Section: Ottawa Citizen (Canada)
Eric Morse: Don’t confuse refugees with migrants
Canadian journalist Doug Saunders observed recently that the wave of human trafficking now troubling southern Europe is almost entirely composed of migrants, not refugees. Since the turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa is simultaneously creating large numbers of refugees, it is dangerously easy to confuse them. By modern definitions – as...
U.S., not Stephen Harper, will decide if Russia is to return to the G8, says Putin
Russia appears to be angling to make it the G8 once again and President Vladimir Putin suggests it’s something Prime Minister Stephen Harper will just have to accept, writes Murray Brewster of the Canadian Press writes. Here is the rest of Murray Brewster’s article: “I don’t want to offend anyone, but if the United States says...
U.S. snubs Ukrainian neo-Nazi unit as questions remain about Canada’s safeguards
U.S. lawmakers have voted to block American troops from training a unit with neo-Nazi members that’s operating with Ukraine’s forces — a move that raises questions about what safeguards Canada has to ensure it doesn’t help extremist groups. Canadian soldiers from Petawawa Garrison in the Ottawa Valley are preparing to head to...
Canadian satellite launch delayed two years over Russian embargo
The launch of a Canadian surveillance satellite has fallen two years behind schedule because the federal government won’t allow it to be put into orbit by a Russian rocket. By the time the Canadian defence satellite is in place next year, its technology could be out of date, warns a space analyst. The Conservative government scuttled the...
Tyler Dawson: Magna Carta rights are still at risk today
Eight centuries after Magna Carta was first sealed, the gut reaction, fuelled by hundreds of years of lionization, is to look back on a glorious history of rights, wherein the trajectory is straight from a solid foundation to today’s human rights. This impulse is wrong – at least in the sense that it’s coupled with the conclusion...
Harper disappoints aboriginals by refusing to urge Pope to issue apology
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is under fire for turning his back on aboriginal residential school survivors after he skipped a chance to personally urge the Pope to apologize for the Catholic Church’s role in the abusive system. Harper met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Thursday, just nine days after the release of the report of the...
Analysts question whether Conservative government’s talk about joining NATO rapid reaction force is election posturing
The Harper government is considering joining NATO’s rapid reaction force, but doing so could mean spurning a traditional ally whose been courting Canada to be part of its formation, Murray Brewster of the Canadian Press writes. Here is the rest of Murray Brewster’s article: Defence Minister Jason Kenney has acknowledged the government...
Strategy to train Iraqi forces to battle Islamic State not complete, says Obama
The United States does not yet have a “complete strategy” for training Iraqi forces to fight Islamic State militants, President Barack Obama said Monday, the Associated Press writes. Here is the rest of the Associated Press article: Obama said the Pentagon was reviewing plans to ramp up training and assistance to the Iraqi forces, but he also...
The Gargoyle: Travel plans and true celebrities
A report aimed at healing historical wounds. A sharp body blow to the Senate. And in between, the business of governing. Here’s what the Gargoyle heard this week. Canada’s Caribbean getaway? The Conservative MP who has led the charge to make the Turks and Caicos Islands into Canada’s 11th province released a report this week on...
Russian faceoff part 2 – Harper says Russia should never be allowed back into G-7
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday that Russia should never be allowed back in the Group of 7 as long as Vladimir Putin is president, the Associated Press writes. Here is the rest of the Associated Press article: Harper said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press that he expects the group won’t ever let Putin...
