On March 15, 2010, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute released its first publication, Free to Learn: Giving Aboriginal Youth Control over their Post-Secondary Education. Brian Lee Crowley, Calvin Helin and Dave Snow present the study to members of the media at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa.
To Stand On Guard, MLI’s latest paper authored by Paul Chapin, was the topic of discussion on CTV’s Power Play on Monday, November 29. Chapin explained to host Dan Matheson and Canadians that it is time for Canada to develop a national security strategy that would engage us more completely in the post-911 world.
This Sunday from 7PM ET/ 4PM PT on CPAC, Dale Goldhawk probes theories raised by Canada’s former UN Ambassador Paul Heinbecker in his new book, Getting Back in the Game: A Foreign Policy Playbook for Canada. The show will tackle the question: “Is Canada maintaining its reputation at the UN?” MLI’s Brian Lee Crowley will join the discussion at approximately 7:15PM and provide his view on this and other elements of Canada’s foreign affairs policy.
These issues are top-of-mind for Dr. Crowley, as he recently was one of only two Canadians to take part in an international conference in Brussels that looked at the waning trans-Atlantic partnership. MLI released a Commentary, The Western Alliance: A Moral Superpower or Nothing, following that conference which was based upon remarks delivered by Crowley.
On November 29th, As part of the press conference releasing To Stand On Guard, author Paul Chapin and MLI Managing Director Brian Lee Crowley took questions from the media. The release of this latest MLI study coincided with the recent WikiLeaks controversy and this is reflected in the questions and answers portion of the media event. You can watch the Q&As below…
December 20, 2011 – In the latest edition of Maclean’s Magazine, MLI Managing Director Brian Lee Crowley was quoted in an article about how Canadians feel unapologetically optimistic about our future. In the front page article, “On top of the world“, Crowley commented specifically on Ottawa’s recent approval of French oil and gas giant Total’s Joslyn North oil sands project in Alberta. He said, “There was a time when Canada would have looked at some of the international opprobrium and we would have looked at our shoes and said, ‘Gosh, we don’t like people not to like us. Whereas now people are saying, ‘Look, this is a resource of geopolitical significance. We’re responsible, we care about the environment, and if you don’t like it, tough.’ I think we’re much more clear-eyed about Canada’s interests.” To read the full column in Maclean’s, click here.
On December 15, 2011, MLI Director of Research Jason Clemens appeared on CPAC’s PrimeTime Politics to discuss the economic future for Canadians with economists Glen Hodgson (Conference Board of Canada) and Armine Yalnizyan (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives). The interview touched on a number of issues such as current debt levels in Canada, household debt, infrastructure investment, and the global economic uncertainty. On what the Canadian government should be doing as we head into 2012, Clemens said, “The key here is to stick to the plan, create certainty so that families, individuals and businesses can make decisions in an environment where they know what is coming in 2012.” To watch the full interview, click here. The panel discussion begins at the 17-minute mark.
Finally, author Andrew Graham appeared on a number of radio shows to discuss MLI’s latest study on the risks to Canada’s critical infrastructure. He appeared on John Gormley Live in Saskatchewan and the Rutherford Show in Alberta to discuss the study. To listen to the interview on John Gormley Live, click here. To listen to the interview on the Rutherford Show, click here to go to Audio Vault and select December 12, 2011 and 10:00 for the time. It begins at the 19-minute mark and will be available for two weeks. The study was also highlighted in the Toronto Sunand reprinted in Vancouver’s 24 Hours.
Our First Annual Macdonald-Laurier Soirée on Feb. 15 was a great success. Some 200 guests mingled, munched and listened to former Prime Ministers the Right Hon. Jean Chrétien and the Right Hon. Joe Clark, House of Commons Speaker the Hon. Peter Milliken and the shades of former PMs Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Wilfrid Laurier praise and debate Canada’s political tradition.
Soirée gets a mention on the Society Page of the Ottawa Citizen. Click here to see the article.
If you couldn’t make it, here are some video images from Tuesday evening and we hope to see you next year.
On March 31, I appeared before the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology to discuss Free to Learn. On the whole, I found the Senators’ reception to the proposal to be very positive. My fellow panelists Michael Mendelson, Jane Preston, and Andrew Sharpe also offered interesting perspectives on the barriers to Aboriginal post-secondary education. It is heartening to hear policymakers at the federal level discussing the proposal in earnest, and I sincerely hope it continues. Below is the transcript. You can also view the video, here (it takes a few minutes to download).
Marcel Coutu, president and CEO of Canadian Oil Sands Limited and Chairman of the Board of Syncrude Canada Ltd., discusses this important energy resource for Canada, explaining what oil sands are, how they are extracted and why they matter to our economy and our security, and answers environmentalists’ criticisms.
While he was in Ottawa shortly before the release of his study From Rehabilitation to Recruitment for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, author Alex Wilner sat down with me to discuss his paper and the evolving face of terror worldwide, including the menace of modern high-seas piracy and its possible links to terrorist groups. We’re pleased to bring you video of Alex’s clear, frank discussion of these important questions.
MLI Managing Director Brian Lee Crowley discussed climate talks in Cancun and the deepening US economic mess in a recent appearance on CBC’s Lang & O’Leary Exchange. Click here to watch the segment, which starts at the 36-minute mark.
Brian Lee Crowley and Calvin Helin appeared on CPAC’s PrimeTime Politics on March 15, 2010, to discuss Free to Learn. You can view the clip here (starts at approximately 26 minutes.)
MLI Managing Director Brian Lee Crowley appeared on CBC’s Lang & O’Leary Exchange yesterday discussing public debt and unfunded public pension liabilities. While Canada is not yet in the same boat as countries like Greece and Portugal, there are storm clouds on the horizon and public pension funding liabilities are one of them, as Crowley highlighted.
Brian was also asked about recent debt management suggestions that are coming out of the US. He noted, pursuing a theme from MLI’s best-selling book Canadian Century, that what is absent in the US today is a multi-partisan attack on deficits that was exhibited in Canada in the mid-1990s.
MLI author says that the costs far outweigh the benefits when it comes to reducing transportation-related GHG emissions MEDIA RELEASE February 22, 2012, Ottawa, ON – Canadians overwhelmingly depend on the convenience and savings of private automobiles. Despite this, policymakers are constantly solicited to use public policy to reduce...
