Canadian Foreign Policy

The Digital Diplomacy Revolution: Why Is Canada Lagging Behind?0
- Analysis
- June 20, 2013
From the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute:

A new report by Roland Paris, CDFAI Senior Fellow and Director of the Centre for International Policy Studies at the University of Ottawa, examines the burgeoning world of digital diplomacy and concludes …
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Canada’s Brave New World of Digital Diplomacy 0
- Analysis
- June 18, 2013
Is it diplomacy, propaganda or subversion? There’s a question of naming going on these days in Canadian diplomacy, amid our government’s high-profile feud with Iran. It starts from a seemingly minor venture that opens up into something quite major: the …
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Does Canadian Diplomacy Need an Office of Religious Engagement?0
- Analysis
- June 12, 2013
Published in the Toronto Star, June 10, 2013

Depending on your view of Canada’s recently opened Office of Religious Freedom, you may or may not welcome the likelihood that a related idea from the U.S. State Department will be …
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In Confronting Iran, John Baird Stands in the Way of Real Solutions 0
- Analysis
- May 21, 2013
by John Mundy

Published in the Globe and Mail, May 21, 2013

Imagine if U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had delivered the speech that Foreign Minister John Baird gave to the Global Dialogue on Iran’s Future last week …
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Harper Government ‘Pandering to Diasporas’? Not So Fast, Pundits 0
- Analysis
- May 8, 2013
It’s looking likely that Prime Minister Harper will boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting to be held in Sri Lanka this November, due to that country’s deteriorating human rights and governance record. If so, Canada may be alone among …
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Jason Kenney: Canada’s Other (and Soon to be Only?) Foreign Minister 0
- Analysis
- May 6, 2013
The overseas trips of Foreign Minister Baird generate some attention and controversy. But Baird’s foreign travel is closely rivaled by—though less reported on than—that of his Cabinet colleague Jason Kenney, the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration. In only the first …
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What the Saccomani Appointment Means 0
- Analysis
- April 29, 2013
The appointment of Bruno Saccomani, head of the Prime Minister’s security detail, to be the next Canadian Ambassador to Jordan and Iraq struck even the most cynical observers of the Harper government as a curious move. The two countries are …
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Does the World Exist (in Canada’s Foreign Policy)?0
- Analysis
- April 23, 2013
Published in the Toronto Star, April 22, 2013

Rarely do questions of metaphysics, epistemology and foreign policy intersect. The past seven years of foreign policy under Prime Minister Harper and his various foreign ministers, however, suggest that the government …
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Canada’s Diplomatic Tantrum in the Desert 0
- Analysis
- April 18, 2013
Published in iPolitics, April 9, 2013

A little more than two weeks ago, Canada became the only nation on the planet to walk away from the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

The decision to withdraw — making Canada the …
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A High-Water Mark in Canadian Diplomacy 0
- Analysis
- April 17, 2013
Guest post by John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In this post, Mr. Baird responds to Bob Rae’s commentary on Canadian foreign policy. CIPS is pleased to provide a venue for this debate. To receive notification of future blogposts, …
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The Honesty Gap in Canada’s Mideast Policy 0
- Analysis
- April 16, 2013
Published in the Globe and Mail, April 16, 2013.

Why is Foreign Minister John Baird misrepresenting Canada’s policies on the Mideast?

Last week, Mr. Baird met with Israeli justice minister Tzipi Livni in East Jerusalem. The meeting was controversial …
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The High Price of Harper’s Foreign Policy 0
- Analysis
- April 14, 2013
Guest post by Bob Rae, MP

John Baird’s recent trip to the Middle East—and seemingly incoherent announcements before and after—give us a chance to re-assess the Conservative government’s foreign policy.

The Reform Party’s reverse takeover of the Progressive Conservative Party, …
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