV host Vassy Kapelos explains some of the challenges of cabinet making in Canada. She talked with a couple of political veterans who both agreed that life is more complicated than … Continue reading Cabinet making.
Make China Great Again?
Yesterday, I asked: "Why" is China drifting away from Deng Xiaoping's vision and back, it seems to me, towards Maoism. In an opinion piece in the Globe and Mail, award-winning author and scholar Professor Julia Lovell of the University of London draws an interesting parallel with Donald Trump. Xi Jinping, she suggests, at "The plenum resolution … Continue reading Make China Great Again?
Why, indeed?
So, a few days ago, I saw this: "One of Sun Yat-sen’s final speeches was to the Students’ Union of the university in 1923, when he said he got his revolutionary and modern ideas in Hong Kong after seeing the security that people enjoyed there without a corrupt government ... [then he went on to … Continue reading Why, indeed?
