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www.embassynews.ca OTTAWA | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016 | ISSUE 590

EMBASSYTRADE | IMMIGRATION | DEFENCE | DEVELOPMENT | FOREIGN POLICY

$5.00

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CRESKEY CROATIAWHERE MY DAD AND THE DONALD COLLIDE.

ENVOY’S CAREER GREW WITH HER MINISTRY

PAGE 13

CANOLATORY MPs PUSH

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NEW THINK TANK

COMING TO OTTAWA

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‘Huge irony’ in male-dominated study of women, peace and security, says MP

Tens of millions in severance paid yearly to military members who leave voluntarily

MPs from all three major parties say they reject the protectionist positions of leading United States presidential candidates on free trade, warning that a thicker US border would harm businesses and workers in both countries.

However, a few NDP and Liberal MPs expressed similar concerns over free trade agreements to those raised by Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and, of course, Donald Trump over the past year.

Free trade is a rare subject on which Mr. Sanders, Ms. Clinton and Mr. Trump appear to agree, or at least to hold common concerns. Mr. Trump pledged in September to force a

renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico, or else to “break” it. Mr. Sanders said earlier this year he picketed against the NAFTA while it was under negotiation in the early 1990s. Ms. Clinton has in the past criti-cized and expressed support for the deal.

Both Democratic candidates have said they opposed the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta’s oilsands to the US Gulf Coast, and all three candidates—as well as Republican can-didate Ted Cruz—have said they oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, which would supercede many parts of the NAFTA if it were ratified.

The TPP has been a legacy project of cur-rent US President Barack Obama. Canada’s Liberal government signed the deal negotiated by its Conservative predecessor, but has not committed to ratifying it.

A parliamentary committee studying women’s place at the table in peacebuild-ing only has one woman at its own table, and she says that’s a “huge irony.”

“It’s 2016, after all,” said NDP foreign affairs cricic Hélène Laverdière, the vice chair of the House of Commons standing committee on foreign affairs and interna-tional development.

“I’m not even asking for parity, but I find it surprising that, for example, the Liberals, of the six members, it’s six men. I find that very surprising,” she told Embassy.

Though she said she was unsure at first that her motion to undertake a study on women, peace and security would be met with enthusiasm, the com-mittee accepted it and is “moving in the right direction,” Ms. Laverdière said. Conservative vice-chair Dean Allison said the fact her motion was adopted “shows the fact that we’re working together.”

“I’m not sure why she would see it as a problem,” said committee chair Bob Nault, a Liberal MP. Two women parlia-mentary secretaries usually attend the

In the last three years, more than $105 million in severance has been paid out to 7,213 Canadians who voluntarily left the military, according to the defence depart-ment—and that doesn’t include a massive backlog from the most recent financial year.

From April 1, 2013 until March 31, 2016, $19.29 million was paid to reserve force members and $85.95 million to regu-lar force members, according to Maj. Holly-Anne Brown, a public affairs officer

with the department’s personnel and legal services branch.

But numbers from the most recent financial year are low.

Only 11 cases from reservists have been processed so far from the 2015-16 financial year, Maj. Brown said, totalling $106,402 in severance pay—that’s com-pared to $6.81 million for 1,125 reservists in 2014-15 and $12.35 million for 2,170 reservists in 2013-14.

Numbers are also significantly lower in the regular forces, though not to the same degree. For the 2015-16 financial year, severance payments were pro-cessed for 682 members at about $17.21 million. That’s not much more than half of the $29.06 million processed in 2014-15 for 1,319 members; and the even-higher $39.69 million for 1,906 releases in 2013-14.

■ Foreign affairs committee will review controversial countries of focus for Canadian aid dollars this spring.

■ ‘Good politics, but it’s terrible policy,’ says Tory MP Ritz of Trump.

■ More than $105 million was paid out from 2013 until 2016, not counting a year’s worth of backlogged fi les.

Marie-Danielle Smith

Peter Mazereeuw

Marie-Danielle Smith

Continued on Page 5Continued on Page 3

Continued on Page 4

Liberal, Tory, NDP MPs pan protectionist talk by Trump, Sanders

Presidential candidates Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Wikimedia Photo: Michael Vadon & Gage Skidmore Photo

TORYBACK

CRA

S

ER RY

EMBASSY, Wednesday, April 6, 2016—2

Diplomatic Circles

Croatia’s new ambassador to Canada has seen her foreign ministry grow from the ground up.

Born on the resort island of Hvar, one of the many dotting the southeastern European country’s Adriatic coastline, Marica (pro-nounced Mar-eetzah) Matkovic moved to the capital, Zagreb, after secondary school, where she studied to become a lawyer.

She joined the public service in 1983, when Croatia was still part of Yugoslavia, settling in the health ministry where she worked on

drafting legislation. As Croatia broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991 and endured four subsequent years of war, she started working on health-related international agreements, which brought her in close contact with the newly independent state’s foreign ministry.

That led to her crossing over to the ministry of foreign affairs in 1994.

“They invited me to join them because it was a new ministry and they needed people, they needed professionals,” recalled the ambassador in a March 23 interview in her Sandy Hill office.

She loved the job. “We learned all together,” she said. “In the

very beginning, it was so enthusiastic.”

They were helping to shape their new coun-try in the eyes of the world, watching as coun-tries recognized it one by one (Canada estab-lished diplomatic relations with Croatia in 1993).

“At that time you feel that you help and you create something,” she said. “You really wanted to make the whole world aware of what was going on in Croatia.”

The consular department needed a chief, so she left the international legal department to head it up, helping to write the first Croatian for-eign affairs law, given her legislative experience from the health ministry. A lot of her work in the consular department involved dealing with refugees abroad and displaced people in Croatia.

The consular department helped write instruc-tions for colleagues abroad on how to deal with people coming back or transiting through Croatia, people who may have fled years ago without identification papers.

From there, Ms. Matkovic, 61, took on various ministry jobs including postings in the Czech Republic (she speaks Czech as well as English) and Serbia. She was appoint-ed consul general in Chicago in 2004, and ambassador to Israel in 2008.

Most recently, she spent four years at home working as the Croatian government’s secretary general, similar to Canada’s clerk of the privy council. The non-political job is the govern-ment’s highest administrative position. It meant constant co-ordination with various ministries.

Now back to the foreign ministry and on her third head-of-mission posting, Ms. Matkovic offi-cially started her job in Canada on Jan. 26.

The two countries have lately been on good terms. Croatia is a member of the European Union and, alongside Canada, NATO. Canada lifted its pesky visa requirement on Croatians in 2009, and the two have seen ministers jet back and forth for meetings in the years since. Former Conservative MP and minister of state Lynne Yelich was one of them, attending the inauguration of Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, the first female Croatian presi-dent, in February 2015.

Ms. Yelich has Croatian roots, as does Bob Bratina, a current Liberal MP and former mayor of Hamilton, Ont.

By Ms. Matkovic’s count, there are about 200,000 Croatian-Canadians, some of whom she’s met in her travels so far to Mississauga and Oakville in the Toronto area, Montreal and Vancouver. Croatia itself only has about 4.4 mil-lion people, according to the BBC.

Ms. Matkovic has experience interacting with a large diaspora community. When she was posted to Chicago, she came to know the city’s large Croatian community and those Croatians living in several Midwest states.

Both President Grabar-Kitarovic and newly minted Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic, a former pharmaceutical execu-tive, have Canadian connections.

Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic served at the Croatian Embassy in Canada from 1997 to 2001 as a counsellor and then minister-coun-sellor. She went on to become the country’s foreign minister, ambassador to the United States and NATO assistant secretary-general. Her job as president is largely ceremonial.

Mr. Oreskovic grew up in Canada and gradu-ated from Hamilton’s McMaster University with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and an MBA in finance and information systems.

Though Croatian-Canadian trade is “modest,” according to Canada’s foreign ministry, with $78 million in goods going back and forth in 2014, the strong Croatian community in Canada is helpful on that front. Canada-Croatia business networks in both countries help promote trade ties.

Ms. Matkovic said her goals include boost-ing the number of Canadian tourists going to Croatia as well as economic co-operation. She said 100,000 Canadians visited Croatia last year. Her embassy is looking to attend tourism fairs to reach Canadians and ratchet that number even higher.

On the economic front, she’s looking for-ward to the signing and implementation of a Canada-Europe free trade deal that’s been in negotiation for years. Both sides are hoping for the deal to be in force in 2017.

kshane@embassynews.ca@kristenshane1

Croatian ambassador’s diplomatic career grew with her ministryKristen Shane

Marica Matkovic. Embassy Photo: Kristen Shane

This event examines the substantive recommendations put forward in the Transportation Act Review Report entitled Pathways: Canada’s Transportation System to World that was tabled on February 25, 2016 in the House of Commons. This was the first review in 15 years, took 18 months to complete and projects what changes are needed to support Canada’s future prosperity.

Speakers:

hilltimes.com/events/TNSP-forum.html

Kate YoungLiberal MP and

Parliamentary Secretary for Transportation

SUPPORTED BY:APRIL 14 | 11:30am – 5pmSHAW CENTRE OTTAWA

TRANSPORTATIONFORUM

EMBASSY, Wednesday, April 6, 2016—3

News Development

committee, he said: Karina Gould (interna-tional development) and Pamela Goldsmith-Jones (foreign affairs).

“If you include them, there’s three women on our committee,” Mr. Nault said.

The Liberals promised in their election platform to increase accountability by not allowing parliamentary secretaries to have a vote on committees.

But Mr. Allison said it’s good that the parliamentary secretaries are sitting in and asking questions. “I always appreciate hav-ing a better balance of women, but I think sometimes it’s a struggle when you’re trying to work the numbers,” he added.

“It’s always nice to have an equal num-ber of both men and women, but if all our women that are available are in cabinet there’s not much we can do, is there?” Mr. Nault asked.

He suggested that one thing that the Liberals could have done was to have put fewer women on the status of women com-mittee. Only one man sits on that committee.

“Maybe they should’ve divided that up and we could’ve had a [Liberal] woman on our committee,” he said. “But again, it hasn’t been a problem so far and I don’t see it as such. I think men are capable of being feminists themselves and have a strong sense of it.”

Keen Conservative often sitting inThe study is expected to inform a renew-

al of Canada’s “national action plan” on women, peace and security, which officially expired on March 31. Its purpose was to guide the government’s implementation of UN Security Council resolutions addressing women’s experiences in conflict and post-conflict situations.

