While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Neil Moss.
With Mexico and the United States planning to convene for formal bilateral talks for the review of the North American trade pact, Conservative MPs are questioning Canada’s “go slow” strategy, but analysts say waiting out the U.S. is the best path forward.
With Canada conducting a rework of its plan for engagement in the Indo-Pacific, Japan isn’t expecting major changes, according to an official from the country. Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) is set to land in Japan for the first time as head of government on March 6 on the tail end of a trip that’s had stops in India...
With Canada’s endorsement of American and Israeli air strikes on Iran, past Liberal foreign ministers and former international law practitioners are signalling alarm over what they call the federal government’s indifference to international law. On Feb. 28, the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, which led to the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other...
With the appointment of former top bureaucrat Janice Charette, Prime Minister Mark Carney has bucked tradition by picking a chief negotiator for Canada-United States trade who doesn’t have an abundance of trade experience. In the past, chief trade negotiators have had extensive experience with the technical side of trade policy, having served in Global Affairs Canada’s (GAC) trade policy bureau...
Eight months after downgrading the air fleet readiness target, the Liberal government’s Defence Industrial Strategy is promising new ambitious goals for serviceability in the next 10 years. As part of the much-anticipated strategy, Canada has pledged to raise air fleet serviceability to 85 per cent, as well as 75 per cent for maritime and 80 per cent for land fleets...
With the United States House of Representatives voting to overturn President Donald Trump’s emergency tariffs on Canada, Canadian Senators who were on a recent delegation to Washington, D.C., say they are hopeful that the tide is changing. The Canada-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Group (IPG) travelled to the American capital Jan. 21-22 as part of the Future Borders Coalition Transportation Border Summit. During...
Foreign diplomats in Ottawa are applauding the vision of Canada’s foreign policy direction outlined by Prime Minister Mark Carney in his Davos address, but they’re coming to different conclusions about how it will get implemented.
Unlike the U.S. consultations for the CUSMA review, Canadian submissions have remained secret, and House International Trade Committee members are pushing for more information.
In Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Mark Carney mapped out a new path for Canada’s foreign policy, but a union representing Canadian diplomats says that work will be threatened by cuts in the foreign ministry. Carney’s (Nepean, Ont.) Jan. 20 World Economic Forum speech has garnered international attention and praise as he trumpeted a coalition of middle powers in a time...
More than three years ago, Ottawa remapped its engagement in Asia as it declared China an “increasingly disruptive global power,” but after Canada struck a recent trade deal with Beijing, the future of the Indo-Pacific strategy is up in the air. The deal in question paves the way for up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles to enter the Canadian market...
Canada’s foreign ministry is scaling back predictions for export growth after finalizing a trade pact with Indonesia, according to a recently tabled report. A 2020 economic assessment of the previous year’s data suggested that Canadian exports to Indonesia “could” grow by $446.5-million, and that GDP “could” increase by $328-million through a trade agreement.
In the wake of American forces capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and conducting air strikes in the country, a former Liberal foreign affairs minister is calling on Canada to stand up to violations of international law by the administration of United States President Donald Trump. In an early morning military raid on Jan. 3, U.S. military forces apprehended Maduro in...
The Carney government isn't repeating many of the same steps that allowed Canada to come out of the NAFTA renegotiations with a trade deal intact even though the U.S. president can do more damage to the Canadian economy this time around, says Senator Hassan Yussuff.
A mandated review of Canada’s most consequential trade pact is set to take place in the new year, and as much remains unknown about how it will unfold, some are questioning whether the federal government has done the necessary groundwork. The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) mandates a review be held on its sixth anniversary of entry into force. It first...
Trade observers say trade shocks brought on by U.S. President Donald Trump and recent pacts struck by India with other nations have re-awakened hopes for a deal between Ottawa and New Delhi.
A constituent trying to bring her brother and his family to Canada and raise awareness for others trying to flee the catastrophic Sudanese Civil War says she was yelled at by her MP, Immigration Minister Lena Diab. Huwaida Medani—who lives in Diab’s riding of Halifax West, N.S.—has been trying to bring her brother to Canada, as well as his wife...
