Aug 2 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — Canada’s new United Nations ambassador, Bob Rae, says his focus will be working to craft a globally coordinated effort to limit the fallout from the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Rae, former Ontario NDP premier and interim federal Liberal party leader, was named to the position last month when Canada’s outgoing ambassador stepped aside following the loss […]
Aug 1 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says the defence offered by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before a parliamentary committee studying his actions in the WE Charity scandal remains marred by a “pretty big hole” over Trudeau’s admission he knew his family’s ties to the group would be scrutinized. In an interview with The West Block guest host […]
Jul 22 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — Conservative Sen. Leo Housakos‘ office broke rules barring the use of official resources for partisan purposes by using his Senate email account and other resources to ask more than 200 people to support Erin O’Toole‘s bid for the party leadership, according to an investigation report. As Global News reported in May, Housakos was hit with […]
Jul 22 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — Finance Minister Bill Morneau admitted on Wednesday he and his family have made “significant” donations worth tens of thousands of dollars to the controversial WE Charity and only just repaid $41,000 in what he says were previously unknown expenses due to the organization from family trips. Morneau offered the bombshell testimony during a House of […]
Jul 12 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — No action the Canadian government could take would likely get China to free the two Canadians it detained in retaliation for the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, says former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd. But he suggested if the U.S. shifted the Meng case from a criminal to civil matter, that might help.
Jul 5 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — The massive federal deficit created by the unprecedented coronavirus emergency response could take more than 10 years to get under control, one economist suggests. In an interview with The West Block guest host Robin Gill, the B.C. Business Council’s chief economist, Ken Peacock, speculated that while some economic activity might normalize more quickly, the $260-billion […]
Jul 3 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — Political intervention by the Canadian government to free Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou from extradition proceedings with the United States would hurt the view other countries hold of Canada, one expert says. In an interview with The West Block guest host Robin Gill, foreign policy expert Bonnie Glaser said while the U.S. has not handled the […]
Jun 26 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — The wife of detained Canadian Michael Kovrig says Ottawa “needs more leverage” in the fight to secure his release from China, which has directly linked the detention with the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. In an interview airing Sunday on The West Block, Vina Nadjibulla said it was hard to hear Prime Minister Justin […]
Jun 26 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — hirty Canadian defence and security experts are urging the government to ignore a widely criticized demand from some in the foreign policy establishment earlier this week to cave to Chinese demands to intervene in the extradition case of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. The open letter addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and posted Friday on […]
Jun 23 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — Canadian cabinet ministers are staying mum on a new report that U.S. President Donald Trump is looking to impose yet another round of aluminum tariffs against Canada in apparent response to shrinking domestic demand amid the coronavirus economic slump. Bloomberg reported Tuesday morning that the U.S. plans to re-impose a tariff of 10 per cent […]
Jun 22 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says it is clear that China detained Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in an “obvious” attempt to put “political pressure” on Canada for the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou. During a daily briefing with journalists about the coronavirus pandemic, Trudeau was asked about claims by China that he should “stop […]
Jun 21 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — Canada’s defeat in its bid for a United Nations Security Council seat, coupled with China‘s decision to charge two arbitrarily detained Canadians with espionagem marks the worst week for Canadian foreign policy in recent memory, says one former ambassador to Beijing. In interviews with The West Block‘s Mercedes Stephenson, David Mulroney and foreign policy expert […]
Jun 19 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — After Canada lost its second consecutive bid for a United Nations Security Council seat on Wednesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne was asked what he thought former Liberal prime minister Lester B. Pearson would say about the country now. Champagne responded that he had just been reading about Pearson, who had also worked as a […]
Jun 17 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — Canada has lost its high-profile bid for one of the rotating seats on the United Nations Security Council. The loss marks the second consecutive failed quest for one of the two seats available in the western Europe and others category that Canada has sought under two different governments.
Jun 17 2020 — Amanda Connolly — Global News — Losing the quest for a seat on the United Nations Security Council might lead to red cheeks for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even if many Canadians aren’t following the race closely, experts say. But a loss would signal a much bigger problem with Canadian foreign policy, they add. “I don’t think it will have an […]