Committee clerk Angela Crandall told Embassy the committee’s study will wrap up in early May after five or six more meetings devoted to the topic.

Parliamentary secretaries aren’t the only MPs not on the committee membership list who have been attending meetings. Garnett Genuis, the Conservative deputy critic for human rights and a new MP, is at the com-mittee regularly, sometimes as a stand-in for Tony Clement, the party’s foreign affairs critic. Mr. Genuis has spoken in committee 41 times.

(For those keeping score at home, Ms. Laverdière’s at 31, Mr. Allison’s at 19 and chair Mr. Nault’s at 130.)

He said he views the study as continuing an education on the human rights implica-tions of conflict. “I think it’s something that has been a priority of government for a while and I think it will continue to be. When it comes to gender equality issues I don’t think there’s much disagreement between the parties,” he said.

Focus-country refreshThe next study is likely to be a more con-

troversial exercise.Reviewing Canada’s countries of focus

for bilateral assistance is next on the list, Ms. Crandall said. The study may or may not wrap up before Parliament’s summer break.

Canada most recently revised the list under a Conservative government in 2014, going from 20 countries to 25 and increasing their share of aid dollars from 80 to 90 per cent of bilateral funding.

After the latest refresh, the government was accused of overlapping aid focus coun-

tries with trade interests. A Canadian trade strategy launched in 2013 included some countries that were added to bilateral assis-tance priorities the next year: Mongolia, Myanmar, Burkina Faso and Benin.

That appeared to be a “pretty transparent rush for access to minerals,” said Stephen Brown, a University of Ottawa professor.

But he said a bigger problem is Canada’s longtime “flavour of the month” approach to the list. “Too much of this changing the list is about branding the Canadian develop-ment program...and it’s not about respond-ing to recipients’ needs,” he said. “What we’ve seen is in many cases a very hot, cold, hot, cold approach to partnership.”

For example, he said, Benin and Burkina Faso were on the Liberal government’s list in 2005, dropped by the Conservatives in 2009 then added again in 2014.

“That sort of thing makes Canada look ridiculous in terms of image, and it’s defi-nitely not an effective way to do development programming. It’s unpredictable. It’s volatile. You can’t build long-term partnerships, and it sends the message that Canada is not a part-ner to be relied on,” said Mr. Brown.

He also suggested that some countries should no longer be on the list, such as Ukraine. It’s not that Ukraine doesn’t deserve assistance, he said, but the task should fall to its neighbour, the European Union.

“The conditions there are actually not ripe for having productive, long-term devel-opment co-operation. It doesn’t actually correspond to many Canadians’ view of what a developing country is,” Mr. Brown said. “The reason it’s on the list is because Liberals and Conservatives want votes from Ukrainian-Canadians. That’s pretty clear.”

Internal review underwayGlobal Affairs Canada is already conducting

an internal review of countries of focus, Mr. Nault confirmed. “We’re hoping to dovetail that study and have some feedback and recommen-dations sooner rather than later,” he said.

Marie-Claude Bibeau, the international development minister, is tasked with refo-cusing Canadian assistance “on helping the poorest and most vulnerable, and sup-porting fragile states,” her press secretary Bernard Boutin told Embassy in an email.

“The minister will welcome advice from the committee on how best this objective can be achieved. In addition, the minister is conducting a review of Canada’s international assistance policy framework. This review includes consultations with Canadians and

international aid organizations to ensure that all perspectives are heard,” wrote Mr. Boutin.

“Assistance to countries for humanitari-an reasons is a big part of our government’s commitment and that would suggest and signal that we are going to move towards not just middle-income type countries and ones for economic reasons, but a combina-tion of both,” Mr. Nault said.

Mr. Nault said he has proposed that the committee travel to some of the countries of focus to be able to assess Canadian proj-ects there themselves.

Conservative attendees of the commit-tee seem cautiously open to a review. Mr. Allison said it’s “not a bad idea to review where countries are at” and Mr. Genuis said “it’s the sort of thing that’s worth studying on an ongoing basis.”

But Mr. Allison suggested that criticisms of Canada focusing too much on middle-income countries don’t paint a full picture.

He said he travelled to one of the focus countries, Vietnam, on March 30 and 31 and spoke to parliamentarians there. “Their concern was, ‘we’re considered a middle-income country now, but we’ve got so many things we need help on,’” Mr. Allison recalled.

“There’s still structural issues. There’s still issues when it comes to administra-

tion...they keep talking about agriculture,” he continued. “Even middle-income coun-tries who are still trying to work on their systems and their bench strength, maybe there’s an opportunity.”

Ms. Laverdière said her party agrees with a Liberal promise to move towards support for the poorest.

‘Huge irony’ in male-dominated study of women, peace and security, says MP

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Continued from Page 1FAAE COMMITTEE MEMBERSBob Nault (L)—ChairDean Allison (C)—Vice-ChairHélène Laverdière (NDP)—Vice-ChairPeter Fragiskatos (L)Peter Kent (C)Michael Levitt (L)Marc Miller (L)Raj Saini (L)Jati Sidhu (L)

TOPICS OF STUDYWomen, peace and security (ongoing)Main budgetary estimatesCountries of focus for bilateral assistanceCanada’s development financing initiative

NDP foreign affairs critic Hélène Laverdière, pic-tured in February 2015, says it’s 2016 and more than one woman should be at the foreign affairs committee table. Embassy Photo: Sam Garcia

EMBASSY, Wednesday, April 6, 2016—4

News Public Safety & Defence

The numbers only cover those members who left the forces voluntarily. Discrepancies from year to year are partly due to a year-long backlog in processing.

There’s already a major wait for reserve forces to receive their pensions, which con-tinues to be a persistent issue since the problem was highlighted in a 2011 federal auditor general’s report.

The Globe and Mail recently reported that reservists wait an average of between four and 36 weeks for their first pension cheque to arrive—and that regular forces face delays too, according to Canada’s mili-tary ombudsman.

The processing of severance payments can sometimes take even longer.

“The Release Personnel Pay Office is just now starting to process release files from April 2015,” Maj. Brown said. “The projected value of the remainder of those unpaid files cannot be calculated without processing all of the files.”

Minister’s paperwork was missing

Embassy reported last week that the defence minister, Harjit Sajjan, a former member of the reserve force, was one of several MPs to have received severance pay

from public-sector employers after transi-tioning to their new roles in Parliament.

While several others, including Veterans Affairs Minister Kent Hehr, cashed the cheques they were legally entitled to, some other MPs decided to refuse severance or donate it to charity.

Mr. Sajjan received severance pay by March 1, according to an ethics disclosure, despite having only officially left the military in early November.

The reason the payment appears to have been processed relatively quickly, his press secretary Jordan Owens explained, is because the minister had accepted a “pay-ment in lieu” in 2012 but had forgotten to file final paperwork until he was finalizing his departure from the forces in November. So his file was already partly processed, cutting down the time it took to complete it.

In 2012, when the policy on voluntary release was changed and severance stopped being accumulated for those resigning or retiring, this “payment in lieu” was offered to eligible members, according to MGen. Derek Joyce, the deputy commander of military personnel command.

Members were allowed either to take the payment—their accumulated severance up to that point—right away, or to still wait until the end of their service to receive the pay. Some took advantage of that; others didn’t. The payment in

lieu program ended in the 2014-15 financial year, MGen. Joyce said in an emailed statement.

“After he was elected and appointed min-ister, [Mr. Sajjan] needed to resolve the situ-ation in order to close his file, so he provided the missing paperwork that allowed the process to be completed,” Ms. Owens said.

MGen. Joyce confirmed that staff in charge of compensation and benefits received the paperwork shortly after the election and just prior to his release from the forces. “No special treatment was extended—the staffing of his file had been ongoing for some time,” MGen. Joyce wrote.

‘Not horribly unusual’ to wait a year

It is seen across the military as a normal part of the release process to receive sever-ance, said Maj. Brown. It’s also seen as a normal part of the release process to wait a long time for it.

“It’s not horribly unusual for someone to wait 12 months or more,” Maj. Brown explained. “It does take a while...they’re just getting around to last year’s. They’re getting better on the backlog.”

The wait times are exacerbated for those serving in the reserves. It’s more straight-forward to calculate severance for a regular member who’s been in continuous service

over the span of their career, versus some-one who was in the reserves and served full-time or went on deployments at various points in their service history.

“There are so many compounding factors,” Maj. Brown said. “It’s individual to individual.”

Higher numbers in the 2013-14 year, versus the 2014-15 year, can be partially explained by the Afghanistan mission clos-ing out. In 2011, Canada’s combat mission in Afghanistan ended, and training of Afghan troops continued until 2014.

That meant more people were leaving the military after 2011, Maj. Brown said, includ-ing many reservists who had signed on to Afghanistan deployments.

Even putting aside the fluctuations due to the mission, the numbers do vary quite a bit from year to year, Maj. Brown said. “We’re not on a sausage machine here, where it’s a constant influx of new people and a steady attrition or release factor,” she said.

With pensions, Maj. Brown told Embassy part of this backlog had to do with the fact that a new pension plan was introduced for reservists in 2007. That meant thousands of new files to deal with. New staff have since been hired, Maj. Brown said, but they’re still almost two years of work away from being up to date.

As of April 4, just over 75 per cent of the backlog has been dealt with, on track for completion in December 2017, she said. A new pension system is being implemented that will come into effect in July 2016.

msmith@embassynews.ca @mariedanielles

Backlog slowing severance pay

Bureaucrats have prepped Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale on how to talk to the public after tragedies, even prescribing “no comment” responses to hypothetical scenar-ios, according to ministerial briefing books.

When they take office, Canada’s public safety ministers are offered a “ministerial handbook for responding to events.”

Embassy obtained the most recent copy with an access-to-information request, part of a series of briefing books given to Mr. Goodale after he was sworn in as public safety minister early last November.

It’s a look at the pragmatism of the depart-ment in delivering potentially disastrous news to Canadians.

Replete with “possible statements from the minister,” the handbook is a treasure trove of pre-approved talking points dealing with everything from a terrorist attack on Canadian soil to the escape of a prisoner to a natural disaster on another continent.

‘Heartfelt sympathies’The public safety minister is expected

to provide “national leadership” across the government and co-ordinate a response to “events in the national interest,” in concert with Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion if the events occur outside of Canada.

