Gearey: The public service needs honest discussion about the real world
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'Culture' took centre stage, with speakers such as global values expert David Allison, well-being guru Neil Pasricha, and Juno-nominated Peter Katz, who emphasized that behaviours executives elevate become culture, and over time they become legacy.
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As engaging as the sessions were, there was a noticeable absence of discussion about the external forces reshaping the work of the federal public service.
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The leadership conference offers prime ground for meaningful dialogue with a highly engaged audience. I personally look at the summit as a barometer for where leadership's attention should be focused in the year ahead: what's put on the table is just as telling as what's left off.
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Culture matters, but when it comes at the expense of outward awareness, it loses its lustre. I couldn't reconcile the general content of the conference with the absence of substantive discussion on the intensifying geopolitical instability; the accelerating impact of artificial intelligence; or the ramifications of what's happening to diversity and inclusion south of the border.
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Geopolitical turmoil is pressing on our public service; Canada is navigating the consequences of a more protectionist United States, increased cyber threats, supply-chain fragility and the growing complexity of national security and economic priorities.
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The effects of conflict, economic instability, disinformation campaigns and shifting global alliances don't stay in foreign affairs briefings. They affect procurement, immigration, trade, cybersecurity, communications and much more. A candid lecture at APEX from someone working at the intersection of these global forces could have helped public servants think critically about how external realities are already influencing their work. Are such conversations reserved for only a select few? Are they too politically sensitive, or are we underestimating the public service's ability — and responsibility — as a whole to be part of them?
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Winnipeg Free Press
31-07-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Federal judges detail rise in threats, ‘pizza doxxings,' as Trump ramps up criticism
In 2020, a disgruntled litigant posing as a deliveryman opened fire at the New Jersey home of District Judge Esther Salas, killing her 20-year-old son Daniel Anderl. Five years later, as President Donald Trump steps up hiscriticism of federal judges who have blocked some of his agenda, dozens of judges have had unsolicited pizzas delivered to their homes, often in Daniel Anderl's name. District Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. of Rhode Island, who stalled Trump's initial round of across-the-board spending cuts, is among those who received pizzas in Anderl's name. His courtroom also has been flooded by threatening calls, including one profanity-laced one that called for his assassination. McConnell, Jr. played a recording of the call during an unusual discussion Thursday where multiple federal judges discussed threats they have received — a notable conversation because judges usually only speak publicly from the bench and through their rulings, and rarely if ever, about personal threats and attacks. Salas and others said the number of attacks has escalated in recent months. Without using his name, Salas called on Trump and his allies to tone down the rhetoric and stop demonizing the judiciary, for fear of what more could happen. 'We're used to being appealed. But keep it on the merits, stop demonizing us,' Salas said. 'They're inviting people to do us harm.' Thursday's event was sponsored by Speak up for Justice, a nonpartisan group supporting an independent judiciary. District Judge John C. Coughenour of Washington recalled having a police SWAT team called to his home to respond to a false report of an attack after Coughenour in January halted Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship for children of people in the country illegally. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik of Washington also had pizzas delivered in Anderl's name to both his home and those of his two adult children, each in different cities, after an article in which he was quoted as being critical of attacks on judges was picked up by a television station in the Pacific Northwest, where he hears cases. 'The message to me was 'we know where you live, we know where your kids live, and they could end up dead like Daniel Anderl did,'' Lasnik said in an interview. Salas says U.S. Marshals have told her of more than 100 cases of so-called 'pizza doxxings,' unwanted deliveries to the homes of federal judges and their families, since 2024, with most occurring this year. Salas added that she's heard of additional cases targeting state judges in states ranging from Colorado to Florida, incidents that wouldn't be tracked by Marshals, who protect federal judges. 'This is not some random, silly act, this is a targeted, concentrated, coordinated attack on judges,' Salas said in an interview, 'and yet we don't hear any condemnation from Washington.' Salas, nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, in 2022 was critical of protests at the homes of Republican-nominated Supreme Court justices who revoked women's right to have an abortion, which were followed by the arrest of a man at the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh who said he was there to assassinate the justice. Salas said both sides of the political aisle have used worrying rhetoric about judges, but it's reached a new peak since Trump took office. 'I've often referred to it as a bonfire that I believe the current administration is throwing accelerants on,' Salas said. Trump himself has led the charge against judges, often going after them by name on social media. He's said judges who've ruled against his administration are 'sick,' 'very dangerous' and 'lunatic.' Trump's allies have amplified his rhetoric and called for impeaching judges who rule against the president or simply disobeying their rulings. Earlier this year, several judges at the panel noted, Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee had a 'wanted' poster of judges who'd crossed the president hanging outside his congressional office. Lasnik said many judges appointed by presidents of both parties have told him of concerns but are nervous about discussing the issue openly. 'A lot of them don't know how to speak up and are afraid of crossing a line somewhere where they would get a judicial complaint like judge Boasberg did,' Lasnik said, referring to District Judge James E. Boasberg of D.C., who infuriated the Trump administration by finding they likely committed criminal contempt by disobeying his order to turn around a deportation flight to El Salvador. Though Chief Justice John Roberts has come to Boasberg's defense, Trump's Department of Justice this week filed a complaint against Boasberg over comments he made at a judicial conference that other judges worry the Trump administration won't obey their orders. Last month, Trump's Justice Department took the extraordinary step of suing every federal judge in Maryland over rules governing how they handle immigration cases. More than five dozen judges who've ruled against Trump are receiving enhanced online protection, including scrubbing their identifying information from websites, according to two Trump-appointed judges who wrote Congress urging more funding for judicial security. In 2022, Congress passed a law named after Daniel Anderl allowing judges to sue internet sites to take down identifying information.
