Section: Macleans (Canada)
Fewer Canadian bombs dropped on Iraq, Syria since election call
OTTAWA – Fewer Canadian bombs have been falling on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant since the federal election call on Aug. 2, new National Defence statistics show. CF-18 fighters conducted 10 air raids last month and 12 in August, which is roughly half the average number of attacks carried out each month since the spring. There were 30...
‘A dagger to the heart of democracy’: Letters
Dearth of a nation Thank you, Anne Kingston and Maclean’s, for that well-written, well-documented report on the erasure of public knowledge and memory through government cutbacks and closures (“Vanishing Canada,” National, Sept. 28). How can citizens, and the people who try to represent their concerns, pursue the public interest if the...
Canada inches up to 13th place on global competitiveness ranking
GENEVA — Canada has moved up two notches to 13th position in the latest Global Competitiveness Report issued Wednesday by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum. The report says Canada improved its ranking mainly because of a lower budget deficit based on 2014 data and a more favourable assessment of its financial market development. It says...
War and Peace: A Munk Debate debate primer
Canadian elections rarely turn on foreign policy. We’re geographically isolated from most of the trouble in the world and have enjoyed a functional relationship with our only neighbour for more than a century. Even when Canada-U.S. ties are strained, as they are now, there’s no chance of conflict. Canadians can, or think they can,...
What Stephen Harper has to prove in the Munk Debate
Darren Calabrese/CP OTTAWA — When the Conservatives accepted a proposal in May for a debate on foreign policy, they said they looked forward to the discussion because the issues had been afterthoughts in previous election debates. But Stephen Harper heads into Monday night’s Munk Debate in Toronto after weeks of facing foreign policy issues...
What is Vladimir Putin going to tell the UN?
Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (R) take part in celebrations for Navy Day in Baltiysk, Kaliningrad region, Russia, July 26, 2015. (Mikhail Klimentyev/Ria Novosti/Reuters) MOSCOW — With dozens of Russian combat jets and helicopter gunships lined up at an air base in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin...
Election sidelines backroom bid for French helicopter ships
OTTAWA – Canada was actively pursuing — at the political level — the possible acquisition of the controversial French-built Mistral-class helicopter carriers, several defence, diplomatic and military industry sources have told The Canadian Press. The effort has ground to halt, however, largely because of the federal election campaign — and it may...
Five takeaways from the Republican debate
Republican presidential candidate, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, right, leads fellow candidates Scott Walker, second from right, Jeb Bush, center, and Donald Trump as they take the stage prior to the CNN Republican presidential debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015, in Simi Valley, Calif. (AP...
Chrétien: ‘What has happened to Canada?’
Former PM Jean Chrétien in February 2015 at an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Canadian flag. (Chris Young/CP) OTTAWA — Former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien injected himself into the federal election campaign Saturday with a scathing critique of Stephen Harper’s foreign policy. In a blistering, open letter to three...
Talking Points: On recessions and progressions
Baby! The endangered orca population of Sooke, B.C., welcomed a fifth calf to the family; in 40 years, only 35 of 122 born to the pod have survived(Dave Ellifrit/Center for Whale Research/CP) Need an answer for that? Trying to look like the smartest person at the dinner party? Our Talking Points have you covered. Read our short takes on some of...
