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Policy and Rights

Policy and Rights

Written by: Michael Clogs
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 This a series of conversations around government policy and our rights. We are trying to report information to listeners about what is happening with government and communities

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  • Annalena Baercock Compares Trump to Putin and Annexing Greenland is Like Handing Russia Ukraine

    Annalena Baercock Compares Trump to Putin and Annexing Greenland is Like Handing Russia Ukraine
    Jan 21 2026
    The global landscape is rapidly changing, leaving economies, businesses, and workers in a state of uncertainty. In response, Canada is focused on what we can control: securing new trade and investment partnerships so we are not reliant on a single country, but more resilient to global shocks. We are positioning Canada as a strong, reliable partner to secure new capital, develop new export markets, and create new opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses. To advance that mission, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, travelled to Doha, Qatar – the first-ever visit by a sitting Canadian Prime Minister to the state. The Prime Minister met with the Amir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to discuss increasing trade, commerce, investment, and security cooperation. Upon concluding the visit, the leaders announced a commitment from Qatar to make significant strategic investments in Canadian nation-building projects. These investments will get major projects built faster, supercharge our clean energy, health, AI, and defence industries, and create thousands of high-paying careers and sustained prosperity for Canadian workers. Building on this momentum, the Prime Minister and the Amir issued a joint statement committing to accelerated two-way investment and collaboration across AI, quantum computing, aerospace, defence technologies, advanced manufacturing, agriculture, and agri-food. After years of stalled negotiations, the leaders agreed to conclude negotiations on a new Canada-Qatar Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) by this summer. This will enable Canadian businesses to more easily expand their operations in, and attract investment from, Qatar – a country with an economy worth nearly $290 billion. Building on this progress, Canada and Qatar agreed to immediately deepen work together on:Bilateral trade and investment through the establishment of a Joint Canada-Qatar Commission on Economic, Commercial, and Technical Cooperation.Information technology, expanding investment opportunities in areas such as AI and information and computer technology.Defence and security, launching negotiations on a framework to facilitate the exchange of expertise on military, security, and defence matters.A new double-taxation agreement to make it easier for Canadians to work and invest in Qatar and vice versa, with negotiations starting soon.To further build this partnership, Prime Minister Carney announced that Canada will: Expand air services between the two countries under the Canada-Qatar Air Transport Agreement.Establish an office for Canada’s Defence Attaché in Doha to increase the frequency and depth of bilateral engagements that increase exports from Canada’s defence sector.Exchange security-related best practices and lessons learned in preparation for the FIFA World Cup 26, as Canada, Mexico, and the United States prepare to co-host this global sporting event.As Qatar marks the beginning of its 2026 Year of Culture, Prime Minister Carney emphasised the important and growing people-to-people and cultural ties between the two countries. He extended an invitation to His Highness the Amir as well as Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, to visit Canada in the coming year. While in Doha, the Prime Minister met with the Minister of Public Health of Qatar to reinforce shared priorities in health and life science. He underscored the potential for Canadian companies to grow their footprint in Qatar’s healthcare ecosystem, including in biotechnology and groundbreaking AI-driven health technologies. He also met with Qatari business leaders and heads of the Qatari Investment Authority to explore more opportunities to collaborate, further positioning Canada as a premier destination for global capital and investment. Canada and Qatar are both economies with preeminent resources, with common goals to diversify trade and investment opportunities, with complementary strengths in technology, security, and international leadership. As Canada works to build major new energy projects, scale up our defence capabilities, and build on our leadership in AI and innovative technologies, strengthening our partnership with Qatar will accelerate these missions. January 20 2026 Annalena Baerbock said her priorities for the remainder of the session focus on institutional defense and reform. She said, “I invited Member States to symbolically recommit to our shared principles and values by signing the 80th Anniversary Charter poster ahead of Charter Day.” She added Member States echoed that call. Baerbock said changes in global politics require new approaches. She said, “The political and diplomatic ecosystem has undergone drastic changes, and we can't expect the old ways of working to suffice.” Baerbock said Member States are engaging with reform efforts, “The UN80 ...
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    1 hr and 34 mins
  • XI and Carney make a trade deal

