External

Vincent Rigby on NATO, Canada鈥檚 2% Commitment, and Alliance Readiness | CDA Institute

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 15:48:51 +0000

Vincent Rigby聽 joined the CDA Institute鈥檚 Expert Series alongside former Canadian Ambassador to NATO Kerry聽Buck and former NATO Assistant Secretary General Wendy Gilmour to unpack what鈥檚 at stake as leaders gather in The Hague for the 76th NATO Summit.聽The conversation focused on Canada鈥檚 recent pledge to meet NATO鈥檚 long-standing 2% GDP defence spending target by March 2026, as well as the summit鈥檚 broader agenda鈥攅xpected to include raising the defence spending floor to 3.5%, enhancing alliance readiness, and addressing industrial capacity shortfalls.

Taylor Owen on Gander, a Canadian Social Media App | 1075koolfm

pinaki.siwach@mail.mcgill.ca — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 15:44:09 +0000

June 25, 2025 | Professor Taylor Owen,聽founding director of聽The Center for Media, Technology and Democracy聽has come together with other advisors to build an application, called Gander.聽It鈥檚 a social media platform that lets you post videos, write updates, and tailor your feed to what聽you聽actually want to see 鈥� minus the trolls, conspiracy theories, and the 鈥渨hy is this even in my feed?鈥� content.

Chris Ragan on Carbon Tax Woes | TVO Today

pinaki.siwach@mail.mcgill.ca — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 17:37:33 +0000

June 23, 2025 | Professor聽Chris Ragan, chair of Ecofiscal Commission spoke about the pitfalls of the Carbon Tax at the TVO on聽The Agenda with Steve Paikin. Chris mentioned the lack of not presenting rebates, and about the resentment from the Conservatives, "when the liberals adopted a carbon pricing policy and traditionally we viewed a carbon pricing policy as actually a fairly market-friendly and even a conservative type policy," said Ragan.聽

Vincent Rigby on 76th NATO Summit | CDA Institute

pinaki.siwach@mail.mcgill.ca — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 15:41:51 +0000

June 23, 2025 |聽Professor聽Vincent Rigby, a former NSIA to the Prime Minister, along with聽Kerry Buck, a former Canadian Ambassador to NATO and Former Assistant Secretary General, Defence Investment, Wendy Gilmour joined the CDA Institute聽Expert Series to discuss the key issues, challenges, and likely outcomes of this year鈥檚 Summit for Canada and the Alliance in this podcast.

L鈥橢urope et le d茅fi am茅ricain | Tour de Table

pinaki.siwach@mail.mcgill.ca — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 17:53:16 +0000

June 18, 2025 | In March 2023,聽Jennifer Welsh聽launched Tour de Table, a podcast series that joins leading scholars and policymakers for a bilingual discussion of the political, economic, and security challenges confronting our world and whether and how Canada is prepared to address them.聽

Vincent Rigby on Trump's Tariffs Wars | Washington Examiner

pinaki.siwach@mail.mcgill.ca — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 15:12:42 +0000

June 17, 2025 | Professor聽Vincent Rigby, a former Global Affairs Canada and Department of National Defence government official, contended at how Canada must not step away from the U.S. completely regarding trade, economics,聽defense, and聽security, despite 鈥渄iversification strategies鈥� because of Trump. 鈥淚 mean, we share a continent...we are indivisible in that respect, and so it makes sense for Canada to still work closely with the United States on defense and security issues,鈥� said Rigby.

Vincent Rigby on Strategic Autonomy Amidst G7 Uncertainty | The Globe and Mail

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:44:40 +0000

Vincent Rigby, quotes in The聽Globe and Mail,聽sees Carney鈥檚 foreign policy as a clear break from traditional diplomacy rooted in values. He argues that Canada is embracing a more pragmatic, hard-headed approach in response to global volatility. While diversification of defence partnerships鈥攕uch as working with European suppliers鈥攊s on the table, Rigby stresses that close coordination with the U.S. remains essential.

