Better analysis needed on balance of diplomats abroad and at home, says Sajjan
Canada’s foreign service is highly concentrated in Ottawa with only around 18 per cent of its diplomats posted abroad.
Online hate targeting women journalists hurts us all
The best journalism, whatever the medium, relies on one essential element—an unflinching willingness and ability to gather and report the facts. The journalist’s role, always, is telling truth to power, whether challenging people in authority, unveiling corporate malfeasance, reporting the facts about COVID-19, or examining complex issues of social justice. In an era of “fake […]
Context is critical: response to letter on the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
On April 12, I read with interest a letter to the editor published in The Hill Times entitled “Reforms needed at the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, say activists.” As with virtually any piece of information, it can be misleading to not provide its broader context. Unfortunately, the context which was missing was the fact that, […]
Canada could have added leverage in trade talks with U.K. as activists push for stronger environmental protections
With the United Kingdom pushing for a multitude of free trade deals as the Brexit transition period nears its end, Canada could be in a position of increasing leverage in trade talks with Britain, say analysts, while activists hope for increased environmental protections in a new pact. When the transition period expires in four months, […]
Tory leadership candidates champion CANZUK pact, but trade experts question idea’s merit
Conservative leadership candidates are renewing a call for a new Commonwealth trading network amid Britain’s exit from the European Union, but trade experts question the value of such a proposition. Part of the Conservative Party’s policy platform since 2018 is the hope for a free-trade, free-movement, and security-co-ordination agreement between Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, […]
Kuwait ambassador brings team approach to diplomacy
Diplomacy is not so different from the calculations Kuwait’s new ambassador to Canada says she made as a squash player for her country, bringing the same “drive for achievement” to her now third head of mission posting. Strategy also comes into play on both fields of interest, noted Reem Al Khaled. “When do you place […]
Military making progress on Indigenous, visible minority recruitment, lagging on attracting women
New statistics on military recruitment provided to The Hill Times show the Regular Forces and Primary Reserves are close to meeting their targets for Indigenous people and visible minorities in the armed forces, but are still lagging on bringing more women into the fold. The data also shows certain positions are well short of the […]
Britain’s poor pay for trade negotiators hampered recruitment of Canadian trade officials
The British government has tried to poach Canadians, including a senior ambassador, as it built a new trade negotiation team in the midst of its looming departure from the European Union. Some of those offers were rejected for having inadequate salary, however, according to multiple sources and a report in the British press. Canada and […]
Inexperience of British trade team created ‘frustration’ during early talks for a potential Canada-U.K. pact, experts say
Before Canada-U.K. preliminary trade talks cooled, the inexperience of the British negotiation team complicated the discussions, observers say. “They have never done this before,” said Eric Miller, a former senior policy adviser to the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and current head of the Rideau Potomac Strategy Group. The United Kingdom has not negotiated a […]
How to get more women in top diplomatic posts? Show them what it’s like
The French writer Stendhal once said: “A vocation is having one’s passion as a profession.” Since joining France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, I have not once regretted choosing this enriching and stimulating profession, with its daily dose of challenges and victories in an increasingly complicated international context. I can therefore say that being […]
