Liebnitz in the Heart of the North
The shaman rested a paddle across the front of his kayak, watching a small whale hauling itself onto the beach. “Chaos roils the sea and the land, the people and our fellow creatures,” he said to the man in the outboard beside…
Éric Mercier 1960–2007
Éric Mercier nous a quitté trop tôt. D’abord un collègue, il était devenu, au fil du temps et des rencontres, un ami. Nous espérions le voir pendant notre séjour au Canada, mais nous sommes arrivés quelques jours trop tard. Il va nous…
Ross Campbell 1918–2007
Ross Campbell, O.C., D.S.C, was born in Toronto on November 4, 1918. He graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1940, he volunteered for service with the Royal Canadian Navy, on loan…
John Hadwen 1923–2007
The following is the tribute given by James (Si) Taylor at the Memorial Service on Friday, September 7, 2007. John Hadwen was a member of the senior editorial board of bout de papier and a constant supporter of the foreign service.
Why We Need a Charter of Canadian Citizenship
This essay is an introduction to a large, complex and delicate subject. It enquires into whether and, if so, how the rights of Canadian citizenship should be balanced with effective statutory duties and responsibilities. It discusses the underlying changes, including the Citizenship…
The Places In Between; The Prince of the Marshes and Other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq
A hundred years from now historians will have passed judgment on the two curious wars that began the 21st century. Will these wars then be as faded as the wars that surrounded the opening of the 20th century? Will they have been…
Ambassador Assignments: Canadian Diplomats Reflect on our Place in the World
Ambassador Assignments: Canadian Diplomats Reflect on our Place in the World is the second volume of ambassadorial memoirs edited by retired Ambassador David Chalmer Reece (the first was Special Trust and Confidence: Envoy Essays in Canadian Diplomacy published in 2003). Reece has…
Borderless Deceit
I begin reading a book with a sense of wonder. Wonder for what is to be expected. For many, authors’ experience has shown what I can expect. Wayne Johnson’s books will always have a combination of geography, climate and character as central…
Rome and the Arab/Judean Conflict
In 64 BC, the Roman general Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (Pompey the Great), having chased Rome’s long time adversary Mithradates out of Asia Minor, descended into Syria, looking for fresh fields of glory. Much of the region was in chaos, afflicted by the…
Illuminating Khmer Ornamentation
In 2005, Reyum Publishing put out a book called Kbach: A Study of Khmer Ornamentation. Its aim was to document the design and drawing techniques of a cadre of artisans and artists on the verge of extinction after decades of conflict. The…