A former chair of the House Defence Committee says the federal government should reverse course and buy Sweden’s Gripen warplane over the American F-35. There has been a full-court press trumpeting Saab’s fighter jet, which included a visit to Canada’s capital by the Swedish royal family. Canada’s selection of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 for its next fighter jet fleet is currently...
Contentious issues that put Canada’s southern neighbour in the spotlight were kept off the agenda for the second straight G7 ministerial meeting. When the Group of Seven interior and security ministers huddled in Ottawa from Nov. 22-23, neither American tariffs on Canada, nor the Trump administration’s air strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean were up for discussion, according...
Experts say that Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has erred in proclaiming that it is up to the U.S. to decide if it has violated international law. A former Liberal foreign affairs minister and a number of international law experts and advocates are urging Canada’s top diplomat to reverse course on pronouncing that it is the United States that should...
Canada’s foreign minister suggested that it is not her job to determine if the United States has breached international law when striking alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea. Foreign Minister Anita Anand (Oakville East, Ont.) made the remark at the closing press conference of the final gathering of top diplomats of Canada’s G7 presidency in Ontario’s Niagara region on...
Foreign Minister Anita Anand has suggested the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting will focus on multilateral geopolitical issues in a departure from the approach taken when her predecessor hosted the gathering in March and keyed in on the Canada-U.S. relationship. Seven months after Canada first hosted top diplomats from the Group of Seven, they will reconvene for two days of meetings...
With another pause in cross-border trade talks, an upcoming United States Supreme Court case could diminish the pace of President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda. The top U.S. court is set to hear oral arguments on Nov. 5 over the legality of the White House’s use of tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The U.S. has imposed IEEPA...
With United States President Donald Trump declaring another pause in trade talks with Ottawa, a former Canadian negotiator says the move is just a tactic being used by the American leader to advance his trade agenda. In a late-night post on Truth Social on Oct. 23, Trump announced that “all trade negotiations with Canada are hereby terminated” in response to...
With Canada and Poland considering the same submarine builds on similar timelines, questions loom over the delivery schedule if the two countries pick the same vessel, but the two shipbuilders that Ottawa would select between say Warsaw’s choice won’t impede the pledged timeline.
The government has released few details about the state of negotiations with the U.S., seemingly at odds with its acknowledgement that Canadians have concerns over a lack of transparency in trade talks. The Liberal chair of the House International Trade Committee says MPs have to be careful what they say as not to risk impeding Ottawa’s negotiating efforts with the...
Although the government it hasn't yet reached that point, too many political appointments 'is never ideal because it undermines morale in the diplomatic service,' says professor Adam Chapnick.
Pete Hegseth described past American rules of engagement as 'politically correct and overbearing,' and has indicated that rules of war will be loosened to allow U.S. soldiers to 'intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country.'
With two options on the table to replace Canada’s aging fleet of Victoria-class submarines, Germany’s top diplomat in Canada says that a decision could be made by the end of the year as there is a new “sense of urgency” for the procurement. In August, the federal government narrowed the field of potential submarines to Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS)—jointly...
Seven months into his job as the United Kingdom’s top diplomat in Canada, Rob Tinline has already been through a sea change in Canadian politics. Just 15 days after Tinline presented his letter of introduction to Justin Trudeau, the outgoing prime minister’s nearly decade in charge had ended. “It feels like there’s a new energy in the relationship,” said Tinline...
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first visit to Mexico last week has the opposition lamenting a lack of progress, but observers see a chance for the rocky bilateral relationship to rebound. While in Mexico on Sept. 18 and 19, Carney (Nepean, Ont.) and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced a “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the two countries to deepen trade and investment...