The handbook describes the jurisdiction of police forces and the Canada Border Services Agency. It details how the CBSA would liaise with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on incidents affecting the Canada-United States border.

The CBSA has the authority to initiate border measures such as screening travellers

under the Quarantine Act—or to urgently process “aid and supplies transiting Canada towards the affected regions.”

If a terrorist attack happens in Canada, Mr. Goodale is advised to tell the public “a tragic event has taken place in [city or town] and our heartfelt sympathies are with those directly affected and their families.” He’s supposed to reassure the public that he’s in close contact with provincial and territorial officials, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and national security partners.

For terrorist attacks in the US, Canada “is maintaining regular contact with our United States counterparts” and “prepared to assist the US in any way it can.”

In other countries: “[if applicable] There is no direct threat to Canada at this time,” but “no effort is being spared to assist Canadians in the affected area” and the gov-ernment “is working around the clock.”

‘Very sad day for all Canadians’Incidents involving the agencies that

fall under Public Safety Canada are also addressed in the handbook.

If there’s a death involved in an RCMP-related incident, it’s suggested the minis-ter call it a “tragic event” and say that “our thoughts and prayers” are with those

affected. But, remember: “the government of Canada is committed to the safety of all Canadians,” and “the RCMP is taking the nec-essary actions to respond to the incident.”

Should reporters ask for more: “given that at this point an investigation is underway, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further.”

Events involving the CBSA are diverse. They include, but are not limited to: train derailments, extreme weather causing bridge closures, airport incidents requiring flight diversions, the arrival of a traveller with avian influenza, the interception of Mad Cow-infected cattle, the interception of a terrorist and the discovery of an improvised explosive device.

How should the minister react to such a diverse array of scenarios? By talking about government commitments to safety and “the necessary arrangements,” and “mitigat-ing any threats to our shared security,” of course—with US-related events, “I have been in contact with my counterpart” and “both countries want to see the border reopened” and “we are working hard.”

Talking points on incidents involving the Correctional Service Canada are categorized under: disturbance, hostage taking, escape of offender, health related incident and tragic inci-dent involving an offender in the community.

An unscientific analysis shows that talk-ing points following the deaths of RCMP officers or CBSA or CSC officials are tinged with even more sorrow than those following terrorist attacks.

Those call for “my most heartfelt condo-lences and deepest sympathy,” on this “very sad day for all Canadians.”

“The death of a police officer,” the minister should say, “is a sobering reminder of the sacrifices and bravery of the men and women who serve each day to keep our communi-ties safe...I realize that people are looking for answers surrounding this tragic incident, and that is what the investigations are for.”

Blaney binders more focused on threat to Canada

Similar language has already been used by Mr. Goodale in responding to terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris, and the recent death by suicide of an RCMP officer near Parliament Hill.

The wording isn’t exactly the same. The department does, after all, employ dozens of communications staffers (Embassy reported there were 81, as of last September).

The tone of statements made by Mr. Goodale’s predecessor, Steven Blaney, are similar.

But there are some specific differences between Mr. Goodale’s version of the hand-book and the version offered to Mr. Blaney when he took over the file in 2013.

The latter includes a section on how to respond to a major incident in Afghanistan, for example—it was written prior to the Canadian training mission ending in 2014.

Moreover, lines about Canada’s suscep-tibility to terrorist attacks are included in Mr. Blaney’s book, but not Mr. Goodale’s—for instance, “Terrorism is a global phenomenon and Canada is not immune,” and “Canada and other countries face escalating cyber threats—these threats are real and continue to mature.”

Could it be that departmental staffers read into a Liberal election campaign that focused on negating the “language of fear” employed by Conservative leaders?

msmith@embassynews.ca@mariedanielles

Continued from Page 1

A minister’s disaster handbookHow to mourn friends and reassure people:

Marie-Danielle Smith

Ralph Goodale in a scrum with reporters in early February. The Hill Times Photo: Jake Wright

EMBASSY, Wednesday, April 6, 2016—5

News & Opinion Donald Trump

This column is not about Donald Trump. It about my father, who, like Trump, was also a New York sales-man.

Of course there were significant differ-ences. My father was born in Staten Island, and died in 1982. He sold wholesale paint, Benjamin Moore. Trump is from Queens, he sold real estate and now he sells an incoher-ent but seductive political message.

Trump was born rich, inherited a fortune and a business from his father.

My father was born to a poor Polish immigrant family and had to quit school when he was 14 to support his sisters and single-parent mother.

A shy, industrious working-class guy, my father brought his family to the lower edge of the middle class after serving in the navy as a petty officer in the engine room of a tank landing ship in the last year of the Second World War.

You might be curious to know how a shy man could be a successful salesman. My father, if he were forced to explain it, would say it was all about content, the quality of the

products he had to sell. He honestly believed that the paint he sold to hardware stores was the best he knew of. He took great pride in knowing that he could be trusted when he talked about the kinds of paint he sold.

Donald Trump has a lot of things to sell these days but he doesn’t seem to know very much about any of them. And trust, well, that’s not on the agenda.

One topic he hammers away about is globalism and trade deals.

A recent exchange in one of the Republican debates on Fox Business Network went like this:

Question: You’ve criticized the TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership with 11 Asian countries?

TRUMP: The TPP is a horrible deal. It is a deal that is going to lead to nothing but trouble. It’s a deal that was designed for China to come in, as they always do, through the back door and totally take advantage of everyone. It’s 5,600 pages long, so complex that nobody’s read it...This is one of the worst trade deals. And I would, yes, rather not have it...

Question: Are there particular parts of the deal that you think were badly negotiated?

TRUMP: ...Well, the currency manipula-tion they don’t discuss in the agreement, which is a disaster...If you look at the way [China takes] advantage, it’s through cur-rency manipulation. It’s not even discussed in the almost 6,000-page agreement...

Sen. Rand PAUL: Hey, you know, we might want to point out China is not part of this deal.

So why would I want to compare my scrupulously honest father with a charlatan politico wannabe?

Maybe it’s because my father would have been just the kind of person who Trump is looking for today as a supporter, a working-class white guy. If truth be told my father was sometimes hard done by an economy that chewed up little guys and cast them aside. That was especially true in his last days when the hundreds of single-owner hardware stores, which were his customers, were starting to be replaced by chains and big-box stores.

If Trump has a base of support, it’s sup-posed to be guys like my father.

It’s a strange phenomenon. History sug-gests that American liberals should be the natural supporters of the working class. But they somehow lost their touch in the gen-erations following FDR. Have the Democrats spent too much time courting Silicon Valley, Hollywood and Wall Street, while their work-ing-class base wandered in the wilderness of globalized capitalism? Probably.

If he were alive today, my father, who was always reluctant to criticize anyone, even the most blatant liars whom I knew he abhorred, would probably say Donald Trump is “talking through his hat.” That’s about as harsh as he’d get, and it was reserved for people who were regular gas-bags about things they knew nothing about.

Is there a lesson here for Canadian politi-cians? Yes.

It is in vogue for politicians from all parties to speak about “middle-class Canadians.” That in itself is not a bad thing. A strong middle class keep a democracy stable, pays taxes, votes and can be gener-ally civic minded if it is not overly trapped in consumerism. Thanks especially to a decent public education system and univer-

sal health care the Canadian middle class is not crumbling at the bottom as rapidly as it is in the United States.

But there is another way to look at the middle class—from the bottom up. How many working-class people are able to climb the first step on the middle-class ladder? And what systemic obstacles can political leaders try to move aside to make this possible?

Canada has a large population that is far from middle class, though it would like to be.

In the US it was ignored for a long time and now a demagogue has arrived on the scene and pretends to speak for it. How many history lessons have to be read to learn that ignoring the poor and the work-ing classes is done at great peril?

No country is immune from the rise of demagogy ruled by people who, though they may have charisma, always speak through their hats.

Jim Creskey is Embassy’s senior editor.editor@embassynews.ca

Mr. Trump and Mr. Sanders in particular have championed protectionist ideas, prom-ising to punish US companies that send jobs overseas. Those ideas in particular united a handful of Canadian MPs, who rejected the idea that the US should close itself off from the international exchange of goods and people.

“It is incredibly important that we main-tain trade [with the United States],” said James Bezan, the Conservative MP for Manitoba’s Selkirk-Interlake-Eastman constit-uency, and a member of the Canada-United States Interparliamentary Group.

“I’m very concerned about the rhetoric coming from Trump and Sanders and a few others...that they want to revert back to pro-tectionism,” said Mr. Bezan. “They may think this is smart politics but it’s terrible for the economy and it’s terrible for the Americans” as well as Canadians, he said.

Playing politicsMr. Bezan and Conservative trade critic

Gerry Ritz suggested Mr. Trump may simply be playing politics, appealing to voters who don’t like free trade without really intending to follow through.

“He’s talking good politics, but it’s terrible

policy,” said Mr. Ritz.“They’re playing on the fears of Americans

in certain areas where they haven’t benefited to the same degree as other areas of the United States where free trade has improved their bottom line,” said Mr. Bezan.

If that’s not the case—if the United States is led by a more protectionist president next year—the consequences would be felt across Canada, say MPs from all three major parties.

Labour mobility would be an immedi-ate concern, said NDP trade critic Tracey Ramsey, who represents the border riding Essex, alongside Windsor in southwestern Ontario. Many people living in Essex and Windsor work on the other side of the border, and a rollback of the NAFTA could restrict their free movement, said Ms. Ramsey.

Liberal MP Ken Hardie, another member of the interparliamentary group, warned that a more protectionist United States could put even more pressure on forestry workers in his Fleetwood-Port Kells riding in British Columbia, while former Conservative MP and envoy to the US Congress Rob Merrifield said Canada’s energy sector would be par-ticularly vulnerable to a thicker border, given Canada’s inability to sell to other markets.

Given the opportunity to comment, Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland issued a state-

ment through spokesperson Alex Lawrence highlighting the benefits and scope of trade between Canada and the United States, with-out responding directly to the presidential candidates’ comments.

‘Sold out’ by the NAFTAHowever, some MPs echoed some of the

complaints raised by the presidential candi-dates when it came to free trade agreements signed or under consideration by both coun-tries.

“Things like CETA and the TPP, etcetera, I have concerns about,” said Mr. Hardie. “We owe it to the country to have a good, out-in-the-open discussion about them, and to look at what the net benefits look like, because with any of these things there will be some winners and there will be people who are disadvantaged.”

