An independent panel reviewing electronic media in Canada has released a long awaited report. Canada’s Broadcast Act hasn’t been updated since 1991,  well before the arrival of the internet and streaming services like Netflix, Prime, Crave, Apple, Spotify and Amazon etc. The just released report, Time to Act' seeks to make recommendations concerning a variety of current technologies and situations including streaming services, the public broadcaster, The Canadian Broadcasting...

The U.K. has just announced it will permit a partial use of Huawei technology in development of its 5G network. Other countries have banned Huawei over security concerns.  Canada is still debating its position on Huawei. Stephanie Carvin (PhD) is an assistant professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa. She notes security alone may not be the only consideration ListenEN_Interview_1-20200129-WIE10 The so-called 5G network is...

This week saw the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the biggest of the Nazi death camps, camps where a total of about six million Jews were murdered. The hope was that the lesson was learned that myths, mistrust, and misunderstanding leads to hate which leads to violence and murder. It seems that lesson is being forgotten and that anti-semitism may be on the rise. Tina Fetner (PhD) is an Associate Professor of Sociology at McMaster University in Hamilton,...

While several studies in recent years have highlighted dangerous levels of fishing on many ocean species, they do not include the effects of recreational fishing. A new study by an international team of scientists estimates some 900,000 tonnes of fish are taken from the oceans yearly. Daniel Pauly (PhD, FRSC) heads the research project called The Sea Around Us,  named in honour of Rachel Carson’s 1951 book. ListenEN_Interview_1-20200127-WIE10 The study is published today in the...

While many average earners complain of taxes, a group of the world’s wealthiest is saying they should be taxed more. The disparity in earnings between the wealthiest and the middle and lower classes is such that some of those uber-rich are becoming concerned about social upheaval. Jeff Rubin is the former chief economist at CIBC Markets and the author of the forthcoming book by Penguin Random House The Expendables: How The Middle Class Got Screwed  by...

Announced this week, Canada has a new agency to look into the various issues of climate change. Non-partisan and arms-length from the government which is funding it, the agency will partner with experts in a variety of fields of research to suggest policy and actions to all levels of government working toward reducing emissions and mitigating the effects of climate change. Dave Sawyer is the Chief Economist at the new institute, and I reached him in Ottawa this...

As usual, he was right on the edge, but in the end he prevailed--pretty much like he always did on a baseball field. Walker becomes the first position player from Canada ever to be elected to the Hall and the second Canadian, following pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, from Chatham, Ontario, who was voted in in...

China has reported about 200 cases of a new coronavirus originating in the city of Wuhan  which has caused the deaths of six people so far. It also is now reportedly spread from person to person, vastly increasing concerns. The World Health Organisation is holding an emergency meeting in Geneva today to discuss potential courses of action to halt the spread as needed. For more on this new disease we spoke with Dr. Dick Zoutman  He's an infectious disease specialist and professor at...

Welcome to Diplomatic Dispatch, a new podcast series by Radio Canada International. My goal is to bring you insights into Canada’s foreign, defence and development policy. I’ll discuss Canada’s global role through interviews with policy makers, former and serving diplomats and soldiers, academics and think tank experts, humanitarian workers, civil society activists and entrepreneurs recorded at the Summit on Canada’s Global Leadership in late November of 2019. Robert Greenhill is...

Welcome to Diplomatic Dispatch, a new podcast series by Radio Canada International. My goal is to bring you insights into Canada’s foreign, defence and development policy. I’ll discuss Canada’s global role through interviews with policy makers, former and serving diplomats and soldiers, academics and think tank experts, humanitarian workers, civil society activists and entrepreneurs recorded at the Summit on Canada’s Global Leadership in late November of 2019. Former Liberal cabinet...

A new book is being released called “From the Depths of Our Hearts”. It’s sparked a bit of controversy within the Roman Catholic church. It seems to push a conservative message about celibacy, and includes an essay by retired Pope Benedict who has asked to have his name removed as co-author. Micheal Swan is associate editor of The Catholic Register which lists itself as “Canada’s Catholic news source since 1893” ListenEN_Interview_1-20200116-WIE10 While the book supports the idea...

Welcome to Diplomatic Dispatch, a new podcast series by Radio Canada International. My goal is to bring you insights into Canada’s foreign, defence and development policy. I’ll discuss Canada’s global role through interviews with policy makers, former and serving diplomats and soldiers, academics and think tank experts, humanitarian workers, civil society activists and entrepreneurs. Kate Grantham is an international development consultant and vice president of the Canadian...

Welcome to Diplomatic Dispatch, a new podcast series by Radio Canada International. My goal is to bring you insights into Canada’s foreign, defence and development policy. I’ll discuss Canada’s global role through interviews with policy makers, former and serving diplomats and soldiers, academics and think tank experts, humanitarian workers, civil society activists and entrepreneurs. Richard Fadden, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, appears at Senate national security...

