Tag: canada

Is Canada’s Attorney General Illiterate?

Supreme Court of Canada Case Information Docket 34357: Attorney General of Canada on behalf of the United States of America v. Abdullah Khadr Nov. 3, 2011: Decision on the application for leave to appeal, Bi De Ro. The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, Number C52633, … Continue reading “Is Canada’s Attorney General Illiterate?”

Canada’s Foreign Policy at Odds With Popular Priorities

TORONTO — Canada has flexed its military muscles, first in Afghanistan for nine years alongside NATO forces and now in Libya in its supply of ships and combat planes for the rebel forces, but little debate has happened on the ground among Canadians themselves on this direction. A recent summer opinion poll by Environics discovered … Continue reading “Canada’s Foreign Policy at Odds With Popular Priorities”

The Five Eyes’ Daisy Chain

So the Five Eyes‘ daisy chain is alive and well. I encountered this at first hand with my own application under Canada’s Access to Information Act (ATIA), submitted in December 2006 and documented elsewhere. In summary, after a hideous delay not countenanced by the framers of the Act, I got 73 pages of redacted rubbish. … Continue reading “The Five Eyes’ Daisy Chain”

Gimme More Magna Carta!

On this very Web site I wrote a thing in March 2008, titled “What Should NATO Do?” It ended by worrying that NATO’s Afghanistan policy was in danger of drifting into the hands of the Firepower People, which now seems realistic. Imagine my surprise to discover that, later in the same year, on Dec. 5, … Continue reading “Gimme More Magna Carta!”

Trudeau’s War Measures Act: A Reminiscence

On Friday, Oct. 16, 1970, I woke up at about 7:00 a.m. and turned on the radio. At the time, I was living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The news I heard shocked me. In the middle of the night, Canada’s Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau had invoked the War Measures Act. What was that? I had never … Continue reading “Trudeau’s War Measures Act: A Reminiscence”

Treachery as Public Policy

“The bombing of Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985, was an act of terrorism. Three hundred and twenty-nine persons – passengers and crew – died in the North Atlantic off the coast of Ireland. The majority of the passengers were Canadian; one quarter of the victims (82) were under the age of 13. … Continue reading “Treachery as Public Policy”

Canadian Rendition Probe Expands to US, Syria

The Canadian government has quietly been conducting an international criminal probe of the actions of Syrian and U.S. authorities in the case of Maher Arar, the Canadian who was arrested in 2002 by U.S. officials and then rendered to a Syrian jail where he was held incommunicado and tortured for 10 months before being released … Continue reading “Canadian Rendition Probe Expands to US, Syria”

Why All the Secrecy?

Kandahar’s central slammer got slammed while Canada slept. Recently, two Canadian soldiers have been killed: Col. Geoff Parker of the Royal Canadian Regiment in Kabul and Trooper Larry Rudd of the Royal Canadian Dragoons in Panjwaii, the former by a suicide bomber and the latter by a road mine. An indeterminate number of Canadians have … Continue reading “Why All the Secrecy?”

Canada’s ‘Whole Freaking Government’ Approach in Afghanistan

"Bonded in the crucible of the Kandahar mission, a new group of civil servants has emerged as the government’s go-to team for the most challenging and dangerous assignments of the day. Tougher, faster, more flexible, and more networked, these officials epitomize one of the most used buzzwords in public administration: whole of government. "Having benefited … Continue reading “Canada’s ‘Whole Freaking Government’ Approach in Afghanistan”

The Taking of Afghan Prisoners 22, 23, and 24

So an unexpected benefit of the proroguing of Parliament in January 2010 was the refreshing absence of Laurie Hawn. The more I don’t hear from Laurie Hawn, the happier I am, you know? The air seems cleaner somehow… But for me, this whole Afghan prisoner thing goes back to Aug. 17, 1917, when my Uncle … Continue reading “The Taking of Afghan Prisoners 22, 23, and 24”