Global News
13-07-2025
- Global News
Canadian musician Matthew Good cancels U.S. shows to protest Trump tariffs
Canadian musician Matthew Good has announced that he's cancelling his U.S. tour dates in protest of U.S. President Donald Trump's government and its ongoing tariffs policy. Good, 54, made the announcement Saturday on Facebook, telling his U.S. fans that he cannot 'in good conscience carry out my dates this summer in your country.' 'This is not fair to you, and I'm very well aware of that, but the truth is, every week that goes by, I have a deeper disdain for what's going on there politically,' the four-time Juno winner wrote. 'My world has always focussed [sic] on political awareness, and I know that you might not all be on the same side, so I want to be clear about this,' he continued. 'It's MY opinion, and I'm willing to risk my future US career, to stand up against things today, and god willing, for ONLY another 3 years.' Story continues below advertisement The Load Me Up rocker pointed to Canada's cancellation of the digital services tax on Canadian revenue of companies such as Amazon, Google and Meta as a main factor in the decision. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced late last month that Canada would cancel the planned tax as a condition of resuming trade talks with the U.S. 'Recently, it was announced that after a year of an imposed digital services tax, we (Canada) are backing down from that, to appease Mr. Trump's government,' Good wrote. 'This was approximately 2 billion dollars in revenue that has been accumulating, and we're walking away from that,' Good wrote. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'Add to that, the massive increase in visa costs, the fear mongering that even after we have our visas, we may still be denied entry if we have something negative to say about the current GOP, and I end up in a situation where I'm biting my tongue, and losing what credibility I had to stand up and say something.' Story continues below advertisement Good went on to say he will lose a week's worth of work but 'giving up 30% of our earnings to a withholding tax, walking on eggshells at the border, and actively participating in the silencing of opinions, is a bigger cost to me personally.' 'I realize that I have approximately .00001% impact on things overall, as this was just a few thousand tickets, but I can't stand by and be quiet while our amazing country is bullied into walking away from billions in needed revenue, constantly left wondering if we actually have a partner or an enemy to the south, and equally as tragic, supporting someone who has completely bastardized the institution of art and culture in the US.' Good also said he would 'invite other artists to join me' but knows that is 'unfair.' Good was scheduled to perform in Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Buffalo in the coming days. He's still encouraging fans to show their support for the band Texas King, which would have joined him at the shows. The Hello Time Bomb singer also took to Instagram after Trump first made his comments early in the new year about wanting Canada to join the United States as the 51st state. Story continues below advertisement 'I did not ever think that something of this troubling significance would ever occur in my lifetime,' he began. 'Yesterday the Prime Minister resigned. Today, the incoming President of the United States clearly admitted at a press conference that one of his goals is to annex Canada through the use of what can only be termed as economic warfare.' Good said that his family fought in the Second World War 'for the freedoms and sovereignty of this nation, Canada.' 'I have travelled this nation more times coast to coast than most ever will. And I can tell you without hesitation that despite those petty divisions some attempt to promote, the majority of us hold this land dear,' he wrote. 'From Haida Gwaii to Halifax, we're Canadians that have the ability to share the best of ourselves with others. And we do.' 'In all of this, there will come a time to stand up and refuse to abandon this nation and what it means to truly be Canadian. I hope when that time comes, you will join me in doing so,' Good concluded his post. Story continues below advertisement — With files from The Canadian Press
Ottawa Citizen
02-07-2025
- Ottawa Citizen
Gearey: The public service needs honest discussion about the real world
At this year's APEX (Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada) Leadership Conference, executives from across the federal public service gathered under the banner of Building Trusted Connections to reflect on leadership. Article content 'Culture' took centre stage, with speakers such as global values expert David Allison, well-being guru Neil Pasricha, and Juno-nominated Peter Katz, who emphasized that behaviours executives elevate become culture, and over time they become legacy. Article content Article content Article content As engaging as the sessions were, there was a noticeable absence of discussion about the external forces reshaping the work of the federal public service. Article content The leadership conference offers prime ground for meaningful dialogue with a highly engaged audience. I personally look at the summit as a barometer for where leadership's attention should be focused in the year ahead: what's put on the table is just as telling as what's left off. Article content Culture matters, but when it comes at the expense of outward awareness, it loses its lustre. I couldn't reconcile the general content of the conference with the absence of substantive discussion on the intensifying geopolitical instability; the accelerating impact of artificial intelligence; or the ramifications of what's happening to diversity and inclusion south of the border. Article content Geopolitical turmoil is pressing on our public service; Canada is navigating the consequences of a more protectionist United States, increased cyber threats, supply-chain fragility and the growing complexity of national security and economic priorities. Article content Article content The effects of conflict, economic instability, disinformation campaigns and shifting global alliances don't stay in foreign affairs briefings. They affect procurement, immigration, trade, cybersecurity, communications and much more. A candid lecture at APEX from someone working at the intersection of these global forces could have helped public servants think critically about how external realities are already influencing their work. Are such conversations reserved for only a select few? Are they too politically sensitive, or are we underestimating the public service's ability — and responsibility — as a whole to be part of them? Article content