Viewed by some as ‘too restrictive’, Canadian laws around medically assisted dying are under review. The government is asking Canadians to submit their views on the laws and what might be changed. Arthur Schafer is founding director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, and was a consultant on previous government discussions on the issue ListenEN_Interview_1-20200114-WIE10 It’s called medical assistance in dying, and known by the acronym...

Welcome to Diplomatic Dispatch, a new podcast series by Radio Canada International. My goal is to bring you insights into Canada’s foreign, defence and development policy. I’ll discuss Canada’s global role through interviews with policy makers, former and serving diplomats and soldiers, academics and think tank experts, humanitarian workers, civil society activists and entrepreneurs. Nicolas Moyer is the president and CEO of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation....

After initially denying they were at fault, Iran quickly backtracked saying the shot down the passenger jet by mistake? But with modern sophisticated systems how could a large, slow moving, and climbing jetliner be mistaken for a “hostile” fighter jet or cruise missile? James McKay (PhD) is a professor of political science at the Royal Military College in Kingston Ontario. ListenEN_Interview_1-20200113-WIE10 There should have been several clear indications that PS752 was not...

In 2015 and 2016, children in a British Columbia elementary school took part in a First Nations smudging ceremony and prayer. A mother objected saying the school obliged her children to take part in a religious ceremony and a later First Nations prayer contrary to the School Act and her own religious beliefs. A judge in the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled this week that the practice did not infringe on religious beliefs. Jay Cameron (MA. LLB) is with the legal advocacy...

We've all seen it, we all know it when we see it, and we've all most certainly wondered just how downright stupid our species can so often be. For most of us, witnessing the insanity of drunken driving, is something we experience (hopefully) just in passing. Anecdotal. Until it isn't: until the time when somebody we know or love is involved in a fatal accident that has alcohol at its root. A woman, 21, died in this crash in Richmond Hill, Ont. in August, 2018. A Toronto driver,...

With the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, the entire mid-east situation is in turmoil. Hundreds of thousands are turning out in the streets of Tehran and other major centres, to mourn the general. But was there more behind the killing and what of internal politics in Iran? Ali Dizboni (Ph.D.) is Director of Military and Strategic Studies-MSS and professor in the Department of Political Science and Economics at the Royal Military College in Kingston,...

After the U.S. drone strike on Friday that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, and several other important Iranian military or militia leaders on Iraqi soil. U.S. President Trump said Soleimani's "reign of terror" was over.  The U.S. action appears to be a unilateral attack without consultation with NATO allies. That strike has caused outrage in Iran and with Iranian expats around the world. Iran has threatened retribution, and NATO is holding an emergency meeting today. Of immediate...

Looking back on 2019--a year lacking Olympics, another year missing a Canadian-based Stanley Cup champion, a year with a less than stellar performance by the Canadians at the Women's World Cup of Soccer. What are we left with? How about basketball? How about tennis? How about another terrific year in moguls skiing by Mikaël Kingsbury? And--maybe most of all--how about a lot of stories about hockey that those in the hockey world would just as soon forget--like abusive coaches and...

Animal rights activists, a determined lot at any time, are looking back at their gains in 2019 and feeling pretty good about both themselves and the animals they seek to protect. https://youtu.be/u3O7RoSWMTI The year, according to the executive director of Animal Justice, Camille Labchuk, was marked by some historic wins--including the ones making the most news–-a new law to ban keeping whales, dolphins and porpoises in captivity, new federal legislation cracking down on animal cruelty...

In 2015 a study of over 200 lakes around the world (containing a total of half the world's freshwater supply) showed a clear warming trend. At the time, it was suggested that this is affecting drinking water quality, fish habitat, and has an effect on other animals. A new study looks at how declining ice cover has an detrimental economic affect on people. Sapna Sharma (PhD) is a professor in the Department of Biology at York University in...

A new analysis of hundreds of studies covering two decades of studies related to genetics and about 200 diseases. The result may come as a surprise to many.  It finds, in most cases, little correlation between a genetic mutation and risk of the disease. David Wishart (PhD, FRSC) t, professor in the University of Alberta’s Department of Biological Sciences , the Department of Computing Science, and the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. He is the supervising co-author on the...

The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear a case involving a 44-year-old ailing elephant, dashing the hopes of animal activists and likely confining her to the Edmonton Valley Zoo for the rest of her days. Zoocheck Canada has been going to court-unsuccessfully--for years to have the elephant, named Lucy, moved to a warmer location, a move that is supported by celebrities who include famed author Margaret Atwood and prominent former game show host Bob Barker. The group says the zoo is...