Ms. Freeland has been tasked with imple-menting the CETA, and a delegation from the European Parliament recently signalled it would likely pass the deal in the coming months.

NDP MP Brian Masse, who represents Windsor West and serves as a vice chair of the Canada-US interparliamentary group, said many of his constituents have concerns about the TPP and feel “sold out” by the NAFTA, which he said resulted in job losses in Ontario’s auto sector.

Those jobs are gone, said Mr. Masse, and scrapping the NAFTA now would harm a North American market built on cross-border trade.

The NAFTA had both positive and nega-tive impacts on southwestern Ontario, said Ms. Ramsey. The NDP also has concerns about the fairness of the TPP, she said.

Mr. Bezan and Mr. Ritz called on Prime

Minister Justin Trudeau to do more to endorse free trade and to commit to ratify-ing the TPP. Mr. Masse criticized the for-mer Conservative government for negotiat-ing—and current Liberal government for signing—a TPP deal that he said gives better terms to the US auto sector than to Canada’s.

Mr. Hardie said the best solution is to diversify Canada’s export markets, and reduce the country’s dependence on the US as a trading partner.

Running for president, not CEOAny US president who wished to seri-

ously pull back from free trade would face stiff opposition at home and abroad, said Mr. Ritz, Mr. Bezan and Mr. Merrifield.

Governments in Canada and elsewhere would likely impose retaliatory tariffs were the US to violate its existing trade agree-ments, hampering export-oriented US busi-nesses, they said.

“His own people would revolt,” said Mr. Ritz, referring to the possibility of Mr. Trump violating the NAFTA. “No country is an island, I don’t care who you are.”

Presidents have a powerful veto over US policy, but need support in Congress to enact new policies or spending measures. That would make it difficult for a president to bring in extreme anti-trade measures, particularly if the Republicans continue to have a strong presence in both the House of Representatives and Senate, said Mr. Merrifield.

In that way, the US president has less leeway than the head of a company, or even a Canadian prime minister with a majority, to direct his or her country’s trade policy, said Mr. Ritz.

peter@embassynews.ca@PJMazereeuw

This column is not about Donald Trump

MPs pan protectionist talk by Trump, Sanders

Where my dad and The Donald collide.

Continued from Page 1

JIM CRESKEY

Donald Trump, pictured in Mesa, Arizona last December. Gage Skidmore Photo

EMBASSY, Wednesday, April 6, 2016—6

“ It has been and continues to be a bit of a black eye on our country.

—John McKay, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of national defence, on alleged human rights violations committed by Canadian mining companies. In a Canadian Press interview April 5, he called for the

creation of an ombudsman role to ensure stricter oversight on companies’ activities abroad.

quoteweekOF

THE

After the Syrian army recap-tured the city of Palmyra from Islamic State a week ago, United States State

Department spokesman John Kirby admitted that the liberation of the ancient city was a “good thing.” But he could not resist add-ing: “We’re also mindful, of course, that the best hope for Syria and the Syrian people is not an expansion of [President] Bashar al-Assad’s ability to tyrannize the Syrian people.”

This was entirely in line with the long-standing US policy of seeking to destroy both Islamic State (also known as ISIS, ISIL and Daesh) and the Syrian government (i.e. the Assad regime) at the same time. But that was never more than wishful thinking, especially as the United States was quite sensi-bly determined not to commit its own ground troops to the conflict.

If the Syrian army actually had collapsed (as was looking quite like-ly before the Russians intervened to save it last September), nothing could have prevented Islamic State and the rival Islamist forces of the Nusra Front from taking the whole country. They might then have fought each other for control, but all of Syria would have ended up under extreme Islamist rule.

But the opposite is not true. The revival of the Syrian army, and even its reconquest of Palmyra, does not mean that the Assad regime can destroy Islamic State, let alone regain control of the whole country. Nor does Russia have any inten-tion of helping President Assad to pursue such an ambitious goal, as Moscow made clear by withdrawing most of the Russian combat aircraft from Syria two weeks ago.

Russia’s strategy has been more modest and realistic from the start. It was to restore the military stalemate that had persisted until the spring of 2015, and to convince the remaining non-Islamist rebel groups that they had no chance of somehow riding to power on the coat-tails of an Islamist victory over the Assad regime.

This hope was as delusional as the American policy in Syria. By mid-2015 many of the Syrian rebels actively fighting the Assad regime belonged to Islamic State or to Al Qaeda’s Syrian franchise, the Nusra Front, and its Islamist allies

in Ahrar al-Sham. Moreover, many of the remaining rebels, the non-fanatics or so-called moderates, were allied to the Nusra Front.

This curious alliance came to pass mostly because the Nusra Front wanted to avoid the American and “coalition” bombs that were falling on Islamic State. So it cre-ated a broader alliance called the “Army of Islam” that wrapped these small “moderate” groups around the Islamist core, and the United States fell for it. Or at least American pro-paganda fell for it.

The Russians cheerfully bombed all these forces indis-criminately, making no distinction between Islamists and the allies of Islamists. The United States ritu-ally condemned the attacks on the latter groups (always described as moderates), and the Russians cheerfully ignored that too.

And after five months, when most of the so-called moder-ates had been persuaded that they were never going to gain power through an alliance with the Islamists, Moscow proposed a ceasefire that would include the “moderates” but exclude the Islamists. That ceasefire has now been in effect for about a month.

The negotiators for these moderate groups are still demand-ing the departure of Assad from power as the price of a permanent ceasefire. They haven’t a prayer of getting such a sweet deal, but the

Russians are putting pressure on Assad to come up with a formula of words, however vague, that will persuade them to accept amnesty and come in from the cold without losing too much face.

The Islamists, although largely surrounded and blockaded, will not be defeated any time soon by military force, but they are grow-ing weaker and may fall to fighting among themselves.

And the Syrian Kurds, the only American allies on the ground in Syria, will probably manage to hold on to the long strip of territory they control along the border with Turkey. However, they may have to settle for being an “autonomous province” within Syria if they wish to avoid a Turkish invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goal was to isolate the Islamists and reconcile the rest of

the rebels with the Assad regime, and it is well on the way to accom-plishment. It will not be a happy ending for any of the groups involved in the Syrian civil war, but it is the least bad outcome that can now be realistically imagined.

It will not put an end to all the fighting on Syrian territory. Not all the refugees will want to come home to such a country, and the terrorism abroad will continue. (But then, it would continue even if Islamic State disappeared—you don’t need a state to plan terrorist attacks.)

When no decisive victory is possible for any side, it makes sense to stop as much of the shooting as possible.

Gwynne Dyer is a United Kingdom-based independent jour-nalist who writes a column for Embassy.

editor@embassynews.ca

What would a Syrian peace deal look like?

de Adder’s Take

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GWYNNE DYER

No decisive victory is possible for any side.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State John Kerry and United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura speak to reporters on Feb. 12 after a “cessa-tion of hostilities” deal was reached in Munich. US State Department photo

There has been considerable debate recently as to whether Canada is at war with Daesh, and whether Canadian trainers in frontline fire-

fights are in combat as defined by the man-date under which they were deployed.

The Colonel Blimp Brigade decries Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as being weak on terrorists for suspending our puny little bombing mission, while Liberal Party boost-ers point out the fact that with more train-ers on the ground in Kurdistan, the govern-ment has actually increased the Canadian military contribution to the international coalition to combat Daesh (also known as the Islamic State, ISIS and ISIL).

The one thing that all pundits emphati-cally agree on is the fact that training for-eign fighters is something the Canadian mili-tary is particularly good at. Even the most hawkish critics of Trudeau’s cessation of combat air sorties concede that our military instructors have a stellar track record in a

training capacity.Unfortunately for all involved, this is

simply not true. I may be a little biased in my judgment, but I firmly believe that Canadian soldiers are not among the best in the world, but rather they are the best in the world. That, however, does not alter the fact that they do not have a successful his-tory of training foreign fighters.

For 12 years our soldiers scolded, cajoled and harangued Afghan recruits in the frustrat-ingly futile attempt to turn them into profes-sional soldiers. The Afghan volunteers were largely illiterate teens lured by the promise of a paycheque that was three times higher than the salary of a teacher in Afghanistan. While

they were drawn from Afghanistan’s various ethnic groups, they were further divided by tribal loyalties within those groups. Many were Muslims; the majority being Sunni with the exception of the Hazaras, most of whom are devout Shiites.

Our soldiers could teach them, via trans-lation into both Dari and Pashto, to roughly march in step, operate basic assault weap-ons and conduct simple tactical manoeuvres.

Discipline and motivation were major challenges. Our trainers did not share their recruits’ religious, cultural or even dietary customs and, of course, other than some basic greetings, could not communicate with them directly. Very few, if any of the Afghan

recruits would have understood the notion of democracy, and even if they did they would have known that the corrupt regime of President Hamid Karzai, the puppet ruler that the West installed, was not a true democracy. Therefore, the Afghans that were trained by Canadians were just as likely to desert, defect, smoke hashish or sell weapons and munitions to the Taliban as any of the other Afghan sol-diers trained by other NATO contingents.

The fact is, we did not do a good job in Afghanistan, and that means there is no reason to believe we will do any better in Kurdistan. Our soldiers do not share religious, cultural or dietary customs with the devout Muslim Kurdish fighters, and I’m going to hazard a guess that very few of our soldiers speak any of the various Kurdish dialects.

Going back to 1994, the Canadian mili-tary took great pride in the fact that our soldiers deployed into Haiti as part of an international attempt to secure the presi-dency of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Canadians continued to train security forces until 2000. The political winds then began to shift and by 2004, Aristide was forced by the United States to abdicate his presidency. Canadian troops were then redeployed to Haiti to dismantle the very same police force that they’d helped to train in the first place.

Fast forward to 2011 and Canadian soldiers were deployed as part of a US-led initiative to train security forces in Mali. The following March, a defeated and demor-alized Malian military staged a coup to depose the democratically elected govern-ment. In the wake of the coup, Tuareg rebels and Al Qaeda operatives took advantage of the chaos to seize a vast tract of northern Mali. It was only through French military intervention in January 2013 that Al Qaeda’s advances in Mali were reversed.

In other words, no matter how excel-lent our Canadian soldiers may be, the idea of training and equipping foreign fighters without understanding their own personal objectives is often counterproductive in the long run. The Kurds we are training now are intent on establishing an independent Kurdistan, something that runs completely counter to Canada’s current stated foreign policy of preserving a unified Iraq.

