President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has long been the darling of prominent liberals such as Bill Clinton, Samantha Power and Tony Blair. But, it’s become ever more difficult to publicly back the bloodstained Rwandan dictator. After two decades in power Kagame recently had the constitution changed so (only) he can keep running for office. Alongside... Continue Reading →
Canada reaps what it sows in Africa
Blowback. Karma. Unintended consequences. A corollary to the golden rule. We have many words to describe the concept: Doing harm to others often results in bad things happening to us or people we “care” about, sometimes many years later. Since the November attacks in Paris Boko Haram has killed nearly twice as many people as... Continue Reading →
The fairy tale about a brave Canadian general in Rwanda
Like children’s fairy tales, foreign policy myths are created, told and retold for a purpose. The Boy Who Cried Wolf imparts a life lesson while entertaining your five year-old niece. Unfortunately foreign policy myths are seldom so benign. The tale told about Romeo Dallaire illustrates the problem. While the former Canadian General rose to prominence... Continue Reading →
Ignoring Canada’s real history in Uganda very poor scholarship
A recent Globe and Mail article (reprinted on Rabble.ca) by Gerald Caplan detailing Canadian relations with Uganda made me mad. Why? It was not so much for what’s in the article, but rather what it ignores, which is reality. Any progressive author writing about Canada’s foreign affairs betrays his readers if he ignores the bad this country... Continue Reading →
Time to make Canadian companies responsible for abuses abroad
Two weeks ago police shot and killed an individual at Pacific Wildcat Resources tantalum mine in central Mozambique. The incident received some attention in Canada because community members responded by seizing the Vancouver-based company’s mine site and setting some equipment ablaze. One protester told O Pais newspaper this wasn’t the first time someone was shot dead at... Continue Reading →
Let us also remember the victims of Canada’s wars
Trudeau “unveils most diverse Cabinet in Canada’s history”, was how one media outlet described the new Liberal cabinet. It includes a Muslim woman, four Sikhs, an indigenous woman, two differently abled individuals and an equal number of women and men. Half even refused any reference to God at Wednesday’s swearing in ceremony. But in one respect there was... Continue Reading →
From PM to corporate shill in Africa
If his predecessors’ trajectories are any indication, Stephen Harper will soon join a handful of corporate boards or a law firm and be paid handsomely to advance Canadian business interests in Africa. Almost every prime minister since Pierre Trudeau (Joe Clark, Brian Mulroney, Jean Chrétien, Paul Martin) left office and lobbied on behalf of Canadian... Continue Reading →
How soon until Justin Trudeau reveals his liberal imperialism?
Right-wing commentators are calling Justin Trudeau’s decision to withdraw fighter jets from Syria-Iraq “un Liberal” and unfortunately they’re right. But, by citing the Liberal sponsored Responsibility to Protect (R2P) to justify Canadian participation in the US-led bombing, these pundits are revealing the essence of this “humanitarian imperialist” doctrine. Last week senior Maclean‘s writer Michael Petrou called... Continue Reading →
Canadian companies well known abroad for bribery
While most Canadians proudly recognize the beaver, the hockey player and the curling broom as symbols of this country, some of us would be made uncomfortable by another enduring emblem of the Great White North: a businessman wearing a maple leaf lapel pin discretely passing a plain manila envelope stuffed with cash to a foreign... Continue Reading →
Nova Scotia’s connection to exploitation in Africa
Little has been written about the Nova Scotian cod industry and a Haligonian’s role in events partly responsible for the stark economic divide that sees most of Africans living on less than $2 a day and without electricity. Between 1600 and 1850, more than 10 million Africans were shipped across the Atlantic. European demand for... Continue Reading →
Shining light on the secret world of Canada’s special forces
Last week former defence minister Jason Kenney said if re-elected the Conservatives would significantly expand Canada’s special forces. Kenney said they would add 665 members to the Canadian Armed Forces Special Operations Command (CANSOFCOM) over the next seven years. Why? What do these “special forces” do? Who decides when and where to deploy them? For what purpose?... Continue Reading →
Mining the leaders’ debate
The Liberal, NDP and Conservative leaders are set to debate Canada's role in the world at an event put on by Munk Debates, an organization named after and financed by a wealthy businessman who made his fortune in mining. It will be interesting, therefore, to see if mining as a topic is given much, if... Continue Reading →
Acknowledging our racist past
Where does anti-black racism come from? Can we trace discrimination today, such as disproportionate police carding, to when this bias developed? While the most obvious source of this racism is the legacy of justifications for enslaving Africans, Toronto has made a distinct contribution as well. For example, dozens of Torontonians participated in British expeditions to... Continue Reading →
Canada’s contribution to mass murder and torture in Kenya
Over the weekend a memorial was unveiled to victims of British colonial violence in Kenya. Paid for by London, the monument in Nairobi grew out of London’s 2013 apology to the Mau Mau, which included some compensation to 5000 victims of British policy who pursued London court. Britain’s small step towards atoning for its colonial... Continue Reading →
Canada in Africa book tour begins this week
Stephen Harper is not The Problem but getting rid of him is a necessary first step in changing Canada’s militaristic, pro-corporate international posture that focuses on what’s best for business rather than helping the world’s poorest. This will be one of the messages during a 20-city pre-election tour for the just-released Canada in Africa: 300... Continue Reading →
Who has heard of Canadian gunboat diplomacy?
Former Prime Minister Kim Campbell once said “an election is no time to discuss important issues.” But surely the opportunity to free up $40 billion while making the world a safer place ought to spark a discussion about the Canadian Navy’s role in the world. Four years ago the Conservatives announced the National Shipbuilding Procurement... Continue Reading →
Look where Harper’s lawbreaking led Libya
Since the start of the Canadian election campaign a series of posts have detailed the Harper Conservatives repeated abuse of power. The Tyee published "Harper, Serial Abuser of Power", which listed "70 Harper government assaults on democracy and the law." But the widely disseminated list omitted what may be the Conservatives' most flagrant – and... Continue Reading →
Canadian military ‘aid’ no help to Africans
Unlike the US or France, Canada is not a leading military force in Africa. But Ottawa exerts influence through a variety of means including training initiatives. Canadian Forces have trained hundreds of African soldiers at the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre in Kingston Ontario and Lester B. Pearson Centre in Nova Scotia. Canadian forces... Continue Reading →
Corporate profits the point of Harper’s Africa policy
Despite rhetoric about providing aid to the poorest, the Harper Conservatives have worked assiduously to ensure that Canadian corporations profit from Africa’s vast mineral resources, rather than the continent’s people. Even widespread criticism of their operations has failed to dampen the Conservatives’ support for Canada’s many mining interests in Africa. Canadian mining companies have been... Continue Reading →
Top 10 things you didn’t know about Canada in Africa
10. Canada is a mining superpower in Africa. With mines in 35 countries, Canadian companies operate hundreds of mineral projects across the continent. 9. Canada trained the army command that overthrew Ghanaian independence leader Kwame Nkrumah and Canada’s high commissioner privately celebrated the coup. 8. A Canadian led the expedition to conquer the Katanga region... Continue Reading →
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