FIRST READING: Immigrants denied Carney his majority
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Ujjal Dosanjh is one of the only Canadians who might be able to empathize with what just happened to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. In 2000, Dosanjh was leader of the B.C. NDP when it suffered one of the most lopsided defeats in Canadian history, going from a majority government to just two seats. But Dosanjh, who also served as minister of health under then prime minister Paul Martin, didn't mention any of that in a recent blog post. Instead, he welcomed the new government of Mark Carney, said he trusted him on fiscal issues, but warned the Liberals to be more diligent about requiring new immigrants to assimilate. 'We need immigrants but not the kind that tell us to bend to their whims, religious or otherwise,' he wrote. 'I hope Mr. Carney doesn't believe one can come to Canada and not change even a bit and be in Canada 'who you were where ever you were.''
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Canada Standard
an hour ago
- Canada Standard
Canadian international relations experts share their views on global politics and Canada's role
A survey of Canadian international relations professors has found they disagree on how to respond to potential Chinese aggression against Taiwan and which global regions will matter most to Canada in the future. For the past 20 years, the Teaching, Research and International Policy (TRIP) survey has asked university professors about how they teach international relations and what they think about global affairs. Originally based in the United States, the survey expanded to Canada in 2006 and is now conducted regularly in many countries. The Canadian faculty survey was conducted from March 5 to July 12, 2024. Of the 109 who participated, most held permanent academic positions, including 22 full professors, 31 associate professors and six emeritus professors. Participants were asked to agree or disagree with statements about global politics. Seventy-five experts agreed that states are the main players in global politics, but there was less agreement on the importance of domestic politics. Most felt that international institutions help bring order to the chaotic global system. However, whether globalization has made people better off - even if there are some losers - divided experts, with 21 believing no one is better off due to globalization while two-thirds believed the opposite. When it came to more critical or less mainstream ideas - such as whether major international relations theories are rooted in racist assumptions - opinions were split. More than 50 agreed, but more than a third disagreed, and many gave neutral responses. Disagreement over the role of racism in shaping world politics highlights the difficulty of decolonizing international relations and incorporating post-colonial perspectives - particularly when trying to understand complex "failed cases" like United Nations peacekeeping efforts in Haiti. Read more: For Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic, 'reproduction is like a death sentence' Professors were also asked where they get their international news. Most rely on major newspapers, international media and internet sources. When asked which world region is strategically most important for Canada today, nearly half - or 43 of 97 experts opting to respond to the question - chose North America (excluding Mexico); in other words, the United States. Sixteen selected the Arctic and another 16 chose East Asia. Very few picked regions like the Middle East, Europe or Russia. Looking ahead 20 years, 10 experts shifted their answer from North America to the Arctic. Experts were asked what Canada should do if China attacks Taiwan. Most supported non-military responses: 72 supported sanctions and 69 supported taking in refugees. About half supported sending weapons or banning Chinese goods. Fewer supported cyberattacks (18), sending troops (15) or a no-fly zone (14). Surprisingly, six said Canada should launch military action against China. Justin Trudeau was prime minister when the survey was conducted. When asked about his performance, 50 per cent rated him poorly or very poorly, 30 per cent were neutral and only a small minority rated him positively. Canadian international relations professors don't always agree, but a few trends stand out. Despite recent government focus on the Arctic in terms of its Our North, Strong and Free policy, many professors still view the U.S. as Canada's most important strategic region. East Asia drew some attention, but few see it growing in importance. With a new government under Prime Minister Mark Carney, there may be opportunities to improve on areas where Trudeau was seen as weak by respondents to the survey. For example, despite having developed a strategy for the Indo-Pacific region, vital Canadian trade and maritime security interests were minimized by the previous Liberal government. Carney could therefore contemplate expanding Canada's maritime assets, improving its artificial intelligence and cybersecurity capacity and investing in digital infrastructure and quantum computing. Read more: Defence policy update focuses on quantum technology's role in making Canada safe Carney had pledged to fulfil Canada's commitment to NATO's target of two per cent of GDP spent on defence, saying Canada will meet the threshold by the end of 2025. However, Canada will still lag behind. NATO is calling on allies to invest five per cent of GDP in defence, comprising 3.5 per cent on core defence spending as well as 1.5 per cent of GDP per year on defence and security-related investment, including in infrastructure and resilience. Canada's 2024 GDP was $2.515 trillion, which means a five per cent defence investment of nearly $125 billion annually would have accounted for more than a quarter of a federal budget (which was under $450 billion in 2024-2025). Canada, a founding NATO member, leads a multinational brigade in Latvia and supports Ukraine in other ways. Ukraine seems on an irreversible path towards NATO membership. Though 69 per cent of respondents supported NATO membership for Ukraine, only 44 per cent felt it was likely. Though the U.S. tariff crisis attracts attention, some experts are increasingly looking to the Arctic to understand Canada's strategic interests - a trend sure to be reflected in future surveys of Canadian international relations experts.
