Inside Policy
June 30, 2022
From the editors
With its brutal invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s regime has shown a flagrant disregard for international law and the sovereign statehood of its neighbours. Russia may have failed to topple the government in Kyiv, resulting in more limited military operations in eastern Ukraine. But it has certainly succeeded in waking NATO to the Kremlin’s threat and uniting global democracies against them.
To lead our cover feature, Balkan Devlen looks at the need to continue supporting Ukraine against the Russian invaders. In addition, Marcus Kolga explores how we can best ensure a humiliating defeat for Russia in Ukraine and Rob Huebert turns to how Putin threatens other regions like the Arctic – an issue that should directly concern Arctic states like Canada.
Canada’s decision to join allies and partners in pushing back against the Kremlin should be lauded. But more attention should be paid to our national security and defence closer to home. On that front, Richard Shimooka delves into the state of the Canadian military’s search and rescue capabilities and Charles Burton examines how we can better share intelligence to combat the malign activities of authoritarian regimes.
While some fringe elements have accused the Trudeau government itself of being authoritarian, Ken Coates reminds us that we need to push back against such baseless hysteria, not least because it distracts us from the very real transformation now underway. As he notes, “Canada appears to be heading into a major remaking of the welfare state and rebirth of the activist state.”
The Liberal’s emphasis on government expansion can be seen in how the government has empowered the CRTC to be an online regular – an issue explored in more depth by Peter Menzies.
Aaron Wudrick also points to how the Liberal government has turned to populist policies as an integral part of how it governs. The danger can also be seen in how the government has approached the so-called “just transition” to clean and renewable energy. As Heather Exner-Pirot notes, this view underplays the vital role of oil and gas in the Canadian economy.
Lastly, Coates warns about the dangers of condemning historical figures like Egerton Ryerson and Sir John A. Macdonald, Coates and JP Gladu highlight the value of Indigenous resource management, and Coates questions the state of Indigenous education and reveals how it might be fixed.
