Articles by Robert Fife

Jul 2 2019 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — Chinese authorities have confiscated the reading glasses of imprisoned Canadian Michael Kovrig as Beijing increases political and economic pressure on Canada to allow a detained senior Huawei Technologies executive to return home, sources say. The confiscation is the latest move by Chinese authorities against Mr. Kovrig and fellow Canadian, Michael Spavor, who are now in […]

Dec 11 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — The U.S. ambassador to Canada says President Donald Trump is fond of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau despite tensions that arose during tough talks to renegotiate the North American free-trade deal. Mr. Trump and some of his top advisers have hurled insults at Mr. Trudeau during the contentious trade talks over the past year. The President […]

Nov 7 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — Federal Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould has called in the RCMP after fraudsters created fake LinkedIn and parliamentary e-mail accounts in her name to lure money from constituents in the minister’s Vancouver Granville riding. David Taylor, the minister’s communications director, told The Globe and Mail on Wednesday that Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s office became aware of the scam […]

Jul 26 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will decide in mid-August whether to pursue a ban on handguns as part of a new legislative agenda he would outline in a fall Throne Speech, a senior official says. Mr. Trudeau has asked a team of advisers to examine the pros and cons of proroguing Parliament and starting over with […]

Jul 26 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — Transport Minister Marc Garneau is unlikely to provide federal subsidies to Greyhound to maintain passenger services in Western Canada, preferring to provide loan guarantees to local bus companies, according to a senior government official. Greyhound has been lobbying the federal government to set up a fund to subsidize the bus service on routes it is […]

Jun 10 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — An all-out trade war looms as Donald Trump and his advisers lashed out at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for declaring Canada won’t be “pushed around” by the U.S. President over the contentious tariff dispute on steel and aluminum. An infuriated Mr. Trump called the Prime Minister “very dishonest and weak” on Twitter Saturday, threatened to […]

May 23 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — A Canadian-Palestinian doctor, who was wounded by an Israeli sniper, says he will “fully co-operate” with an Israeli military investigation into the shooting that occurred on May 14 during Palestinian protests along the Israeli-Gaza border. Tarek Loubani told The Globe and Mail Wednesday that he has serious doubts about the impartiality of Israel‘s military investigating […]

May 22 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — Canada continues to push for an international probe into recent violence in Gaza. The calls come even as Canada opposed a UN Human Rights Council vote on Friday to establish an investigation into Israel’s killing of Palestinians during protests along the Israeli-Gaza border. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland told the House of Commons on Tuesday […]

May 15 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — A Canadian-Palestinian doctor was shot in the legs by an Israeli sniper and one of his paramedics was killed on the Gaza border Monday as clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli Defence Forces left dozens dead and more than 1,000 wounded.

May 10 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — Stephen Harper joined other former world leaders in writing a full-page endorsement in The New York Times on Thursday, supporting President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement and reimposing U.S. sanctions. Mr. Harper and his former foreign affairs minister, John Baird, as well as former Australian leader John Howard and David Trimble, […]

May 2 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — A senior Israeli intelligence official is in Ottawa seeking Canada’s support for efforts by Israel and the United States to force Iran to renegotiate its nuclear deal. Chagai Tzuriel, the director-general at the Ministry of Intelligence, briefed officials from Global Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office on Israel’s claims that Iran is deceiving the world […]

Apr 2 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — Canada has offered to resettle an undisclosed number of asylum seekers that Israel was planning to expel to Africa. Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Nimrod Barkan, confirmed Monday that Canada made the overture two months ago after the Israeli government announced its intention to expel African asylum seekers to third-party countries in Africa. The deal will […]

Mar 19 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — Three former directors of Canada’s key national security agencies are urging the federal government to heed the warnings of U.S. intelligence services and cut Canadian ties with Huawei, the giant Chinese smartphone and telecom equipment maker. Ward Elcock, John Adams and Richard Fadden are weighing in on the matter after the heads of the CIA, […]

Feb 19 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — Finance Minister Bill Morneau has signalled to the parents of children tagged on Canada’s no-fly list as potential security threats that next week’s federal budget could include money to establish an independent no-fly-list computer system to end airport hassles for law-abiding Canadians. Mr. Morneau has invited parents, who use the hashtag #NoFlyListKids, to his Ottawa […]

Jan 25 2018 — Robert Fife — Globe and Mail — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he didn’t seek a one-on-one meeting with Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos to allow other world leaders an opportunity to press their issues with the U.S. President. Mr. Trump – the first U.S. President in nearly 20 years to attend the annual gathering of the wealthy […]