Vancouver Sun
3 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Former Justin Trudeau cabinet minister Pablo Rodriquez wins Quebec Liberal leadership
The Quebec Liberals have chosen longtime federal politician Pablo Rodriguez to lead the provincial party on Saturday and to carry it into the October 2026 provincial election. The ex-federal Liberal cabinet minister won the party's leadership contest Saturday after two rounds of voting, beating out Charles Milliard, former head of the Federation of Quebec Chambers of Commerce with just over 52 per cent of votes cast. The three other candidates vying for the top job — Karl Blackburn, former president of a Quebec employers group; Marc Belanger, an international trade lawyer; and Mario Roy, an economist and farmer — were eliminated after a first round after no one received 50 per cent. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Rodriguez, 57, told party faithful at a leadership convention in the provincial capital it was time to come together as Liberals and write a new chapter for the party. He preached unity, inviting all members of caucus on stage with him. 'No matter who you supported, we're all together today, united,' he said. He said those fellow leadership candidates would be key to the future and notably singled out Milliard, 46, who was among the favourites. Milliard and Blackburn have already committed to running in the next election, while Belanger intends to run in western Quebec. 'Starting today, the work begins,' he told reporters following his victory. 'I'm going to talk with the other candidates, it's extremely important to meet with the different teams because we're all part of the same party, the same team, with the same goal of forming a government in 2026.' Born in Argentina, Rodriguez arrived in Quebec at eight years old. He grew up in Sherbrooke and served as a federal Liberal MP for the Montreal riding of Honore-Mercier. He notably served as Minister of Canadian Heritage and Minister of Transport under Justin Trudeau. He brushed off the notion his opponents would try paint him as being an extension of the federal party. 'I'm my own man and I will be judged on my own decisions, my own team, my platform,' Rodriguez said. 'I don't control what they do, but what we're going to do is be ready.' Rodriguez, who does not have a seat in the national assembly, will have to rebuild the party in the next 16 months if it is to have a chance of forming government. The Liberals have been polling badly among francophone voters outside Montreal for years. I'm my own man and I will be judged on my own decisions, my own team, my platform Speaking to reporters after his victory, Rodriguez said he would be holding a caucus meeting in the coming days. He also said he wasn't in a hurry to gain entry to the provincial legislature and would continue touring the province as he has in the past nine months. 'What's important is to have a party — a strong one in every riding, in every region, with the necessary resources to win the next election,' Rodriguez said. The leadership campaign had to compete for the public's attention with a federal election and a trade war with the United States. Still, party president Rafael Primeau-Ferraro said he was pleased with the level of interest the leadership race has generated. 'If we go back two years ago, the party wasn't in the same position that we are today,' he said in an interview. 'We were able to attract quality candidates that are surrounded by very competent people in their teams. The membership of the party has doubled.' The Liberals lost more than half their seats when the right-leaning Coalition Avenir Quebec, led by Francois Legault, swept to power in 2018. In 2022, the party suffered its worst-ever defeat based on its share of the popular vote. It managed to hang onto Official Opposition status thanks to the concentration of Liberal voters in Montreal. Rodriguez replaces Dominique Anglade, who stepped down in the aftermath of that historic loss. But Legault's government has since declined in popularity, while the Parti Québécois has been leading in the polls for months. The Liberals are hoping to offer a credible alternative to the sovereigntist party, which has promised to hold a referendum on independence by 2030. Rodriguez ensured those themes were present in his speech to party members, presenting himself as an experienced candidate capable of defeating Legault and PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon in 2026. 'Quebec needs you because we must get rid of this bad government and because we must avoid the threat of another referendum,' Rodriguez told members. A recent Leger poll found that with Rodriguez as leader, the Liberals would win 31 per cent of the vote in a provincial election, one point ahead of the Parti Québécois. — By Sidhartha Banerjee in Montreal with files from Maura Forrest in Montreal and Thomas Laberge in Quebec City. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Global News