Asif Khan on Why the Canada Disability Benefit Falls Short Without Urgent Fixes | Policy Magazine

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 18:01:42 +0000

May 19, 2025 | MPP 鈥�21 Asif Khan in Policy Magazine critically examines the long-awaited rollout of the Canada Disability Benefit (CDB). While the federal government has promoted the CDB as a landmark anti-poverty initiative, Khan argues it falls drastically short. Capped at just $200 per month, the benefit will only lift a fraction of working-age Canadians with disabilities out of poverty in its first decade.

Jennifer Welsh on Israel-Iran Tensions and What鈥檚 at Stake at the G7 Summit | CBC Radio

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 18:48:09 +0000

June 15, 2025 | Jennifer Welsh joined CBC Radio鈥檚 The Sunday Magazine with Piya Chattopadhyay to analyze how rising tensions between Israel and Iran are shaping the global security landscape鈥攋ust as G7 leaders gather in Alberta. Speaking alongside former Canadian ambassador Arif Lalani, Welsh described Israel鈥檚 latest military strikes as unusually ambitious in scale and timing.

Vincent Rigby on Meeting Canada鈥檚 NATO Defence Targets | National Post

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 17:23:55 +0000

June 9, 2025 | Vincent Rigby was quoted in the National Post in response to Prime Minister Mark Carney鈥檚 announcement that Canada will meet NATO鈥檚 2% defence spending target this fiscal year, adding over $9 billion. Rigby, who previously served as national security and intelligence adviser, called the move a significant and welcome shift from earlier governments, emphasizing that it shows Canada is taking its defence commitments seriously. He noted that this is not just about supporting allies鈥攊t鈥檚 also about protecting Canadian interests and values.

Michael Black on Canada鈥檚 Defence Spending Challenges and NATO鈥檚 Future Targets | Policy Magazine

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 16:05:03 +0000

June 11, 2025 | MPP 鈥�25 Michael Black examines in聽Policy Magazine Prime Minister Mark Carney鈥檚 pledge to meet NATO鈥檚 2% defence spending target by 2026 and the upcoming NATO Summit鈥檚 proposal to raise it to 5%. He highlights challenges like strained defence industries and production bottlenecks revealed by the Ukraine war, noting Canada鈥檚 difficulty replenishing artillery shells. While buying U.S. equipment offers a quick fix, reliance on the U.S. poses political and capacity risks.

Pearl Eliadis on Taking Bill 96 and Bill 21 to the United Nations Human Rights Committee | Montreal Gazette

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:36:58 +0000

June 12, 2025 | Reporting on a public forum organized by the Task Force on Linguistic Policy, the Montreal Gazette highlights Pearl Eliadis鈥檚 warning that if the Supreme Court of Canada does not intervene to limit Quebec鈥檚 use of the notwithstanding clause in laws like Bill 96 and Bill 21, the anglophone community should consider taking their case to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

Vincent Rigby on Canada鈥檚 Accelerated Defence Spending | CDA Institute

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 15:23:31 +0000

June 9, 2025 | In an interview for the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) Institute鈥檚 Expert Series, Vincent Rigby reacts to Prime Minister Mark Carney鈥檚 announcement that Canada will accelerate defence spending to reach 2% of GDP by the end of the 2025鈥�26 fiscal year. Rigby unpacks the hurdles ahead鈥攊ncluding the recruitment and retention crisis, slow procurement processes, and the complexity of aligning new investments with operational readiness.

Pearl Eliadis on the Role of Human Rights Commissions in Post-Genocide Rwanda | Global Justice Journal

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 14:12:07 +0000

June 2025 | Pearl Eliadis recently authored a journal article published in the Global Justice Journal by Queen鈥檚 University Faculty of Law聽comparing the post-genocide roles of Rwanda鈥檚 National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), both established under the 1993 Arusha Accords but with markedly different approaches. The NURC was closely controlled by the government and focused on promoting national unity through civic education and social programs.

Pearl Eliadis on Defending Charter Rights and Challenging the Notwithstanding Clause

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 20:26:41 +0000

June 11, 2025 | Pearl Eliadis will join a virtual panel discussion hosted by the Task Force on Linguistic Policy on June 11 at 7:30 PM for Your Rights, Notwithstanding. This timely and thought-provoking event will explore the history and evolution of the Notwithstanding Clause, how it has been used by Qu茅bec in recent years, the risks it poses to Charter-protected rights, and the growing legal and civic efforts to push back against its unchecked use.