If we keep lying to ourselves about non-existent past successes, it seems we are destined to keep making the same mistakes. Training young men to kill is not a recipe for peace in complex conflicts.

Scott Taylor is editor and publisher of Esprit de Corps magazine.

Honest on RussiaCongratulations to Gwynne Dyer (RE:

“Russians in Syria: mission (actually) accomplished,” March 23)!

Finally an honest assessment of Russian involvement in Syria and its impact on the possible peace process, free of Western media spin; this including the CBC and BBC.

Roland TrenamanVancouver, BC

Questions for LebelJean Lebel’s article (RE: “A changing Asia,

especially for women,” March 23) was short of information.

The writer does not say which “thinkers, industrialists, politicians, media reps, NGOs and researchers” were met. What villagers visited had diversified from monoculture farming? Who were the teams of researchers looking at policies to improve working condi-tions? What is the “serious effort” Canada is making in regard to improving workplaces in Asia?

Regarding the attended book launch of Bangladeshi scholars: what is the title of the book? Who are the authors? How have schools become the place most conducive to building better citizens? Who are the representatives of the generation of young thirty-somethings looking for solutions? Who were the women the writer celebrated March 8 in Asia with? Why are all these people left anonymous by Jean Lebel?

Andrew RomainOttawa, Ont.

Skewed view of Ukraine

Scott Taylor takes a rather perversely skewed view of contemporary Ukraine

(RE: “Ukraine receiving little attention,” March 9). The present government was not “installed”; it was popularly elected. I served as a long-term election observer as part of the Canadian mission for both the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2014. All observer missions agreed on the integrity of the electoral process.

Second, he keeps chanting “neo-Nazi” in his column. The Euromaidan, the demonstrations that would eventually lead to free elections, were composed of large masses of people devoted to European standards of human rights and life. That’s what they were demonstrating for. I know: I spoke with many of them. The right wing is present in Ukraine, but only got 0.67 per cent of the vote.

Third, Mr. Taylor brings up hatred of Jews. Who hates them? On the Maidan, Jews were present out of proportion to the size of their community. One of the most effective self-defence groups was exclusively Jewish and worked hand-in-hand with all the others. There are Ukrainians of Jewish descent serving as cabinet ministers.

Fourth, the accusation that the Azov battalion wants to fi ght on the side of ISIS is sheer calumny. The root source for that lie is one in Russia’s vast array of state-run troll websites.

Borys GengaloOttawa, Ont.

Canadian values reflected in Ukraine position

Scott Taylor’s opinion piece (RE: “Ukraine receiving little attention,” March 9)

contains numerous inaccuracies, distortions, omissions and uses very selective and out-of-context information.

His approach is typical of that taken by apologists for the Putin regime. He smears the attempts of Ukraine to establish a Western-style accountable democracy, committed to respect for human rights and the rule of law. He fully ignores the understandable desire of the Ukrainian government to maintain the country’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s overt and covert aggression—and falsely implies that Ukraine is run by bigoted neo-Nazis. More importantly, he consistently ignores the basic facts that the Putin regime—through its annexation of Crimea and covert invasion of eastern Ukraine—has violated the world order, international treaties and international boundaries.

The Canadian government—in resolutions unanimously supported by all members of the House of Commons—has repeatedly condemned Putin’s actions in Ukraine. Again, Scott Taylor ignores these inconvenient facts and implies that Canada’s policy was coloured by partisan politics. He misses the point that Canada’s foreign policy regarding Ukraine and Russia, both under the Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau governments, refl ects core Canadian values.

Roman HrubyOttawa, Ont.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

EMBASSY, Wednesday, April 6, 2016—7

Opinion Defence & Letters

The pitfalls of training foreign fightersWithout understanding their personal objectives, it’s often counterproductive in the long run.

Inside Defence

SCOTT TAYLOR

Canadian Cpl. Christen Blake gives a demonstra-tion to Afghan National Police at a training centre in Panjwa’i District, Afghanistan in 2010. DND Photo: Cpl. Shilo Adamson

EMBASSY, Wednesday, April 6, 2016—8

News Diplomacy

A new think tank focused on China is being launched in Ottawa with the backing of nearly two-dozen Canadians with ties to the Asian superpower.

The China Policy Centre could be up and running as soon as this fall, said John Gruetzner, the lead organizer of the think tank. The goal is to research and report on China’s economy and society, and help Canadian decision-makers and the press to understand the complex and ever-changing country, he said.

The centre’s founders hope its research will be used to brief Canada’s government and Parliament on issues ranging from trade and investment, to environment, labour, defence and more. The centre will run on funding from its members, and ultimately look to the Canadian government and private sector for additional funding for specific projects, said Mr. Gruetzner.

The new think tank is gearing up as Canada’s new federal government weighs how to more closely engage with its Chinese counterpart. Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland has been tasked with building clos-er ties to China, and the Chinese government has made it clear it wants to enter into free trade negotiations with Canada.

The centre is intended to fill what Mr. Gruetzner said is a gap in the discussion in Canada’s capital around China in Canada. The two other major think tanks in Canada focused on China—the Asia Pacific Foundation and University of Alberta’s China Institute—are located in Vancouver and Edmonton, respec-tively. The Canada China Business Council has offices in two Chinese and four Canadian cities, but not Ottawa, according to its website.

The new centre does not yet have a physi-cal footprint in Ottawa; an office is set to be established and staff hired after a board of directors is appointed during a general meet-ing, said Mr. Gruetzner. Before that happens, more members must be recruited.

Board, executive positions open

The China Policy Centre will initially be funded by its members, beginning with seed money from some of the founding members recruited over the past several years.

Mr. Gruetzner has worked in China since the 1980s. He heads Intercedent Ltd., an investment advisory firm geared towards Western businesses interested in the Chinese market. He was also involved in the Canadian political scene several years ago, ultimately serving as the president of the Liberal Party’s Simcoe-Grey riding association in 2014. Mr. Gruetzner said he is no longer involved in Canadian politics, and that the China Policy Centre will be independent and nonpartisan.

“We spent a lot of time with a lawyer mak-ing sure there are a number of mechanisms to make sure of three things: that there’s a constant rotation of the board, that no group of people pro- or anti-China, or any political party, or any sort of specific inter-est group could take over the organization easily. And there’s a deliberate mandate in the bylaws for directors, that half the board has to be based in China or Hong Kong, and that [some] individual members of the board have to have an NGO or media background. We’re not trying to be a business organiza-tion, we’re trying to be a think tank,” he said.

The bylaws will be reviewed by the other founding members, some of whom have indi-cated a desire to sit on the centre’s board, said Mr. Gruetzner.

Among the other founding members are executives with law firms, real estate companies, investment firms, former WWF China CEO Peter Beaudoin and Ottawa-born celebrity entertainer Mark Rowswell, better known in China as Dashan.

Financial trader Grace Guo joined the ranks of the founding members after being approached by Mr. Gruetzner during her time as an assistant trade commissioner at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing in 2014. Ms. Guo, who was born in Canada to Chinese parents who do business in China, said in an inter-view that she believes there are many young Canadians fluent in the languages and cultures of both countries who are looking for a chance to help Canadian business succeed in China.

Mr. Gruetzner will be expanding mem-bership in the centre slowly in the coming months, he said.

“Our membership in the first year is going to be very limited. We don’t want to have an admin-istrative burden to two or three hundred mem-bers, and until the board is in place membership will be at no cost. We’re not being exclusive but we’re not actively soliciting members because we’re not set up [yet] to deal with it,” he said.

The centre will ultimately recruit both Canadian citizens with experience or ties to China and Canadian-controlled businesses as members, he said. It will require that members be Canadian.

Founder to fundraiserMr. Gruetzner does not plan to run the

centre once it has been established, but instead to assist with fundraising.

“My goal is to be, I guess, the architect,” he said. “I’m doing that for two reasons: the board can then bring their own ideas and their own energy to the program, and I can focus on what I would like to do, which is make sure the fund-ing comes in place from contacts in Canada, China, both corporate and foundations, indi-viduals and ultimately the membership.”

“The response [to the centre] has been pretty positive. I’ve spoken to a lot of aca-demics in Canada, to my counterparts, to people in the [Global Affairs Canada] system. There’s an understanding that Canada would benefit from this type of thing,” he said.

A think tank backed by business people like Mr. Gruetzner could give parliamentarians a point of view they don’t get from the Canadian Embassy in China or other government sourc-es, said Conservative trade critic Gerry Ritz.

Liberal MP Shaun Chen, a member of the

Canada-China Legislative Association, said he welcomes the idea of a think tank focused on China, and said a deep understanding the country will be important for decision-makers if they want to build closer economic and cultural ties across the Pacific.

The centre won endorsements from former Asia Pacific Foundation chief Yuen Pau Woo and China Institute director Gordon Houlden, both of whom were consulted by Mr. Gruetzner as plans for the centre were developed.

“Canada needs more thinking power on China, so I warmly welcome this new organiza-tion,” wrote Mr. Woo in an emailed statement.

Canada does not have as many well funded think tanks as the United States, said Mr. Houlden, and there is plenty of work to go around when it comes to policy analysis related to China.

Up-to-date research is essential for engag-ing a country changing as quickly as China, said Mr. Gruetzner.

“The danger in any situation where it’s changing that rapidly is that if you did have a profound experience in the ‘80s or ‘90s or [after China joined the WTO in 2001]...and you haven’t been re-exposed to the next period, you do have the risk of a different mindset. Back then was the China that you dealt with, and that new mindset has to be recalibrated,” he said.