    XI and Carney make a trade deal
    Jan 18 2026
    Assistant Secretary-General Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee called on Iranian authorities “to halt any execution linked to protest related cases,” and expressed “alarm” at public statements suggesting military strikes on Iran. Pobee called on Iran “to respect due process and fair trial rights for all detainees” and for all deaths to be “promptly, independently and transparently investigated.” On military intervention, she said, “this external dimension adds volatility to an already combustible situation. All efforts must be undertaken to prevent any further deterioration,” adding that Secretary-General António Guterres “remains convinced that all concerns regarding Iran, including those related to the nuclear issue and ongoing protests, are best addressed through diplomacy and dialog.” United States Ambassador Michael Waltz said, “the people of Iran are demanding their freedom like never before in the Islamic Republic's brutal history” and quoted US President Donald J. Trump saying, “the United States of America stands by the brave people of Iran. Period.” Waltz denied allegations “put forward by the regime that these inspired protests are somehow a foreign plot to give a precursor to military action.” He said, “everyone in the world needs to know that the regime is weaker than ever before and therefore is putting forward this lie because of the power of the Iranian people in the streets. They are afraid. They're afraid of their own people.” Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia for his part said, “the whole world has been watching as the United States continues to escalate tensions and fuel hysteria around Iran, declaring that help is already on the way. What's more, in its official statements, Washington has not even tried to cover up the genuine reasons for its alleged concern over the country's internal political situation as it threatens new strikes against Iran.” Today's meeting, Nebenzia said, “is nothing more than yet another attempt to justify blatant aggression and interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.” Finally Iranian Ambassador Gholamhossein Darzi told the Council that the United States “is attempting to portray itself as a friend of the Iranian people, while simultaneously laying the groundwork for political destabilization and military intervention under a so-called humanitarian narrative.” Darzi said, “Iran seeks neither escalation nor confrontation. However, any act of aggression, direct or indirect, will be met with a decisive, proportionate and lawful response under article 51 of the charter. This is not a threat. It is a statement of legal reality. Responsibility for all consequences will rest solely with those who initiate such unlawful acts.” He denied allegations that the government of the Iran has killed peaceful protesters, which he said, “is quite a distortion of the facts on the ground.” Darzi said, “what the Iranian security forces did confront firmly and responsibly were armed ISIS style terrorist cells and violent separatist groups funded and armed by a few foreign entities, including the Israeli regime. These groups deliberately targeted civilians and law enforcement officers in an attempt to ignite civil war and create the conditions for foreign intervention.” Prime Minister Mark Carney holds a news conference in Beijing, China, following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Carney announces an agreement with Beijing that would see Chinese tariffs on Canadian canola reduced from 84 to 15 per cent by March 1 in exchange for allowing close to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into Canada each year at a 6.1 per cent levy rate. The prime minister faces questions from reporters on what the federal government’s warming of relations with China may mean for its relationship for the Trump administration in the United States. He is also asked about the decision of two Liberal MPs to cut short their sponsored trip to Taiwan ahead the Canadian delegation’s official visit to Beijing. ogether, these results will help unlock nearly $3 billion in export orders for Canadian workers and businesses as they realise the full potential of the massive Chinese market of 1.4 billion people. Finally, to build on this momentum, Canada has set an ambitious goal to increase exports to China by 50% by 2030. To achieve this outcome, Prime Minister Carney and President Xi discussed increasing two-way investment in clean energy and technology, agri-food, wood products, and other sectors. Canada and China are both strong advocates of multilateralism. As a key pillar of this partnership, we will deepen our engagement on improved global governance. We will collaborate closely in key areas of shared interest, including climate competitiveness and financial and macroeconomic stability. Canada looks forward to contributing to China’s 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Presidency and appreciates China’s ...
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    50 mins
  • Stand Together in Sovereignty

