Latest news with #BalsillieSchoolofInternationalAffairs
Winnipeg Free Press
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Experts say royal visit was meant to send a message to Trump — and to London
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Mark Carney meant to send a message to U.S. President Donald Trump by inviting King Charles to Ottawa this week, foreign policy experts say — but Trump may not have been the only target audience. Multiple experts in foreign policy say they're convinced Carney arranged the whirlwind royal visit to reaffirm Canada's sovereignty and distinct political culture before a global audience in response to Trump's ruinous trade policy and repeated calls for Canada's annexation. Roy Norton, a fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, said he also doubts Carney would have invited the King had British Prime Minister Keir Starmer not made the controversial decision to invite the president for a second state visit to the United Kingdom. That invitation was formally issued by King Charles but would have been offered on Starmer's advice. 'I think Trump isn't the only audience internationally, but I think Trump's an important one,' Norton said. 'Starmer is also on notice as he's been reminded that the King has these responsibilities beyond simply serving the interests of the United Kingdom.' Carney told Britain's SkyNews in an interview earlier this month that Canadians 'weren't impressed' by London's invitation to Trump, 'given the circumstance.' Norton said the visit also may have been intended to remind the King of his own responsibilities to Canada. While many Canadians were disappointed that the King made no direct statement pushing back on Trump's annexation talk, the throne speech he read in Ottawa emphasized Canada's sovereignty and his close personal relationship with the country. While Trump was relatively quiet about the royal visit itself — which saw the King welcomed by cheering crowds in Ottawa — he called again Tuesday for Canada to become part of the United States. In a post on social media, Trump said Canada would pay billions of dollars to take part in his unbuilt Golden Dome missile defence system if 'they remain a separate, but unequal, Nation, but will cost ZERO DOLLARS if they become our cherished 51st State.' Fen Hampson, a Carleton University professor and an expert on Canada-U.S. relations, said that while he thinks the royal visit was 'all about Trump,' the president remains 'immune to messaging or persuasion of any kind.' 'In extraordinary times, you have to pull out all the stops and call on friends to send a strong message that Canada is not for sale, now, tomorrow or ever,' he said. Hampson said he doesn't think the visit itself did much to unify Canadians beyond the effect Trump is having already. 'It's the threat of Trump that's unifying Canadians, not the King,' he said. This was only the third time a sitting monarch had read the speech from the throne in Canada. Queen Elizabeth II did so in 1957 and 1977. A Liberal government official, speaking on background, told The Canadian Press that the goal of the royal visit was to help Canadians reconnect with their cultural and political roots at a time when the country's sovereignty is being threatened. Daniel Béland, director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, said the visit served as 'a way to draw attention to the distinctiveness of our political institutions.' 'It's also about PR and about raising the profile of Canada and, in a way, of the government's policies,' he said, noting that the visit received international attention. 'It's certainly sending a message about the fact that Canada is in a way not isolated, that it has its own identity.' Asked by reporters Tuesday if he thinks the throne speech will help the federal government in its negotiations with the Trump administration, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said it's hard to tell what moves the president. 'I think it's important that the world recognize that we have those ancient traditions and the Americans recognize that we are an independent and free country that will make its own decisions,' Poilievre said. — With files from Craig Lord This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2 former migrant workers detail their experiences living on Ontario farms
Tyrell Mills and his uncle Clifford McLiesh have worked as migrant workers for multiple years on Ontario farms. They spoke to CBC K-W's Aastha Shetty about their experience living in on-farm housing they say was dirty and unkempt. Mills and McLiesh were at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Waterloo on Friday to hear more about a new guidance document called the National Housing Standards for Migrant Agricultural Workers. It was put together by a team of researchers and experts from across the country who want all levels of government to read the report and take action on the recommendations to keep migrant farm workers safe.
CBC
28-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
What questions do you have about what's next in Ukraine?
Social Sharing What questions do you have about what's next in Ukraine? After an explosive press conference, a mineral deal between the United States and Ukraine is off the table for now. What does this mean for a war that has been going on for 3 years now? What's next for Ukraine? And how does a shifting geopolitical landscape affect countries like Canada? We've booked Paul Goode. He's an Associate Professor and McMillan Chair of Russian Studies at the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at Carleton University. Ann Fitz-Gerald is the Director of the Balsillie School of International Affairs and a Professor in Wilfrid Laurier University's Political Science Department. They'll both take your questions! What questions do you have about an increase in early onset cancers? More adults under the age of 50 are being diagnosed with cancer -- and doctors aren't sure why exactly. The trend is apparent in specific types of cancers -- such as colorectal and breast cancer. And doctors say that an increase in obesity and sedentary lifestyles could be to blame. What questions do you have about early-onset cancer? Tim Caulfield is a Law professor and research director of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta, and an expert in medical misinformation. He'll be among the guests who will be on the show.