3 hours ago
- Global News
Carney, Trump to meet Monday as leaders gather in Canada for G7 summit
Prime Minister Mark Carney will sit down with U.S. President Donald Trump for a one-on-one meeting first thing Monday morning ahead of the official start of the G7 Leaders' Summit in Alberta. The bilateral sit-down, which the Prime Minister's Office confirmed will be at 9 a.m. local time, comes as Canada and the U.S. work toward a new agreement on trade and security but have yet to produce a deal. All eyes will be on whether Carney and Trump, who have been speaking directly for several weeks of sometimes-informal talks, can make further progress. In an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block, Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for Canada U.S trade who has led negotiations with the Trump administration, said Canada's ultimate goal is to get Trump's punishing tariffs removed. He said progress was not going fast enough, however, and warned further economic retaliation could come soon if a deal isn't reached. Story continues below advertisement 'Our hope was that we would have made more progress before the president arrives in Alberta for the G7. We haven't hit that sweet spot,' he said. 'If we conclude in a short period of time that we're not close to a deal, obviously, as we've said, the country will look at what might be further measures to retaliate against that doubling of the steel and aluminum tariffs.' 2:03 Carney, Trump in direct trade and security talks Canada is hosting G7 leaders in Kananaskis for the annual summit, with official discussions on global issues taking place Monday and Tuesday. The global economy and the war in Ukraine are high on the agenda. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Leaders from the G7 and other international partners began arriving at the Rocky Mountain resort this weekend. Trump is due to travel to Canada on Sunday evening, after hosting a massive military parade in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. Story continues below advertisement British Prime Minister Keir Starmer travelled to Ottawa on Saturday to meet with Carney for direct talks ahead of the summit. The two leaders had dinner at Carney's official residence at Rideau Cottage, later taking in the NHL hockey game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers. Speaking to reporters Sunday, Starmer said the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran will be a 'centrepiece' of the summit. Carney and Starmer had their official meeting Sunday to discuss partnerships on artificial intelligence. They posed for photos on Parliament Hill with Aiden Gomez, the British-Canadian co-founder and CEO of Cohere, before heading behind closed doors. The leaders will travel separately to Calgary, where Carney is set to meet one-on-one with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ahead of travelling to Kananaskis. Beyond Albanese and Ramaphosa, Carney has also invited the leaders of India, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil and NATO to the summit. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also attend, meeting with G7 and invited leaders at Tuesday's working breakfast focused on the Russia-Ukraine war. Monday's working sessions will focus on the global economy and security matters, according to the official G7 schedule, while Tuesday will also see a session on energy security. Story continues below advertisement Carney has said Canada's priorities as chair of the annual summit include strengthening peace and security, improving joint responses to wildfires, fortifying critical mineral supply chains and bolstering the use of artificial intelligence to spur economic growth. The G7 includes the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and Canada, as well as the European Union.