    Stand Together in Sovereignty
    Jan 14 2026
    Since joining the Alliance in 2009, Croatia has been a valued member of NATO. It contributes significantly to our collective security – not only on our eastern flank and in the Western Balkans, but across the entire Alliance. Just before the holidays, I met Croatian troops in Poland, as part of NATO’s Forward Land Forces in Bemowo Piskie. It was inspiring to meet so many servicemen and women spending Christmas away from their families – standing watch, keeping us all safe. Croatia also contributes personnel to our Forward Land Forces in Bulgaria and Hungary. And I welcome your efforts to modernise the capabilities of the Croatian Armed Forces, and the way Croatia’s defence industry indeed is stepping up – particularly in driving innovation in the field of uncrewed systems. I am looking forward to the meeting, and you already announced it, this afternoon, with representatives from the defence industry. And I was really impressed this morning to see how you have revamped Croatia’s Air Force in just a couple of years. You are already spending more than 2% of GDP on defence, and are working to reach the 5% benchmark by 2035, as all Allies agreed at the Summit in The Hague. I also welcome that, as of the 1st of January this year, the Croatian Air Force officially assumed full responsibility for protecting Croatian airspace. Croatia is also making good on the commitment Allies made to sustain our unwavering support for Ukraine. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Croatia has been a strong and reliable supporter of Ukraine. In addition to your recent 15 million euro contribution to indeed, you already mentioned it, the Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List – PURL – Croatia has provided now over 300 million euros in military aid since 2022. You have supplied helicopters, transport aircraft, artillery systems, ammunition, protective equipment, and much more. Russia’s brutal war of aggression continues. And we saw just last week, the use of the Oreshnik missile on Lviv and continued attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure. Russia is trying to deter us from supporting Ukraine, but we will not be deterred. As Ukraine faces immense pressure during the harsh winter, your support, and support of all NATO Allies, is more important than ever. Ukraine’s security is our security. And under your leadership, Prime Minister Plenković, Croatia has truly been a vital partner to our Ukrainian friends. Croatia also plays an important role in sustaining stability in the Western Balkans. You are a longstanding contributor to KFOR, with more than 150 troops on the ground in Kosovo. The Western Balkans remain high on NATO’s agenda, and our commitment to the region’s stability is steadfast. With your support, we will not allow a security vacuum to emerge, and NATO will continue to strengthen political dialogue and practical cooperation across the region. Prime Minister Plenković, dear Andrej, Thank you for your warm hospitality, and again, for Croatia’s steadfast support to our Alliance, and everything we collectively stand for. Thank you. https://bit.ly/NATOhomepage SECURITY COUNCIL I want to flag that our esteemed colleagues in the Security Council Branch released online the 2025 Highlights of Security Council Practice. The Highlights Paper features insights into the work of the Security Council in 2025, particularly regarding meetings and other activities (including missions to the field) the agenda items and topics dealt with, decision-making and the work of its subsidiary bodies. It’s a fantastic trove of date for all of you Security Council afficionados! SECURITY COUNCIL/UKRAINE This afternoon, at 3:00 p.m., the Security Council will hold a briefing on Maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine, and our Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Rosemary DiCarlo will brief Council members. She is expected to underscore that the new year has brought no peace or even respite to Ukraine, but renewed fighting and devastation. Ms. DiCarlo is expected to note the recent use of the so-called Oreshnik missile, the second time the potentially devastating weapon has been fired at Ukraine since 2024. Ramesh Rajasingham, OCHA’s Director of the Coordination Division, will also brief and is expected to warn Council members about the impacts of the attacks on civilians, especially as the strikes impact energy facilities, cutting off power and heating for people enduring freezing temperatures. UKRAINE From Ukraine, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says that over the weekend and the early hours of today, several civilians were killed and injured in the capital Kyiv and in the regions of Chernihiv, Donetsk, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia. This is according to authorities. Two health workers were reportedly injured in the Chernihiv region when their ambulance came under attack while on a call in a ...
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    1 hr and 33 mins
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