Democracy far down list of Canadian interests in Niger

Military coups are generally bad. Foreign invasions even more so. What then to think of the situation in Niger? While the political situation in the west African country is fluid, some facts are incontrovertible. An (at least nominally) elected president was ousted by the presidential guard after demoting its leader. The pro US/French President Mohamed... Continue Reading →

Is it time for Canada to apologize to Libya?

Canada said their war in Libya was to defend human rights and enable democracy. But, NATO’s 2011 assault has unleashed a decade of instability and violence as well as deteriorating social and economic indicators. And they still haven’t held presidential elections. Since the start of the month there has been an uprising against living conditions... Continue Reading →

Ugly Canadian mines new depths

  The Justin Trudeau government threw its diplomatic weight behind Canada’s most controversial mining company in the country where it’s committed its worst abuses. Canadian officials threatened to cut off aid to Tanzania and justified Barrick Gold’s killings, according to newly released internal government documents. Barrick Gold’s African subsidiary, Acacia Mining, was embroiled in a... Continue Reading →

Canadian imperialism in Africa

Canadian imperialism in Africa has had a rare social media moment. On Twitter K. Diallo recently posted a map of the continent with the sum of Canadian mining investment in each African country under the words “75% of mining companies globally are now Canadian. Canada is a great source of corporate neocolonialism expansion.” The tweet received 25,000... Continue Reading →

Canadian military training in Africa is extension of US imperialism

Which is more believable as motivation to send soldiers to other countries, altruism or self-interest? Canadian forces don’t train their African counterparts out of a commitment to professionalism or democracy but to extend this country’s influence. Recently the Ottawa Citizen reported that Canadian special forces will continue to participate in “U.S.-led training exercises despite links... Continue Reading →

Trudeau government seeks West African gold

Despite the prime minister’s show of visiting a place where thousands of people were sold as commodities, the point of his trip was not to acknowledge the great wrong done to Africa during the slave trade but rather for Canadian companies to get their hands on Senegal’s resources. During Justin Trudeau’s expedition to Senegal last... Continue Reading →

Trudeau enables corporate Canada to exploit Ethiopia’s minerals

  The Federal government wants Canadian corporations to profit from Ethiopia’s minerals. During his recent trip to the Horn of Africa country Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced negotiations on a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA). As I detailed in this article, bilateral investment treaties with African countries are overwhelmingly designed to solidify the... Continue Reading →

Trudeau promotes mining exploitation in Africa

The Trudeau government, just like the Harper Conservatives, has used Canadian foreign policy to protect the profits of wealthy mining companies against ordinary Africans desire to benefit from resource extraction. During a recent visit Justin Trudeau announced negotiations on a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) with Ethiopia. FIPAs empower international investors by giving... Continue Reading →

Stephen Lewis and the NDP’s liberal imperialism

If the New Democratic Party wants to be part of the solution and not a barrier to creating a better foreign policy it needs to start telling the truth. Stephen Lewis is a liberal imperialist who largely ignores Canada’s contribution to African subjugation. Just before the election Svend Robinson for Burnaby North-Seymour published an endorsement... Continue Reading →

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