canadian foreign policy

There will be a new goal in the coming year: getting ahead (and getting heard) in an unfriendly, chaotic world

Terry Glavin: It turned out that the rest of the world wasn’t as keen on neo-liberal multilateralism as Team Trudeau had imagined

The Trudeau government’s championing of ‘progressive trade’ may further gum up complex negotiations that have dragged on for years

The prime minister needs to grow a stalled trade relationship and also assuage India’s security concerns about its diaspora in Canada

In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday, Foreign Minister John Baird declared Canada’s unbending support for the rights of religious and other minority groups wherever they live.

With national holiday season upon us on both sides of the border, it is a good time to pause and consider whether Barack Obama has had a positive effect on Canada. Last week, Maclean’s Washington correspondent Luiza Ch.Savage wrote a very thoughtful article arguing “Barack Obama is bad for Canada.” The piece was far more balanced than the title suggests, but it raised some legitimate points about Obama’s economic ambitions with respect to free trade, global warming, and energy. She could have added border security for good measure. At first glance, and based on its national interests, Canada has grounds for worry. Yet polls suggest Canadians like Obama more than they do Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Could the Obama effect and his popularity be making us blind to potential threats to our country’s economy and overall interests?

Must-reads: Graham Thomson in Afghanistan; George Jonas on the Order of Canada.