Inside Policy
December 21, 2023
From the editors
In 2023 Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault, introduced four sector-destroying, economy-killing, counterproductive climate policies. He pushed through his agenda with ruthless efficiency. According to Heather Exner-Pirot, MLI’s director of energy, natural resources, and environment, “No one else in Canada has been as influential, and… no one else has done so much damage.” That is why Steven Guilbeault is MLI’s Policy-maker of the year for 2023.
In this issue you’ll also find Ken Coates and David Silas explaining that the now shuttered Minto Mine once brought prosperity and hope to the Selkirk First Nation. The closing of the mine is a stark example of the challenges Indigenous communities face in trying to establish economic and social stability.
In addition, Josef Filipowicz and Steve Lafleur explain how, even with the severity of the housing crisis across the nation, the federal government has done the bare minimum to improve intergovernmental coordination on housing.
Chris Sankey pleads with Canadians to stop comparing Palestinians to Indigenous Canadians. Chris argues that Canadians should not project our politics onto a conflict half a world away.
Aaron Wudrick and Kaveh Shahrooz jump into the discussion to explain the shifting sides in the battle for free speech in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks.
Alexander Dalziel and Henri Vanhannen explain that several recent events in the Baltic highlight threats to subsea critical infrastructure. Are broken undersea links evidence of ‘grey zone’ activities from hostile foreign actors? And in a further contemplation of shifting geopolitical realities, Alexander Lanoszka asks whether there has been a Zeitenwende (a ‘changing of the times’) in NATO. Marcus Kolga also jumps in to explain that a large segment of Russia’s population has persistently voiced a desire for a democratic future and that Canada and our allies could help achieve their dreams.
In this edition you’ll also find Jeff Kucharski examining the ways in which complementary strengths make Canada and Japan poised for a powerful economic partnership, particularly in the energy and critical minerals sector.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays from all of us at MLI!