Mr. Gruetzner proposed a think tank for studying China in a 2012 op-ed in Embassy. He said he was inspired to get the ball rolling himself while Canada and other countries were weighing the merits of joining the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. Canada’s then-Conservative government ulti-mately chose not to join as a founding mem-ber, though Ms. Freeland has said the Liberal government is considering joining on now that the bank has been established.

peter@embassynews.ca@PJMazereeuw

China-focused think tank coming to OttawaPeter Mazereeuw

John Gruetzner- Founder of Intercedent, an investment advisory firm in Beijing

Peter Beaudoin- Former CEO of WWF China, current adviser to the Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance

Mark Rowswell - Celebrity entertainer under the name Dashan

Grace Guo- Equity trader for RBC, former assistant trade commissioner at the Canadian Embassy in China

Robert Kwauk- Beijing managing partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Ben Barth- Former acting vice consul and trade commissioner at the Canadian consulate in Guangzhou and trade commissioner at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, associate director at Grok Education Services, founder of the Young Canadians in China professional development network

Brian Bedard- Agriculture and food safety specialist with experience in China, executive director of the GMA Science and Education Foundation

Colin Bogar- Managing director at MGI Pacific, a real estate equity firm in China, and director for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai

Adam Dunnett- Secretary general of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, dual Canadian-EU citizen

Nereida Flannery- Managing partner of GMP Securities Asia

Chris Flood- Lawyer with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP in Toronto, eight years experience as a corporate lawyer in China

Jeanne-Marie Gescher- Adviser on China to businesses, long-time resident in China

Dickson Hall- Senior vice president at the Hunter Dickson Inc. mining company in Vancouver, decades of experience working in China and on Chinese issues

David Harris

Winston Kan- Chairman of the China Business Committee of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, managing director of Greater China of the Strategic Executive Search Group, former Asia director at the Royal Canadian Mint

Murray King- Vice president of public affairs for the Shanghai Disney Resort, former consul at the Canadian consulate in Shanghai.

Gervais Lavoie- Entrepreneur, CEO of Fruits and Passion China Limited, commissioner of the Beijing International Ice Hockey league

Richard Liu- Founder of the Canadian Alumni Network in China and Canadians In China network

Alison Nankivell- Vice president at BDC Capital, a subsidiary of the Business Development Bank of Canada

Paul McKenzie- Managing partner of the Morrison Foerster law firm’s Beijing practice

Bill Schiller- Former Beijing correspondent for the Toronto Star

Andrew Work- CEO of New Work Media, publisher of the Harbour Times, a political newspaper in Hong Kong

Geoffrey Ziebart

FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE CHINA POLICY CENTRE

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui and Foreign Minister Stéphane Dion look at photos of Mr. Trudeau and his father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, with Chinese leaders, at a January reception celebrating 45 years of Canada-China diplomatic relations. PMO Photo: Adam Scotti

China Policy Centre organizer John Gruetzner. John Gruetzner photo

Diplomacy and foreign policy are engaged to marry politics and government on Wednesday, April 13.

You are cordially invited.

Would you like to know moreabout how Embassy will be movingto a new home inside the hot-off-the-press Wednesday edition of The Hill Times?Call Chris Peixoto for details at 613-688-8822Want a free trial? Chris can set you up.

www.hilltimes.com

EMBASSY, Wednesday, April 6, 2016—10

Opinion Development

It was the fourth time Nelia had planted; and still, the rains were not enough to ger-minate her seeds. She had buried her first seeds in the Zimbabwean soil in December.

But the regular, predictable rains she remem-bered from years past never materialized. The second and third crops also failed.

I met Nelia in Zimbabwe last month. Her story left me feeling very concerned. With seven children and grandchildren to feed, she had knocked on doors, begging neigh-bours for enough seeds to try again. Nelia planted everything she gathered, but it was nowhere near enough to feed the children and keep them healthy. Most days she’s only able to feed them once.

In Zimbabwe, drought has placed the country’s people in a state of disaster. More than a quarter of the population is facing food shortages, brought about by the lack of predictable rainfall needed to grow their crops. When this kind of shock hits com-munities living amidst fragility, the already poor chances worsen for a young woman to survive pregnancy, childbirth and raise healthy children.

This World Health Day, April 7, Zimbabwe presents us with an alarming example of women’s and children’s health under threat. Water insecurity and poor san-itation are chronic concerns. But introduce an element like drought and you tighten the screws even further on the country’s most vulnerable people, its women and children.

Nelia’s plight is shared by millions of mothers, across Zimbabwe and around the world. These are stories we must not ignore, particularly since Canada has the power to help change their endings.

Global initiatives such as the Millennium Development Goals provide proof that extreme poverty and preventable deaths can be brought to an end. Nearly a billion people were lifted out of extreme poverty in 20 years. But most of that success has been in coun-tries that are more stable, politically and eco-

nomically. In Tanzania, for example, Canada has partnered with the national government to strengthen health systems from the nation-al level right down to the community.

This picture is starkly different in the world’s more fragile places, like Somalia, South Sudan and Syria. Here, governments are either unable or unwilling to provide health systems for their people. Human rights viola-tions, under-nutrition and unmet need for family planning, especially amongst adoles-cents, are higher than anywhere else. Perhaps not surprisingly, 60 per cent of the world’s preventable maternal deaths and 53 per cent of deaths in children under five occur in such places. Given that a third of the world’s peo-ple reside in places facing such turmoil, these percentages are staggering.

Zimbabwe has made significant progress, yet many of the country’s most vulnerable women and children live amidst fragility.

Canada is no stranger to working in fragil-ity. Over the past five years, 44 per cent of our country’s maternal, newborn and child health funding has been directed to places like Haiti, Afghanistan, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo—all of which top mortal-ity and malnutrition lists. It’s a concrete move in the right direction, and we must continue our excellent work for women and children here.

Canada can play a critical role in end-ing preventable child and maternal deaths within our generation. There’s no ques-tion: our approach in such places must be unique. The shifting, often turbulent set-tings in which families live demand a blend of urgent humanitarian work, mixed with the strengthening of their health systems over the long term. Funding and approaches must be flexible, to meet unexpected devel-opments, like the drought Zimbabwe is fac-ing. The burden of making up the surprise shortfall must not fall on the shoulders of the most vulnerable.

I was acutely aware that three of the chil-dren in Nelia’s care were girls. For women and girls, health goes hand-in-hand with empowerment, and realizing their human rights. Early marriage often occurs as par-ents explore a last resort to ensure their children are protected. Forcing girls into childbirth before their young bodies are ready can result in death for mothers and babies alike. Girls must be able to remain with their families, stay in school and marry if and when they choose to. Where women are supporting children on their own, liveli-hood support ensures they can nourish their children and help them to thrive.

Canada must never overlook the incred-ible hope, strength and determination in even the world’s toughest places.

Our country can help bring preventable child and maternal deaths down to zero in the world’s most fragile places. Our task is more daunting, without question. But this just makes our potential impact greater.

Michael Messenger is president and CEO of World Vision Canada.

editor@embassynews.ca

Drought tightens the screws on Zimbabwe’s most vulnerableNeither crops nor children are growing up healthy.

MICHAEL MESSENGER

Nelia surveys the field where she hoped her crops would grow this year. World Vision Photo

EMBASSY, Wednesday, April 6, 2016—11

Opinion Development

Children do not start wars, and yet they have been paying the price for the conflict in Yemen for one year.

Yemen is in the midst of an acute humanitarian crisis. As the conflict has escalated, the already precarious situ-ation is fast deteriorating. Violence is com-pounded by the limited inflow of basic com-modities and the rising prices of food. Basic services and infrastructure are on the verge of total collapse. Yemen is a country pushed to the brink of becoming a failed state.

The conflict is characterized by grave violations of children’s rights. The statistics are appalling. More than 900 children have been killed and more than 1,300 injured in the past year. An average of six children have been killed or maimed every day. Spaces that were once safe for children—schools, hos-pitals and homes—have come under attack. Nowhere in Yemen are children safe, not even when sleeping or at play. Children have been killed on their way to and from school.

UNICEF reiterates its call to all parties to the conflict to respect international humani-tarian law and immediately stop attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Children should not be targets of attacks, nor should they be recruited to fight. The use of children in fighting has sharply increased. UNICEF has verified 848 cases of child recruitment, some as young as 10 years old. They man check-points and carry weapons, when they should be carrying schoolbooks.

Even if children survive the bombs and bullets, the broader impact of violence goes much further and will have implications for generations to come. The education of 387,000 children has been disrupted. Children are missing out on the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. Without investment and support for education, the prospects for Yemen and its children to recover and build a peaceful future are bleak.

Fifty per cent of Yemen’s population is under 18 years old and more than half of children live in poverty. It is the poorest country in the region and one of the poorest in the world. Yemen was already a fragile state marred by intermittent conflicts and underdevelopment. This conflict, one year on, is deepening poverty and deprivation.

Children face the combined risks of conflict, disease and malnutrition. Public services like health, water and sanitation have been decimat-ed and cannot meet the ever-increasing needs of a desperate population. UNICEF estimates that nearly 10,000 children under five years may have died in the past year from preventable dis-eases as a result of a decline in key health ser-vices such as immunization. This is in addition to the nearly 40,000 children under five years who died in Yemen every year even prior to the escalation of violence this past year.

Despite these conditions, humanitarian partners, including UNICEF, are on the ground. We cannot end the conflict, but we can help minimize its impact on children. We are working desperately to reach every child in need. Yet restricted humanitarian access has limited the ability to reach all children and humanitarian convoys have been blocked or looted. Aid work-ers need immediate and unhindered humanitar-ian access to all areas throughout the country.

Across the war-torn country, nearly 10 million children—80 per cent of the country’s child population—are in urgent need of assis-tance. As a grandfather, as a humanitarian, as a human, that is a tally too great to bear. We

urgently need to scale up the delivery of life-saving assistance. UNICEF has appealed for US$180 million to meet the urgent humanitar-ian needs in 2016. To date, we have received just 18 per cent of this funding requirement.

Canada has a long and proven commitment in responding to complex emergencies, as a great expression of Canadian values. We look to Canada to continue as a leading voice within the international community to champion respect for the guiding principles of humanitar-ian action, protection of civilians and of inter-national humanitarian law, as well as support for full, safe and unhindered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

Yemen risks becoming a forgotten crisis. The violence has not only devastated the lives of millions of children, but is creating terrifying, long-term consequences for their future. Childhoods are being lost every sec-ond of every day as children are being forced to grow up ahead of their time. Children should not continue to pay the price of the violence in Yemen. They are the future of Yemen. Urgent and determined action is need-ed to end fighting, and to stop the suffering.

David Morley is the president and CEO of UNICEF Canada.

editor@embassynews.ca

Ten million children in Yemen paying the price for an adult’s warYemen was already a fragile state. This conflict, one year on, is deepening poverty and deprivation.

