Blog

Canada’s defence spending shortfalls are having a real impact on the Canadian Armed Forces, a former military leader says, and revelations about “significant” errors in the government’s plan to increase that spending means those issues may continue longer than promised. Retired general Tom Lawson, who served as chief of the defence staff from 2012 to 2015, says pressure may have to come not just from Canada’s international allies but also from Canadians themselves in order to effect real change to how the government invests in its military and defence.Failing to do so can affect overall combat readiness in the future, he adds — which could impact the U.S.-Canada relationship in particular.“When you look at the military that I was in charge of 10 years ago and the military that exists today...

Canada has a lot to feel anxious about as the U.S. presidential election draws to a close, but a former diplomat between the two countries says he’s particularly worried about “chaos” after the vote — including the “fairly high” potential for violence. David MacNaughton, who served as Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. from 2016 to 2019, says he’s confident Canada can handle a future Donald Trump or Kamala Harris administration despite the challenges each one would pose.But with polls showing an extremely close race, MacNaughton says he’s hopeful the result is clear enough to avoid a contested result like that of the 2000 U.S. election, which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.“You can just imagine the turmoil that would go on,” he told Mercedes Stephenson in an interview that aired S...

It felt like his future was at stake when 18-year-old Carter Fay cast an early ballot in the United States election. “The reality is that our democracy, I truly think, is on the line. And so do people in my generation,” said Fay, who’s from the battleground state of Georgia.“To put it straight, we are scared.”Fay is among an estimated eight million generation-Z voters who can take part in a presidential election for the very first time. There’s power behind this generation, which is angry at the current political system and worried about its future.And the race to the White House still looks to be a dead heat.Many young people were dismayed when it appeared the election would be a repeat of the 2020 matchup between President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump. Story contin...