Prime Minister Mark Carney has insisted that he won't conduct trade talks with the U.S. in public as some have criticized his approach as lacking transparency. When Prime Minister Mark Carney phones United States President Donald Trump, a traditional “readout” summarizing the leaders’ conversation has not always materialized. Carney (Nepean, Ont.) has consistently noted that he will not negotiate in...
Although a United States appeals court struck down President Donald Trump’s use of emergency tariffs, it did not counter the idea that the guiding rationale behind those levies—including ones targeting Canada—was a national security threat. Trump had asserted the necessity of enacting tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) aimed at Canada, Mexico, and China to address fentanyl...
Canada’s three-year extension for its mission in Latvia entrenches a permanent presence in Europe for the Canadian Army—prioritizing the region over all others, with limited ability to deploy elsewhere. Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) announced on Aug. 26 that Canada would be extending its mission in the Baltic nation. Currently, it has around 2,000 troops in Latvia, and leads...
The Liberal government has made successive concessions to the Trump administration, but it is not seemingly evident what has been gained. After another concession to United States President Donald Trump, a Senator on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Canada-U.S. council says that Canadians will need to see results from the rollback. Carney (Nepean, Ont.) announced on Aug. 22 that Canada would...
The foreign ministry’s new dissent channel offers diplomats the option for partial anonymity when criticizing the trajectory of Canadian external relations, but bars users from attempting to “undermine leadership,” according to a departmental memo. A dissent channel has been used by the United States’ State Department since the early 1970s. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) launched its own version...
Architects of a plan to expand bilateral negotiations with the U.S. say that Canada cannot replace the American market through diversification. Canada will have to broaden its negotiations with the United States to include the totality of the bilateral relationship to gain leverage in any talks with its southern neighbour, says former Conservative trade minister Ed Fast. That would include...
With only a matter of weeks to undertake pre-budget consultations when the House of Commons returns in the fall, the Finance Committee faces a tight deadline to finish its work, while some question the value of past studies. Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) has pledged to table a budget in the fall. The final fall sitting day is on...
With the clock ticking down to an Aug. 1 deadline for a potential Canada-United States trade agreement, there’s a chance a deal could come ahead of a U.S. judicial ruling on the legality of the Trump administration’s emergency tariffs—a ruling some observers say could give Canada some negotiating leverage. Last May, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that U.S...
Amid calls for increased transparency over the Liberal government’s negotiations with the United States, a member of the prime minister’s Canada-U.S. advisory council says that clarity will have to wait until trade talks are completed. Prime Minister Mark Carney (Nepean, Ont.) has been mum on what precisely he is seeking to accomplish in trade negotiations with U.S. President Donald Trump...
Prime Minister Mark Carney's 'elbows up' approach to U.S. President Donald Trump has evolved into public fawning and a major trade concession with seemingly little gained, say observers. After promising to be a truculent foil to the Trump administration during the spring federal election, Prime Minister Mark Carney now faces questions about whether his rhetoric matches reality.
The New Democrats and labour groups want the Carney government to explain what it is seeking to accomplish in trade talks with the Trump administration as they once again restart. Trade negotiations have consistently been clouded in opaqueness in Ottawa, despite the government conceding that Canadians have expressed concern over a “perceived lack of transparency” in trade talks. Prime Minister...
The Group of Seven closed its leaders’ summit without coming to an agreement on support for Ukraine. The heads of the leading democratic economies came to the picturesque Rocky Mountain town of Kananaskis, Alta., for a two-day summit on June 16-17. Prior to the onset of the festivities, Canada decided against releasing a traditional joint communiqué, instead opting for a...
When United States President Donald Trump heads north of the border next week, Prime Minister Mark Carney will face a tough task getting to a consensus at the G7 summit with the unpredictable commander-in-chief. The last time Canada hosted the Group of Seven in 2018 in Charlevoix, Que., personal turmoil between then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and Trump overshadowed the summit.
For the third straight Parliament, the Bloc Québécois has tabled a bill to bar supply-management concessions in trade negotiations, as the United States indicates the protected industry is likely to be a “discussion point.” Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil-Chambly, Que.) tabled Bill C-202 in the House on May 29 and urged the Chamber to act expeditiously to pass the private...