DAVID MORLEY

Two-year-old Hanadi, pictured malnourished and weak in July 2015, was admitted to hospital in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, for treatment. UNICEF Photo

GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY

& CLIMATE CHANGE

PRESENTED BY:

APRIL 21 | 7:30-9:00 AMDELTA OTTAWA CITY CENTRE

EVENTS

On April 21, join Hill Times Events for the release of a new report on global food security and climate resilience from the Food Secu-rity Policy Group. Presenting the report will be CARE Canada president and CEO Gillian Barth.

According to Global Affairs Canada, improving food security is one of Canada’s three priority international development themes. And while Canada played a leadership role in 2008 with the launch of its food security strategy, funding for this initiative has steadily decreased.

Following Gillian Barth’s remarks a distinguished panel will weigh in with their thoughts on how Canada can contribute to global food security. Discussants include: Paul Hagerman, director – public policy with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and co-chair of the Food Security Policy Group, Dennis Prouse, vice president government affairs, CropLife Canada, Josianne Gauthier, director of the in-Canada programmes at Development and Peace. Veteran broadcaster Catherine Clark will moderate the session.

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EMBASSY, Wednesday, April 6, 2016—12

Opinion Diplomacy

We spiral into confusion and frus-tration amid the consequences of our military interventions in places of which we know little.

In doing so, we magnify the initial disas-ters through the paucity of our thought concerning what the interventions are to achieve; and in the process, we convince ourselves the interventions provide us with greater security, both personal and national.

The consequences of these interventions are all around us. For example, the historic and tragic migration of some five million people out of Syria and Iraq and millions more out of Afghanistan and Libya—several millions of whom see the opportunity for a better life in Europe. Sadly, we see these migrations as having little to do with our military interventions.

Yet we react in horror when a candidate for the presidency of the United States talks of carpet bombing as policy. We do not acknowledge that the modern version of the bombing in Syria and Iraq, and earlier in Libya and Afghanistan, is as close to carpet bombing as one can get. For the people on the ground, the distinction is totally artifi-cial and without value. They need to move and they do so.

Then we are bewildered and react in hor-ror when new enemies arise from the chaos of our interventions. Again, in our peace-ful, normal, daily routines far from those interventions, we do not draw a connection when large bombs explode and guns are used in mass killings.

This is blowback, in the fullest meaning of the word.

It doesn’t stop there. We are even more bewildered when men and women from down our streets suddenly appear in the news, cold-bloodedly executing others or taunting us and our societies.

One leading researcher, Marc Sageman, was recently quoted in the New York Times saying, “with each new terrorist incident we realize that we are no closer to answer-ing our original question about what leads people to turn to political violence.” The same March 27 article went on to note that “research linking terrorism to American policies, meanwhile, is ignored.”

The reaction of some of our political and military leaders when these consequences blast into our daily lives is uniformly militaristic. Rhetoric that is best left to the theatre than the stage of public policy promotes more military interventions, and more bombings. Tragically, these lead-ers are cheered on without any acknowl-edgement they are promoting a vicious, never-ending circle in which we chase our enemies and they chase us.

Of course, these Western military inter-ventions and the occasional eastern ones are not without historical precedents. There is a certain amount of immortality and immorality about all of them. For most, with the passage of time, we can pigeon-hole them into their historical context and move on with a convic-tion that we would never be that stupid.

The military interventions of our genera-tion loudly proclaim: we are that stupid.

Military interventions in Afghanistan, for instance, have been underway for almost 40 years.

After 10 years, 1979 to 1989, the Soviet Union decided it was not going to change much in that ancient land and abruptly withdrew.

The Afghans, with an army trained by the Soviets before they left, muddled along for more than a decade. The Taliban emerged, forming a weak government in 1996 centered in Kabul and the southern provinces. Osama bin Laden and his band of global terrorists, the Sunni al-Qaeda, lum-bered the Taliban with troublesome guests as they planned a deadly attack on the United States.

The post-9/11, American-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001—backed by most of the world—was effective in driving the Taliban into temporary exile, among fellow Pashtuns in the tribal areas of Pakistan.

But in the almost 15 years since that invasion, nothing much has changed. Afghanistan remains a largely feudal society with a thin veneer of central government—one that has readily consumed the billions of dollars in aid associated with the Western intervention. The Taliban controls as many parts of the countryside as it did before 2001, including some cities.

The hubris associated with the Afghan invasion led the Americans, again with wide-spread international support, to invade Iraq in 2003.

A dozen years later, after American troops left Iraq in 2011, there is a Shia-dominated government in Baghdad; a relatively new extremist Sunni group, ISIS, dominating the Sunni in the northwest; and a largely independent Kurdish state in the northeast, showing few indications it is interested in the recreation of either the old or a new Iraq. Before long, the latter will see irredentist impulses to draw into its orbit Kurds in Syria, Turkey, Iran and Armenia.

While Saddam Hussein is no longer with us, his legacy lives on.

Meanwhile, Libya has become a failed state as a direct result of Western air and other military support to disparate tribal groups whose initial objective was to see the end of Muammar Gaddafi. Once Mr. Gaddafi was no longer with us, at the end of 2011, the Libyans demonstrated their historical disparateness and now seem not much interested in restoring the trappings of the former state. Before long, al-Qaeda and ISIS created branches there from which forays into Africa south of the Sahara can be conducted with impunity.

And then, there is today’s Syria. The Russian intervention and its overt willing-ness to see the regime of Bashar al-Assad restored to its former prominence, along with the destruction of most of its opposi-tion—except for ISIS—ensures a rush to the exits by most Syrians will continue for some time to come.

And in all of this, Western policy centres on how long Mr. Assad should remain as president, and the hope that ISIS can be destroyed. We cheer the occasional vic-tory and hope for more, while we debate whether we should send in more troops for training and/or more aircraft, contributing to draining the country of its people.

Few stand up and state that our military interventions are the cause of our troubles. There can be no expectation that our mili-tary interventions will do more good than the obvious disaster they are. Until we accept that lesson, we will go around the same circle again and again.

Before retirement from the Canadian for-eign service, Gar Pardy was head of consular services for more than 10 years. Recently he published Afterwords From a Foreign Service Odyssey, available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and, in Ottawa, Books on Beechwood.

editor@embassynews.ca

Our disastrous military interventionsThere can be no expectation that our military interven-tions will do more good than the obvious disaster they are.

GAR PARDY

The last Canadian troops involved in a NATO military training mission board a United States Chinook helicopter March 12, 2014 in Kabul, Afghanistan. DND photo: Cplc Patrick Blanchard

EMBASSY, Wednesday, April 6, 2016—13

News Trade

Conservative MPs from canola-rich rid-ings are pushing the Liberal government

to dissuade China from bringing in stricter standards on canola imports from Canada.

Randy Hoback, who represents Saskatchewan’s Prince Albert riding, called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to person-ally raise the issue with Chinese officials at the highest level, days after China’s govern-ment announced it would delay until Sept. 1 a move to lower the acceptable amount of foreign material—straw or other plant mate-rial also known as dockage—in shipments of canola seed from Canada.

The lower threshold is intended to reduce the risk of blackleg, a fungus that destroys canola and rapeseed, spreading from Canada to China, according to the Chinese embassy.

Canola is a major Canadian export, par-ticularly to China. Canada exported about $2 billion worth of canola seeds to China last year, second only to chemical woodpulp as the top export to that country. China is the destination for about one-third of Canadian canola exports, according to Canola Council of Canada vice president Brian Innes.

Reducing the amount of dockage in cano-la shipments would be “very costly, if it could be achieved at all,” said Mr. Innes.

“This is not a small thing for us, it’s very big” given the scale of Canadian canola exports to China, said Gordon Houlden, director of the University of Alberta’s China Institute.

Canadian public servants had been press-ing their Chinese counterparts to reconsid-er after they were informed about China’s plans to on April 1 lower the dockage threshold, Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay told Reuters last month. At that time, he said no Canadian minister had discussed the matter with a Chinese coun-terpart, though a March 29 press release said Mr. MacAulay had done so with Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui.

A more personal touch is needed to resolve the issue, said Conservative trade critic Gerry Ritz, who met with Chinese offi-cials on the issue before the delay to Sept. 1 was announced.

“You’ve got to be face to face with the movers and shakers over there,” said the Saskatchewan MP.

Canola country is blue countryThe vast majority of canola farming in

Canada takes place in Conservative-held ridings in the prairies. Mr. Hoback, Manitoba Conservative MP Candice Bergen and Mr. Ritz each said China’s move amounted to a non-tariff barrier to trade, as opposed to a legitimate exercise in crop safety.

Reuters reported in February that

unidentified industry sources suspected the new dockage threshold was intended to reduce canola imports and thereby help the Chinese government to clear a reserve of domestic rapeseed, a related crop.

Mr. Ritz, a former agriculture minister, says he requested and received a meeting on the issue with Chinese regulators during a recent visit to Beijing with the Canada-China Legislative Association. Chinese offi-cials revealed their decision to delay the start date for the new threshold to Mr. Ritz and others at the meeting, which took place on March 28, the day before Mr. MacAulay announced that decision in a press release. Ms. Bergen and Canadian Ambassador to China Guy Saint-Jacques also attended.

Mr. Ritz and Ms. Bergen say they believe asking for the face-to-face meeting helped to persuade the Chinese government to push back the new threshold until Sept. 1.

A backlog in canola seeds destined for China could drive down the price for seeds processed in Canada as well as abroad, said Mr. Hoback, including for canola growers in his riding.

With the new date for the lower thresh-old secured, Mr. Trudeau should raise the issue personally with Chinese officials to help resolve the issue and ensure canola producers don’t take a hit after Sept. 1, said Mr. Hoback.

“I understand he has a budding relation-ship with the Chinese officials, so I expect him to utilize that relationship to take away these types of barriers,” he said.

The prime minister’s office did not imme-diately respond when asked to comment.

‘Science-based and reasonable’Current Chinese standards allow dockage

to make up to about 2.5 per cent of canola seed imports. China’s government has decid-ed to lower that maximum threshold to one per cent, in light of what it says is scientific proof that a higher threshold could allow a plant disease known as blackleg to spread from Canadian farms to those in China.

“[I]imposing a limit to the allowable range of foreign material is a significant measure to reduce the risk of blackleg disease spreading in China. The measures taken by the relevant Chinese authorities for that purpose are very much science-based and reasonable,” wrote Chinese Embassy spokesperson Yang Yundong in an emailed statement.

