Crossposted at opencanada.org’s Dispatch blog I just had a conversation regarding my last post with a NATO Public Diplomacy official. In short, my argument was that in RC-N the ANP appear incapable of holding villages so that the building can take place, and that there are vastly more resources focused on the military component on […]
Continue readingTaylorOwen.com: Notes from Mazar e Sherif: Tactical Challenges, Strategic Quagmire
Crossposted at opencanada.org’s Dispatch blog I am writing this on my phone from a c160 flying from mazar e sharif to herat where we have spent the past 48hrs. This morning, we awoke to the news that last night insurgents struck an international hotel in Kabul. This felt a world away, and frankly, neither surprises […]
Continue readingTaylorOwen.com: First Impressions from ISAF HQ in Kabul
Crossposted at opencanada.org’s Dispatch blog I am in Afghanistan as part of a NATO TOLA tour. On Friday the six participants met in Brussels for a day of briefings at the NATO HQ, and then flew to Kabul together. For 8 days, we are to be treated to incredible access to civilian, military and Afghan […]
Continue readingTaylorOwen.com: The Munk Debates, Henry Kissinger and Polite Company
Crossposted at opencanada.org’s Disptach blog For the past few years I have worked on the Munk Debates. Officially, I am the Research Director. Unofficially, I help out however I can and get to be a part of a unique and fun event. The debate last week was on China and featured Henry Kissinger and Fareed […]
Continue readingTaylorOwen.com: Four Ways to Reinvigorate the Canadian Foreign Policy Debate
Crossposted at opencanada.org’s Dispatch blog Last fall, I participated in a workshop hosted by L’Idée Fédérale, a think tank in Montreal headed by one of our Roundtable bloggers, André Pratte. The topic was modest – “A Bold New Vision for Canada” – and we were all tasked with presenting on an aspect of our changing […]
Continue readingTaylorOwen.com: Welcome to opencanada.org
For the past eight months I have had the thrill of working with the CIC to answer the following question: what if the CIC wanted to build the online hub for international affairs discussion in Canada? The challenge was to merge an organizational website, with a media platform. http://opencanada.org, is our first iteration of the […]
Continue readingWise Law Blog: Ontario Court of Appeal: No Hard Cap on Notice Entitlement of Non-Managerial or Unskilled Employees
In Di Tomaso v. Crown Metal Packaging Canada LP, 2011 ONCA 469, a decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal released June 22, 2011, the appellant, Crown Metal Packaging (“CMP”) appealed from an October, 2010 decision of the Superior Court Judge, Justice…
Continue readingViews from the lake - eh?: Crime is on the rise in Canada – not!
Statistics Canada has just released their ‘Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2010’ report (link). And it supports what many have been saying for some time: Police-reported crime reaches its lowest level since the early 1970’s The …
Continue readingGuest Bloggers
With the campaign fully underway I have not had much time at all to write new blog posts.
I'll try to get back in the habit of once a week posts but long gone are the days of four to five posts a week. With that said I'll try to write more oft…
The Disaffected Lib: Placing Murdoch – and Britain – In Perspective
David Cameron and Rupert Murdoch and all their minions are running a PR campaign on the News International scandal, telling people to keep it “in perspective.” It’s not really a big deal or at least that’s how they want the British public to see …
Continue readingPaper Dynamite Online: Coming Soon To A Walkman Near You!
Still more signs PDO lives in the past …Thanks to an old pal.
Continue readingRedBedHead: Rupert Murdoch, Friend Of Israel
Well this article is an interesting addition to the swirl of debate and exposé that’s happening around Rupert Murdoch. The attached article is from J-Wire and is written by Isi Leibler. As all this scandal and humiliation was unfolding, I hadn’t consi…
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Expanding the Canada Pension Plan
The case for expanding benefits under the CPP as a needed response to the crisis of private pensions continues to win expert support – even as the financial industry and small business lobbies continue to fight real pension reform tooth and nail. The centre-right Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) have published interesting and useful […]
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: This Really Is the Pot Calling the Kettle BlackP
America’s UN ambassador, Susan Rice, must have a bottomless well of gall, given the way she chastised other Security Council members cold to the idea of declaring climate change a security matter meriting the council’s attention.US ambassador Susan Ric…
Continue readinggritchik: Confirmation that Rob Ford is a moron
This is insanity.
Ford campaigned on a promise not cut city services and now he’s about to make $740 million in major service cuts. Including, eliminating 2,000 subsidized daycare spots, late-night TTC service, reducing the police force and elimi…
The Liberal Scarf: I’m offering an endorsement of what Mr. McGuinty has done, absolutely. This is a great plan. Any party would be foolish to talk about abandoning it"
That’s what David Suzuki had to say about the Ontario Liberal plan to keep Ontario’s economy on track by creating green jobs and helping our environment.http://www.thestar.com/mobile/news/canada/politics/article/1028008–suzuki-warns-tory-scheme-to-can…
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Steve, Hurry Up With Those New Prisons While There Are Still Some Criminals Left
No, crime isn’t going away but, even as Ruler Steve indulges his prison fetish, crime rates continue to go down – a lot.StatsCan said police-reported crime rates fell a whopping 5 per cent last year from 2009, continuing a long-running trend.Harper may…
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Ditch All Your Illusions About Privacy, All of Them, The Lot.
Imagine yourself among the thousands and thousands of people gathered for the final game of the Canucks/Bruins Stanley Cup. It’s easy to assume you’re virtually invisible in the sea of faces. It’s not. Click on this link http://…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Police Facial Recognition Skills Continue To Decline
Whether it is a food, air, or water-borne virus, or a strange and hitherto undocumented brain condition, there is no question that police facial recognition skills are declining, calling into question their ability to accurately testify in criminal cas…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Former Tory fin min not giving up in fight against Muskrat
Former Conservative finance minister John Collins is fighting the Muskrat Falls project as fervently as ever. The 80-something has a new letter in the Telegram taking issue with recent comments by Nalcor boss Ed Martin and natural resources min…
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