The forgotten freedom: Reviving rational debate in Canada’s public sphere
Canadians are facing unprecedented threats to their freedom of speech. And just as sweeping legislation that clamps down on political expression is being introduced, the young people who stand to lose the most seem indifferent to the loss of their right to speak freely. Young Canadians do not even recognize the importance of that right because of how earlier generations...
Force multipliers: How Russia’s governors amplify Putin’s polar partnership with China
In May 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping made his eleventh trip to Russia to meet Vladimir Putin. The Russian president himself has been to China some 20 times. But not all the action is at the top level. On one special dimension of the Russia–China relationship – one that has many implications for Canada and its allies – regional governors...
Explainer: China’s Global Port Play and the Panama Canal
Over the past two decades, China has gained a foothold in ports across the world, expanding its control and influence over critical shipping routes and vital resource hubs. China’s power and influence extend not just to commercial matters; several of these ports could have dual-use functions — that is, both commercial and military — and have become a new point...
Bridging the Gaps – Legislative and practice problems in Canada’s MAiD regime
Since its legalization in 2016, Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) regime has expanded rapidly. Framed as the exceptional use of euthanasia or assisted suicide at the end of life for those experiencing intolerable suffering, MAiD, of which 99.9 per cent consists of euthanasia, has since deteriorated in both law and practice. In 2021, Canada legislatively extended eligibility to individuals...
Uncovered - How to build back election coverage for a better democracy
Canada’s parliamentary system means we vote for local representatives — so what happens during a federal election when the local news prism fades away?
Dismantling the attention economy: How the battle for attention is killing the traditional news media and eroding the foundations of Western democracies
The debate about the future of Canada’s news industry is burying the lede. By focusing on questions of newsroom solvency, legislators and regulators are missing the broader picture: the rise of the so-called “attention economy” and its pernicious effects on democracy, including the fourth estate, one of its pillars.
Rare disease sufferers in Canada – Orphans of “Universal” Medicare: Nigel S.B. Rawson and John Adams
Canadians with rare diseases need practical laws that encourage research and access to life-saving treatments—not empty gestures or restrictive policies.
Ishiba Flounders as Coalition Collapses in Japan’s Upper House Election
Japan’s upper house election on July 20 dealt a historic blow to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner, Komeito, as they lost majority control of the Diet’s upper chamber. Of the 125 contested seats, the coalition won just 47, while opposition parties — led by the centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) — secured 78 by tapping...
Building Canada’s Energy Future Should Top the List in Huntsville
Canada is at a pivotal moment in its energy transition, with hundreds of major projects — spanning LNG, hydrogen, wind, nuclear, hydro, pipelines, and Indigenous-led infrastructure — representing over $600 billion in actual and potential investment. According to the Government of Canada’s Canadian Centre for Energy Information, “In 2023, there were 223 planned (announced, under review, or approved) major energy...
Threading the Needle: Cambodia’s Trade Diplomacy with China and the U.S.
On July 7, Cambodia was informed by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump of a new August 1 deadline to renegotiate trade terms and avoid steep tariffs. Although the recently revealed 36 per cent duties announced by the U.S. as part of its broader tariff policy are lower than the hefty 49 per cent Washington threatened earlier, they remain...
Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and P.E.I. have highest personal income tax rates in Canada at $50,000 of income
Atlantic Canada faces a substantial challenge in the realm of tax competitiveness. Across multiple dimensions of taxation, the region imposes higher tax rates than most other Canadian provinces.
An Old Border Dispute Spawns a New Political Crisis in Thailand
The Cambodia-Thailand relationship has deteriorated since a border clash broke out on May 28 and has led to the death of one Cambodian soldier. The conflict, not the first between the two countries, stems from a longstanding dispute over the lines of demarcation, dating back to early 20th century negotiations between Thailand (then Siam) and the French colonial authorities in...
Canada’s Code Red
Why Canada’s health security emergency demands a new sense of urgency around its life sciences sector — and how the fix could yield both health and economic returns
Explainer: The Philippines’ Trade Tightrope: Balancing U.S. Tariffs and Chinese Influence
As global trade tensions intensify, the Philippines finds itself caught between its two largest economic partners — the U.S. and China. In 2024, the U.S. remained the Philippines’ top export market; China continued to dominate its imports. This dual dependency presents a growing strategic challenge for Manila, particularly amid escalating tariff threats from Washington, its long-standing defence ally, and ongoing...
Modi’s G7 Invitation Marks Diplomatic Breakthrough, But Hurdles Remain
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, June 15-17 marked a breakthrough in Canada-India ties. Bilateral diplomatic relations — stalled since former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s September 2023 allegation linking the murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar to agents of the Indian government — may now...
High costs, low returns - Canada’s wildly expensive emissions cap
Canada is the world’s third-largest exporter of oil, fourth-largest producer, and top source of imports to the United States. Much of Canada’s oil wealth is concentrated in the oil sands in northern Alberta, which hosts 99 percent of the country’s enormous oil endowment: about 160 billion barrels of proven reserves, of a total resource of approximately 1.8 trillion barrels. This...
A Day to Reflect, Not Celebrate: Canada’s Refugee Commitment at a Crossroads
On this World Refugee Day, Friday June 20th, celebration feels out of place. Across the globe, the refugee protection system is stretched to its breaking point, while the number of displaced persons grows each day. Long viewed as a haven, Canada is not immune to the global tide of toughened border controls and political pressure. We should, of course, begin...