During the election campaign, Prime Minister Mark Carney and the Liberal Party vowed to support institutions like the United Nations that ensure global stability, but the Canadian foreign ministry’s spending plan shows Ottawa’s commitment to peacekeeping continues to flounder. It’s not just personnel that Canada is lacking in its commitment to UN peace operations, but also funding.
U.S. envoy Pete Hoekstra says he is 'not very sympathetic' to the pain Canadians feel over Trump's annexation threats as he looks to the future.United States President Donald Trump’s top diplomat in Ottawa says the hurt over the state of the bilateral relationship isn’t just being felt by Canadians. “We’re hurt, too,” Ambassador Pete Hoekstra told The Hill Times during...
DND blames the loss of the memo on 'poor information management practices' during the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the federal government’s most troubled access-to-information performers says it lost a memo nearly four-and-a-half years after it was first requested. The Department of National Defence (DND) has often been put in the spotlight for its poor adherence to the Access to Information...
Mothers of Canadian children stranded while attempting to flee the harrowing Sudanese Civil War say Ottawa isn’t moving to help clear the roadblocks that would provide them with a pathway to enter the country.
The Liberal government has consistently trumpeted a commitment to transparency in trade negotiations, but Canada’s foreign ministry ended verbal briefings to stakeholders on the status of trade talks to “better control” information after leaks to media. The Hill Times previously obtained information from briefings on negotiations regarding trade talks with Indonesia, India, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)...
Canada’s past chief negotiator for the new NAFTA says the country finds itself alone as one of the few globally to have used counter measures against American tariffs. Retaliatory tariffs on some American auto exports went into force on April 9. Canada has imposed a series of counter tariffs to respond to U.S. levies on autos and steel and aluminum...
Canadians breathed a sigh of relief as the country was spared from United States President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariff announcement, but it is cold comfort with auto tariffs being enacted as the list of American levies imposed on Canada continues to grow.
So far, the Canadian campaign has had little encroachment from United States President Donald Trump—who has taken an uncharacteristically restrained approach to his northern neighbour since the election kicked off—but the unpredictable commander-in-chief has ample time before the April 28 vote to upset the proceedings.
Amid annexation threats from United States President Donald Trump, Canada’s major national parties have put a spotlight on defence pledges in the early days of the election campaign, but questions loom as to whether the commitments are sufficient to match the burgeoning peril. Prime Minister Mark Carney, running for a seat in Nepean, Ont., has remarked that Canada’s sovereignty faces...
G7 foreign ministers were reluctant to directly condemn U.S. President Donald Trump over his threats to annex Canada.
Who will stand with Canada? That was the key question as the G7 top diplomats gathered for a second day in Quebec’s resort region of Charlevoix, Que. A show of support was seen through a maple leaf pin and a social media post, but an unequivocal statement in defence of Canada didn’t come. The G7 foreign ministers’ meeting is taking...
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says threats to Canadian sovereignty won't be a topic of discussion at the G7 foreign ministers' meeting.
Disinviting United States President Donald Trump from the June G7 summit in Alberta could exacerbate Canada-U.S. discord as diplomacy is preferable to virtue signalling, say former diplomats. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, B.C.) pitched the idea for disinviting Trump during a Feb. 26 foreign policy speech in Montreal.
Canadian parliamentarians say that Ukraine must be able to decide its own fate as the American government is increasingly viewed as an untrustworthy partner in support of the country in the war against Russia. The United States held a first round of peace talks with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18 without Ukrainian representatives present, while excluded European...
An agreement that sets out how levies can be reintroduced on steel and aluminum exports is being cast aside, adding to the growing number of trade commitments that United States President Donald Trump negotiated and is subsequently eschewing.
Foreign aid stakeholders and experts are urging Canada to fill the gaps being created by the United States halting global financial support, but questions loom over whether Ottawa’s commitment to international assistance is also tailing off.