He was right, so is she

Almost a week ago I said that I agreed with former ambassador to China David Mulroney's view that making Jean Chrétien a sort of "ordinary" ambassador (one with a limited, special mission ~ our permanent ambassadors are, officially, according to the Congress of Vienna (1815) ambassadeurs extraordinaire et plénipotentiaire) would be a mistake because, as … Continue reading He was right, so is she →

One problem … and another

I saw this story (in the Globe and Mail, and elsewhere) about the idea of sending former Prime Minister Jean Chétien to China to negotiate for the release of Canadian being held as, essentially, hostages by China, and, one presumes, to do what Chrystia Freeland cannot, because the Chinese Foreign Minister will not talk to Canada's … Continue reading One problem … and another →

A tale of two graphs

So, Adam Vaughan, a Liberal MP from Toronto, posted this on social media: It's petty standard Liberal fare and I'll bet that more than half, more likely ⅔ or even ¾ of Canadians believe it. In response, Richard Groves, who is an accountant from Kelowna BC, posted this: The GFC to which Mr Groves refers … Continue reading A tale of two graphs →

Productivity

In a report originally published in the Huffington Post and republished, online, by Yahoo-Finance, Daniel Tencer, who is the business editor of the Huffington Post, writes that "Canada has fallen out of the top 10 in a ranking of the world’s most competitive economies, a sign that Canadians may have a harder time succeeding financially … Continue reading Productivity →

Civil war

A successful political party, the famous British Conservative, Quintin Hogg, Lord Hailsham, said needs two things to prosper politically: A sense of conviction; and A sense of direction. It seems to me that the Liberal Party of Canada has been lacking one or the other or, sometimes, both since the mid-1960s. The problem, I believe, … Continue reading Civil war →

Canada is still excluded

Back in 2018, the Canadian International Council noted that "While multiple Canadian governments have asserted it is in our national interest to be active in the Asia Pacific, Canada’s recent military and security record shows a lacklustre—and even dwindling—presence ... [and] ... Beyond a few “enhanced engagement” documents and Canada’s so-called “Year of the Asia Pacific” … Continue reading Canada is still excluded →

I hope …

Warren Kinsella used to run Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's campaign "war room" back in the 1990s and early 2000s. He was not, I think, one of the Manley Liberals, but his Liberal roots are strong and deep and he is extraordinarily critical of Justin Trudeau, as is former Liberal Pary of Canada president (1998-2003) Stephen Ledrew. … Continue reading I hope … →