“Canada, for its part, has a duty and obli-gation to take all necessary quarantine and control measures for its rapeseed exports to China,” wrote Mr. Yang, referring to the spread of blackleg throughout Canada. “It is hoped that Canada will take China’s con-cerns seriously and take effective measures so that the issue could be resolved at an early date.”

Mr. Innes said blackleg is not transmitted through dockage. Public statements from Mr. MacAulay say he is encouraging China to make decisions based on science.

Canadian and Chinese officials have been doing joint research into the spread of blackleg in recent years, Mr. Innes said, and so would likely have access to the same research into the subject.

peter@embassynews.ca@PJMazereeuw

Tory MPs push Liberals on China’s canola crackdownAbout one-third of Canadian canola exports go to China. ‘This is not a small thing for us, it’s very big’: China Institute chief.

Peter Mazereeuw

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The Guatemalan Embassy hosted the opening of a photo exhibition at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México en Canadá headquarters in Gatineau on March 22. Jill Thompson Photos 1. Katya Anaya de García-López, wife of Mexico’s ambassador, Stefano Sciolli and his wife, Guatemalan Ambassador Rita Claverie

de Sciolli, Mexican Ambassador Agustín García-López Loaeza, Brazilian Ambassador Pedro Fernando Brêtas Bastos and his wife, Margarida Bastos.

2. Ms. Claverie de Sciolli. 3. Ms. Claverie de Sciolli, UNAM-Canada director Ramón Peralta y Fabi and Guatemalan minister-counsellor María Castro.

Pakistani High Commissioner Tariq Azim Khan hosted a reception on March 23 to mark Pakistan Day. Jill Thompson Photos 4. Mr. Khan greets Mobeen Khaja, president of the

Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada. 5. Nepalese Ambassador Kali Prasad Pokhrel and his

wife, Kamala Pokhrel, with the high commissioner. 6. Mr. Khan, International Development Minister

Marie-Claude Bibeau and Conservative international development critic Deepak Obhrai.

7. Christian Embassy executive director Darlene McLean and her husband, Conservative MP Harold Albrecht, greet Mr. Khan.

8. Mr. Khan shows Ms. Bibeau, the guest of honour, Pakistani truck art, including a portrait of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

9. The high commissioner and Qatari Ambassador Fahad Kafoud.

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Party Time EMBASSY, Wednesday, April 6, 2016—15

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6

ParlAmericas—The Canadian Section of ParlAmericas takes part in the 40th Meeting of the Board of Directors of ParlAmericas in Quito, Ecuador. parl.gc.ca/IIA/CalendarOfEvents.aspx

CAF Outlook: Navy 2016—Hear from Canada’s top military leadership as they discuss their goals for tomorrow’s navy. Keynote speaker: navy commander Vice Admiral Mark Norman. Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Dr. defenceandsecu-rity.ca

Diplomatic Hospitality Group—The Canadian Federation of University Women’s Ottawa Diplomatic Hospitality Group invites diplomats, their spouses/partners and families to a bus trip to Lanark and Wheeler’s Sugar Bush. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. A nominal fee will be charged to help cover costs.

THURSDAY, APRIL 7

CAF Outlook: Air Force 2016—Hear from Canada’s top military leadership as they discuss their goals for tomor-row’s air force. Keynote speaker: Al Meinzinger, deputy RCAF commander. Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Dr. defence-andsecurity.ca

Mayor’s Breakfast: CEO of Ford Canada—Join Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce at this breakfast series, featuring speaker Dianne Craig, CEO of Ford Canada. 7-9 a.m. Ottawa City Hall, Jean Pigott Place, 110 Laurier Ave. W. $35-$50 per person. info@ottawabusinessevents.ca. ottawachamber.ca

Rwandan Genocide Commemoration—A ceremo-ny marking the 22nd anniversary of the genocide, including a

minute of silence, speeches by dignitaries. Noon. Parliament Hill.

The Global Crisis and the Architecture of Development Finance—The University of Ottawa presents this talk by Ilene Grabel, University of Denver. 12-1:30 p.m. Social Sciences Building, 120 University Pvt., room 4006. cips-cepi.ca

Guys’ Night Out in Support of #StuStrong—Canadian Blood Services will hold a stem-cell donor registra-tion event in support of radio host Stuntman Stu Schwartz’s battle against leukemia during Guys’ Night Out, a men’s spring fashion event. Eligible donors for the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network will be able to complete the registration process, including a buccal swab, to register to become a stem cell donor for patients, like Stuntman Stu, who require stem cell transplants. Warren Chase Urban Retreat for Men, top of the escalator on the second floor of Hudson’s Bay Rideau Street (Rideau Centre). 5-9 p.m. RSVP to gno@national.ca

FRIDAY, APRIL 8

NDP Edmonton 2016 Convention—The federal New Democratic Party hosts a national convention. Until April 10. Edmonton Shaw Centre. edmonton2016.ca

MONDAY, APRIL 11

The House of Commons returns from a two-week break. It will sit until April 22.

TUESDAY, APRIL 12

Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie—The Canadian Branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie takes part in a meeting of the APF Political

Committee. New York. Until April 13. parl.gc.ca/IIA/CalendarOfEvents.aspx

Hope in Fragility: Healthy Futures for Women and Children in the World’s Toughest Places—Join World Vision Canada president & CEO Michael Messenger as he hosts an experiential reception to explore how to improve women’s and children’s health in the toughest parts of the world. 6-8 p.m. Drawing Room, Fairmont Chateau Laurier, 1 Rideau St. RSVP: 613-569-1888 or externalrela-tions@worldvision.ca

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13

Smart Global Development Conference—This event will explore the role of higher education in advancing sustainable development goals. Until April 14. Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat, 199 Sussex Dr. Presented by Aga Khan Foundation Canada and others. $50-$120, if registration occurs before March 4. smartglobaldev.ca

UNHCR Representative in Canada—The Conference of Defence Associations Institute presents a talk by the UN Refugee Agency’s Canadian chief Furio De Angelis. Modified Chatham House rules, not for attribution and no media reporting. $15-$50. 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. World Exchange Plaza, Telfer School of Management, Amphitheatre, room 350, 45 O’Connor St. Register via cdainstitute.ca/en/roundtable?view=Events&layout=register

Argentina’s Commerce Secretary—The Canadian Council for the Americas presents Argentine Commerce Secretary Miguel Braun. 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. $40. Torys LLP, 79 Wellington St. W., 30th floor, Toronto. Register via ccacanada.com

Op RENAISSANCE: The Canadian Forces’ Contribution to the Humanitarian Mission in Nepal—The Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University presents Lt.-Col. Simon Comtois, who will speak about his experience with the Disaster Assistance Response Team on its last deployment to Nepal, following an earthquake that struck the country in April 2015. 3-4:30 p.m. 1250 rue Guy, FB 804, Montreal. Free. Registration mandatory via eventbrite.ca/e/op-renais-

sance-the-canadian-forces-contribution-to-the-humanitarian-mission-in-nepal-tickets-24020704574

Book Launch: The New Arab Wars: Uprisings and Anarchy in the Middle East—The Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto presents this book launch with the chance to buy a signed copy. 7-9: p.m. George Ignatieff Theatre, 15 Devonshire Pl., Toronto. billgrahamcentre.uto-ronto.ca

THURSDAY, APRIL 14

HT Events Presents Transportation Forum—Join leading industry executive and senior policy specialists for Hill Times Events’ Transportation Forum to examine the substan-tive recommendations put forward in the Transportation Act Review Report entitled, Pathways: Canada’s Transportation System to World. 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Shaw Centre, 55 Colonel By Dr. Registration $249 for subscribers and $299 for non-subscribers. Special group discounted pricing available. Tickets: eventbrite.com/e/transportation-forum-tickets-22176218667 or abeattie@hilltimes.com

Immigration Minister John McCallum—The Economic Club of Canada presents Mr. McCallum’s talk: Canada’s Renewed Commitment to Hosting, Integration and Success of Immigrants. 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. The Westin Ottawa, 11 Colonel By Dr. Members: individual seat $89 plus HST, or table of 10 for $800 plus HST; guest seat $110 plus HST and table of 10 $990 plus HST. economicclub.ca

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20

Politics & the Pen—A highlight of the capital’s social calendar, this is a grand celebration of Canadian political and literary cultures. The climax of the evening will be the presentation of the $25,000 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. Fairmont Chateau Laurier, 1 Rideau St. writerstrust.com

This is a free listing compiled by Kristen Shane who can be reached at 613-688-8824. Information regarding events should be sent to news@embassynews.ca with the subject line “Listings” by Friday at 5 p.m. Our fax number is 613-232-9055. We prioritize events related to foreign policy.

OTTAWA Listings

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP and Chinese law firm Beijing Sanyou Intellectual Property Agency Ltd. hosted a seminar on doing business in China on March 22 at the BLG Ottawa office. Ulle Baum Photos 13. The room. 14. Sanyou partner

Xiaolin Dang and trade-mark attorney Shirley Fu, BLG senior consul-tant of business development in China Ying Hou and Chinese Embassy coun-sellor Yang Yundong.

15. BLG business development leader Paul Fortin, Ms. Fu and Global Affairs Canada senior trade policy officer Nicolas Lesieur.

The Indonesian Embassy took part in the opening of an exhibition of Indonesian contemporary art on March 17 at SAW Gallery. Jill Thompson Photos 10. Ambassador Teuku Faizasyah speaks to SAW Gallery director Tam-Ca Vo-Van. 11. Stefan St-Laurent, director of AXENÉO7 art centre, with Mr. Faizasyah. 12. Indonesian deputy head of mission Suwartini Wirta, and Andis Faizasyah, wife of the ambassador.

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FULL SCHEDULE, TICKETS AND DETAILS ONLINE WRITERSFESTIVAL.ORG

April 17 @ 4:00 PMMARTYRDOM,

MURDERAND THE LURE

OF ISIS with MARK BOURRIEHosted by CBC’s Laurence Wall

April 18 @ NOONRESILIENCE AND TRIUMPH:

IMMIGRANT WOMENTELL THEIR STORIES

with Monia Mazigh andDr. Vanaja Dhruvarajan

April 19 @ 7:00 PMTHE IDEA OF CANADA: LETTERS TO A NATION

with GOVERNOR GENERALDAVID JOHNSTON

April 14 @ 5:30 PMTWO FREEDOMS:

CANADA'S GLOBAL FUTURE

WITH HUGH SEGALHosted by Jennifer Ditchburn