Governments, like gardeners, reap what they sow. Trudeau’s continuation of Harper’s Conservative Mideast foreign policy has reaped the current mess with Saudi Arabia. The Liberal brain trust must be wondering, “what do we have to do? We slavishly back the odious Saudi regime and they freak over an innocuous tweet.” The Trudeau government has largely... Continue Reading →
Time for Trudeau to call the Saudi bluff
As every good poker player knows, sometimes the right move is to go all in. Given his cards and the obvious over-the-top attempt by his opponent to scare him off a winning hand, Justin Trudeau’s next move should be to see Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s (aka MBS) diplomatic break and raise him a wide-ranging... Continue Reading →
Trudeau’s broken promise part of build-up to war against Iran
Another Liberal broken promise. Before becoming prime minister, Justin Trudeau promised to re-engage with Iran. His government has failed to do so and is beginning to echo the warmongers in Washington and Tel Aviv. “I would hope that Canada would be able to reopen its mission [in Tehran],” Trudeau told the CBC in June 2015.... Continue Reading →
Ugly Canadians active in Brazil
New revelations about Brazilian military violence offer an opportunity to reflect on Canadian support for that country’s 1964 coup and how Ottawa’s policy towards our South American neighbour is similar today. A spate of international and Brazilian media have reported on a recently uncovered memo from CIA director William Colby to then US secretary of... Continue Reading →
Expanding powers of CSE more about imperialism than security
The Trudeau government is seeking to empower an influential, if little-known, arm of Canadian imperialism. Bill C-59 would authorize the Communications Security Establishment to carry out offensive operations “to degrade, disrupt, influence, respond to or interfere with the capabilities, intentions or activities” of foreign actors. In effect, the Department of National Defence-run intelligence agency could... Continue Reading →
Long past time for Canada to exit NORAD
This weekend the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) celebrates its 60th anniversary. On May 12, 1958, Canada and the US officially signed their most significant bilateral military accord. The Cold War agreement was supposed to defend the two countries from an invasion by Soviet bombers coming from the north. But, the Berlin Wall fell... Continue Reading →
Forget Facebook, Five Eyes is bigger threat to our privacy, security
While the media has been full of news about information-gathering by Facebook and other Internet giants, other secretive organizations that are a major threat to our personal privacy and public security are seldom mentioned. And when they are, it has most often been because politicians are praising them and offering up more money for them... Continue Reading →
Toronto terror attack, toxic masculinity and militarism
Progressive online commentary about Monday’s van attack in Toronto has focused on the influence of “toxic masculinity”. The analyses should be expanded to include the alleged perpetrator’s ties to a powerful patriarchal institution that is Canada’s biggest purveyor of violence. Early reports suggest alleged mass murderer Alek Minassian may have targeted women and been motivated by... Continue Reading →
Canada should support peace in Syria, not US missiles
The US has once again flagrantly violated international law. Without UN approval, they launched dozens of airstrikes on Syria. Ottawa immediately supported the US bombing. In a statement Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “Canada supports the decision by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to take action to degrade the Assad regime’s ability to... Continue Reading →
Who cares about Ottawa interference in Venezuela’s election?
Is there no voice in Parliament willing to denounce Canadian interference in another country’s electoral process? The Trudeau government is engaged in a wide-ranging campaign to weaken Venezuela’s elected government. In a bid to elicit “regime change,” Ottawa has worked to isolate Caracas, imposed sanctions, and supported the country’s opposition. Recently, foreign minister Chrystia Freeland... Continue Reading →
Real concern should be Singh’s support of Canadian violence
We should be concerned about Jagmeet Singh’s support for political violence. But not the stuff that’s making news. While the media makes much of the new NDP head’s ties/indifference to Sikh violence, they’ve ignored Singh’s leadership of a party/community that has repeatedly backed Canadian aggression. In a Rabble story on the controversy, Karl Nerenberg described... Continue Reading →
Maple Leafs swimming in choppy Canadian imperial waters
Hey Maple Leafs, be careful which traditions you honour. On Saturday the Leafs play an outdoor game against the Washington Capitals at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. To mark the occasion the team created a jersey with the Royal Canadian Navy's (RCN) "Ready, Aye, Ready" motto on it. The website... Continue Reading →
Lessons learned from ‘Republic of NGOs’
Imagine living in a country where the entire social services sector is privatized, run by “charities” that are based in other countries and staffed by foreigners who get to decide whether or not you qualify for assistance. Welcome to Haiti, the “Republic of NGOs.” As salacious details about Oxfam officials hiring Haitian girls for sex... Continue Reading →
NDP marches with USA on Venezuela
Has it become NDP policy to support US-backed coups in Latin America? The Canadian social democratic party’s foreign critic Hélène Laverdière has certainly remained silent regarding US leaders musing about a military coup or invasion of Venezuela and has openly supported asphyxiating the left-wing government through other means. At the start of the month US... Continue Reading →
Canada a settler state helping pull imperial strings, not a colony
Colony or settler state? Recently foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland dismissed concerns that Canada was seeking "regime change" in Venezuela by saying "Canada has never been an imperialist power. It's even almost funny to say that phrase: we've been the colony." As I detailed in an initial response, Ottawa has passively or actively supported numerous U.S.-backed military coups against progressive... Continue Reading →
Canadian imperialism not amusing to its victims, Ms. Freeland
It may walk and quack like a regime-change-promoting duck, but Ottawa's unilateral sanctions and support for Venezuela's opposition is actually just a cuddly Canadian beaver, says Chrystia Freeland. "Canada has never been an imperialist power. It's even almost funny to say that phrase: we've been the colony," said the journalist-turned-politician after a Toronto meeting of foreign ministers opposed to the Venezuelan government.... Continue Reading →
Canada joins gang showing colours in Asia
Canadian leaders search for “gravitas” and “respect” from their US counterparts is adding to friction in the Asia-Pacific. Amidst tension on the Korean Peninsula, the Canadian Navy has joined Washington’s “pivot” towards Asia. Recently departed, HMCS Chicoutimi is expected to be in the Asia-Pacific until March. While they refused to offer CBC News much detail,... Continue Reading →
Ugly Canadian face now belongs to Trudeau
The "Ugly Canadian" is on the march, but now with a much prettier face at the helm. Across the planet, Canadian mining companies are in conflict with local communities and usually have the Trudeau government's support. A slew of disputes have arisen at Canadian run mines in recent weeks: Last week in northern central Mexico,... Continue Reading →
Time for Canada to withdraw from NATO
Ottawa should withdraw from NATO before the alliance draws Canada into an even more destructive conflict. This instrument of US-led imperialism has become more belligerent as its Cold War pretext fades further from view. In 1948 US, British and Canadian officials met secretly to lay the basis for NATO, which was established the following year.... Continue Reading →
Mining people along with minerals
If you take a nation's mineral resources do you have a moral responsibility to also accept its people? On Sunday about 40 people rallied outside a Montreal Metro station against deportations to Guinea. The protesters called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to live up to his "Welcome to Canada" rhetoric and allow asylum seekers from... Continue Reading →
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