The Decline of Democracy in the World
FREEDOM IN THE WORLD, THE 2021 ANNUAL REPORT of Freedom House, a US institution, carried the title, Democracy Under Siege. It noted with sadness that 2021 marked the 15th consecutive year of decline in global freedom. In 2020, its evaluation was that…
Resisting Rights
THAT CANADA IS A GLOBAL LEADER in the promotion and defence of human rights is widely acknowledged, perhaps more so outside of Canada than within. That Canada’s reputation in this field was once not just unhelpful, but downright obstructionist, is less well…
A Saner, Less Fragmented World in 2021
Only 20 years ago, Canadian diplomacy was at the front end of the post-Cold War effort to design and anchor new inclusive norms for international governance. Do we still have the stuff, the will and ability, to be a key player again?
Sexual Orientation and the Foreign Service
AS THE PRIME MINISTER STRESSED in his apology last November for the gay purges and other discriminatory measures against members of the LGBTQ2 community, the end of the purges did not end discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in the Public…
Twenty-Five Years On, Some Ghosts Are Still With Us
In the winter of 1992, in these pages, an article entitled “The Ghosts Among Us” appeared. Contrary to this publication’s policy, the author was allowed to remain anonymous. “Imagine what it would be like,” that person asked, “if your lifetime companion were…
Max Yalden
Editor’s Note: The following is adapted fro February 20, 2015.
Afghanistan and the Devil’s Deal
It’s been 10 years since the start of Operation Enduring Freedom, when the world stood as one with the United States. The Taliban’s Mullah Mohammed Omar had refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, offering instead to put him on trial in…
Denis Grégoire de Blois
Judy Feld Carr is a Human Rights advocate, Jewish community leader, and was awarded the Order of Canada in 2001. Judy was interviewed by bout early in the new year.
Transforming Rights: Reflections from the Front Lines
Former Foreign Service Officer Maxwell Yalden has written a book faithful to his own persona: informed, thoughtful, eloquent, and straight talking. Anyone concerned about bilingualism, human rights and Canada’s future should appreciate it. The book opens with a mini-memoir of an impeccably…
Sexual Orientation and the Public Service: The Changing Workplace
While the extension of basic human rights to gays and lesbians has certainly been a very slow process, there have been some significant legislative advancements made over the last 5-10 years. But changing the mentality of intolerant people may be the hardest…
