National Newswatch

David Johnston is a man of trust in a post-trust world

Mar 16 2023 — John Ivison — Trust is defined as the firm belief in the reliability, truth or ability of someone or something. It is a commodity that is in short supply in Canadian politics these days. The appointment of David Johnston by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the government’s special rapporteur to investigate foreign interference in the electoral process is […]

Liberals are fighting suspiciously hard to prevent Katie Telford testifying on Chinese interference

Mar 10 2023 — John Ivison — The motion introduced at the House of Commons’ ethics committee on Friday to call the prime minister’s chief of staff to testify on its investigation into foreign interference means there are now two parliamentary committees seeking an audience with Katie Telford, and, presumably, two committees that are about to be gridlocked by Liberal filibusters.

Trudeau can’t make the Chinese interference scandal go away

Mar 9 2023 — John Ivison — Senior Liberals say privately that they are relaxed about the foreign interference controversy. They dismiss any suggestions of collusion with Beijing and consider the whole issue to be overblown. Moreover, they believe that the process Justin Trudeau has set in motion will take time to come to any conclusions, and, absent any new revelations, the […]

Trudeau’s priority on Chinese interference is protecting himself, not democracy

Mar 7 2023 — John Ivison — Justin Trudeau’s selective amnesia as he unveiled a package of measures to address foreign interference induced a sense of déjà vu, conjuring up all the other times he’s forgotten his previous viewpoint. When revelations about Chinese interference in Canadian elections emerged, the prime minister downplayed the reports, saying Beijing’s attempts were “not a new phenomenon.”

Ottawa ready to supply Ukraine with Canadian high-tech drones, source says

Mar 6 2023 — John Ivison — Ottawa is understood to be negotiating a deal to supply Ukraine with hundreds of high-tech, Canadian-made drones the Ukrainians have identified as “the only product on the market that satisfies all our operational requirements.” A letter from Yukliia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s first deputy prime minister and minister of economic development, to Anita Anand, Canada’s defence minister, […]

China’s election interference could devour Trudeau and his party

Feb 27 2023 — John Ivison — In common with many others, I have always thought Justin Trudeau’s receptiveness to China was down to naivete. But, unless he is more transparent about the Liberal party’s dealings with Beijing in the last two elections, it looks like his sympathies were at least in part driven by partisan considerations. There was an air of […]

Ukraine desperately needs Canadian drones, but we’re not offering

Feb 22 2023 — John Ivison — The footage has a surreal, almost cinematic, quality. The viewer sees the grenade being released by the drone and watches it fall, almost in slow motion, into a foxhole filled with six unsuspecting Russian soldiers. We know about the deadly consequences before they do. On the anniversary of Russia’s bloody invasion of Ukraine, it is […]

The Emergencies Act report lets the Liberals slip off the hook

Feb 17 2023 — John Ivison — Walking past the Parliament Buildings on the way back from the release of the Rouleau commission report on last year’s public order emergency, it felt preposterous that this was the same place as the protest site that seethed with such noise, fury and resentment one year ago. Today there is no traffic, no airhorns and […]