Reflections on the India-Pakistan Crisis: Takeaways and Implications for Canada-India Ties
Last month’s India-Pakistan clash was an unsettling reminder of the volatile relationship between the two nuclear-armed adversaries. New Delhi’s ties with Islamabad had been relatively calm over the four years prior, following the inking in February 2021 of a new truce along the Line of Control (LoC), the disputed border that bisects India- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The truce reduced cross-border...
Free Atlantic: Unlocking Regional Growth
Liberalizing trade within Canada has long been a challenge. Geographic constraints, infrastructure gaps, differences in language and culture, and easy access to a large market to the south have all dampened the volume of internal trade. Concerns over limited interprovincial trade have surfaced repeatedly throughout Canadian history, from early infrastructure challenges at Confederation aimed at bridging these divides to issues...
Empowering maritime First Nations: Improving treaty rights under the Marshall decision
In 1999, the Supreme Court of Canada made a historic decision that transformed the country’s commercial East Coast fishing industry. At the time, First Nations had been locked out of the regional economy for several centuries, despite traditionally engaging in fishing for subsistence and for trade.
South Korea’s New President Looks to Revamp Foreign Policy, Deepen Canada Ties
On June 3, 2025, South Korea held its 21st presidential election, resulting in the victory of opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung. The election, triggered by the December 2024 impeachment of former president Yoon Suk Yeol, took place amid heightened social tensions. As the new president, Lee will be tasked with uniting a deeply polarized society and re-establishing South Korea’s regional and...
Sacred (cash) cows – The urgent need to eliminate supply management
The new Carney government will face a host of challenges, including trade, tariffs, innovation, and regulation. However, it must make agriculture a top priority if it hopes to solve the long-standing problem of supply management – an outdated, flawed, and costly system for producing dairy, eggs, and poultry products. This anti-competitive production model results in higher prices for all these...
NORTH AMERICAN SOLIDARITY NEEDED TO NAVIGATE TRUMP’S TRADE WARS
Like a spoiled child, Donald Trump has kicked over the sandcastle defending what is left of the rules-based international trading order. As critics of that order, we accept the opportunity and challenge it creates to rethink international relations and mutating neoliberal dogmas. However, we are greatly concerned by the chaos and misfortune that Trump’s actions have caused for workers and...
The need for a new approach to Canada-U.S. Diplomacy
Canada’s relationship with the U.S. is complex, asymmetrical, and fundamental to Canada’s economic prosperity. It is also entering a period of great uncertainty that requires a fundamental rethinking of Canada’s diplomatic engagement with the U.S.
Japan Tweaks Trump Strategy as Tariffs Begin to Hit
In April, the United States imposed a baseline 10 per cent tariff on nearly all imports, with higher country-specific rates proposed for its major trade partners. Japan was hit hard: it faces a potential 24 per cent U.S. tariff on its exports beginning July 9 unless the two sides can reach an agreement before then. A separate 25 per cent...
Mission: Critical Minerals
How Canada can seize a once-in-a-generation opportunity and win the coming natural resource arms race The transition to a clean and digital economy has ignited a global race for critical minerals — the essential inputs for batteries, electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, solar panels, advanced electronics and defence technologies. These minerals (such as lithium, cobalt and nickel) are now as...
(Im)balance of power – How federal overreach fuels Western Alienation
Western anger is largely fuelled by Ottawa’s decade-long legislative and regulatory agenda, which trampled on provincial jurisdiction while specifically targeting the oil and gas industry – a major source of Western Canada’s wealth.
Big Innovation in Small Places: Southeast Saskatchewan Demonstrates How Rural Innovators Can Lead Canada’s Economic Transformation
Canada stands at a critical economic crossroads. From the urgent transition to net-zero emissions, to the pursuit of secure supply chains in critical minerals and energy technologies, to addressing a national productivity crisis, the opportunities for transformation are vast — but remain unevenly distributed.
TCI Energy Brief: One Year In, China is the Largest Purchaser of TMX Oil, Demonstrating the Viability of Canadian Energy Exports to the Asia-Pacific
The completion of the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) pipeline in May 2024 has coincided with the beginning of a new era in global trade. Fueled by escalating US trade tensions and tariff policies that underscore Canada’s heavy dependence on a single market for its oil exports, TMX’s significance as a strategic gateway to the Asia-Pacific region is increasing, and China...
Canada at a Crossroads – Volume 6: Degrees of separation – Universities versus the public
Universities are facing a sharp decline in their public reputation. In the US, the Trump administration is openly attacking many top universities – including taking steps to strip Harvard of its tax exempt status. The situation in Canada is less antagonistic, but there’s growing public frustration over the blatant left-wing bias and politicization of our post-secondary institutions. The public’s indifference...
Build Big Things
For too long, Canada has been content to muddle in the slow lane when what is needed — now more than ever — is a breathtaking build out. Here’s how to do it.
Fighting mortgage fraud in Canada
Mortgage fraud in Canada has surged in recent years, raising deep concerns across multiple sectors. Anxiety is soaring among lenders as they face rising losses and inflated property prices. Meanwhile, organized criminal actors are overwhelming regulators and law enforcement. Several complex factors are behind the growing crisis, including pressures from housing affordability, rising interest rates, and the lingering effects of...
A fork in the road: As bifurcation hits the global uranium industry, the secure path leads to Canada
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has forever changed global commodities markets. The economic sanctions subsequently imposed on Russia exposed multiple risks related to (over)reliance on a single or dominant suppliers of critical materials (Sukhankin 2024a).