Catherine Tsalikis / @CatTsalikis

CIGI president Rohinton Medhora on how Canada and India can work together on reforming the global trading system, data governance, India’s upcoming G20 summit and more.

When CSIS was created, its culture mirrored the male-dominated environment at the RCMP. Thirty-five years later, women are taking up space, on surveillance missions and around the executive table.

In this interview, Bond, who was on the ground during the 1994 killings in Rwanda, looks back on media coverage of the genocide — including her own reporting — with a critical eye.

In a pilot project, the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers is getting a full-time president. OpenCanada spoke with Pamela Isfeld, the longtime Canadian diplomat who has taken on the role, about her to-do list, the ‘Havana Syndrome’ crisis, and more.

Former Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Lloyd Axworthy discusses a new report from the World Refugee Council, which calls for a ‘major overhaul’ of how the international system is responding to the worst displacement crisis since World War II.

As leaders meet in Argentina for the annual G20 summit, the architects of the international forum reflect on “one
of the great Canadian inventions.” 

At the first official Women Foreign
Ministers’ Meeting, Canada provided a window for activists to shape ideas about what a
feminist foreign policy should look like. Those present tell OpenCanada what
they’ll be watching for from the ministers at the UN General Assembly and going forward. 

As many of the world’s women foreign ministers gather in Montreal, OpenCanada’s Catherine Tsalikis examines the power of sisterhood, shared stories and small numbers to spur on change.

As leaders come together in Charlevoix, Quebec, OpenCanada’s Catherine Tsalikis takes a look at the world’s most intimate summit, with views from those who’ve had a seat at the table.

Last week, members of Trudeau’s G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council met for the first time to discuss ‘bold’ ideas. While the prime minister’s approach has been lauded by many feminist activists, others are calling for more measurable action, as Catherine Tsalikis reports from Ottawa.

Stories from the women driving Canada’s diplomatic corps toward equality

OpenCanada speaks
with Elizabeth
Spehar, head of the UN’s peacekeeping force in Cyprus, about a ‘burgeoning sisterhood’ of women leaders, the importance
of the Elsie Initiative and why more women are needed in peace operations. 

Payam Akhavan, this year’s CBC Massey lecturer, on what is needed
to guard against the ‘catastrophic toll’ of ignoring global injustices — from a
strengthened ICC to more political risk-taking on crimes against the Rohingya
people.

Ahead of next year’s summit in Quebec, Trudeau’s G7 sherpa, Peter
Boehm, lays out Canada’s progressive agenda, which will include a focus on
gender equality and climate change.

In advance of Sunday’s election, German Consul
General Peter Fahrenholtz sits down with OpenCanada to talk voter priorities,
Merkel’s appeal and what the most pressing issues will be for the next German
government.

Internationally renowned human rights activist Hina Jilani speaks
to OpenCanada about her new focus on the global refugee crisis and her upcoming
trip to Jordan. 

When Abdulwahab Tahhan arrived in the UK from Syria, he didn’t
anticipate how much he would need personal connections to work in journalism. But, as he asked when sharing his story with OpenCanada, “Where do you get these connections, if you’re a refugee?”

Somewhere between ‘golden
age’ and ‘culture of complaint’ lies the state of Canada’s foreign service.
OpenCanada’s Catherine Tsalikis interviewed nearly two dozen diplomats and
experts to discover a gradual tarnishing of the diplomatic corps over the years
— but many are rooting for its restoration.

‘They’ll put on the Canadian pin, because it helps and
creates less confusion.’ Three young public servants share their personal
stories, views on diversity in government and thoughts on how to attract young
Canadians into a similar line of work.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland used a major
foreign policy speech this week to underscore Canada’s deep commitment to the
international order and to outline its priorities, from global trade to
feminism.

If a
serious rift between the U.S. and Europe were to develop, “Canada might
potentially play a bridge-building role,” Achim Hurrelmann says in an
interview.

When it comes to
refugees, journalists could do more to debunk misconceptions, put Canada’s
contribution in perspective and tell stories of other crises outside of Europe,
a group of panelists said this week.

This International Women’s Day, Joanne Liu, international president of Doctors Without Borders, speaks out on our failing global responsibilities: “Nobody’s protesting.”

On his first trip back to Canada since leaving his Ottawa
post, Heyman sits down with OpenCanada, speaking openly on the “genius” of the
Trudeau team and what worries him about the state of U.S. politics.

At a talk in Toronto, Mexican and Canadian ministers came together for the first time since Trump was elected to remind the world that updating NAFTA is a good thing, and that free trade isn’t going anywhere.

While no concrete
steps were taken on NAFTA, Freeland’s meeting with Secretary of State Rex
Tillerson set a friendly but firm tone with her U.S. counterpart. 

While interactions with the new administration have so far
been positive ‘for the most part,’ Canada must now work to shape decisions on
hot files before the White House commits to actions that could damage both
countries, says diplomat David MacNaughton. 

A new collection of essays looks at how Stephen
Harper conducted foreign policy under both minority and majority governments.
Catherine Tsalikis speaks to one of its editors to find out what they learned.

The former journalist,
who found success with CETA as trade minister and is barred from Russia, replaced Stéphane Dion
this week. Here are five things to know about her.

From a new chief diplomat at the UN to Britain’s invoking of
Article 50, here are our top 10 events for globally minded Canadians to look
out for in 2017.

With the release of his new book, Fahmy speaks to OpenCanada
on the many shades of the word ‘terrorist,’ how Al Jazeera kept him in the dark
and why he is calling for a ‘Protection Charter’ for Canadians abroad. 

In her award-winning book, Deborah Campbell
recounts the months she spent looking for her missing fixer in
Damascus. She speaks with OpenCanada about her search, the
Syrian conflict and the problems plaguing today’s foreign news coverage.    

From improved
relations with the U.S. to the “black eye” the Saudi arms deal represents, we
take a comprehensive look at the Trudeau government’s foreign policy challenges
and successes over the past 12 months.

The Australian Institute of International Affairs’ National
Executive Director reflects on the role of think tanks, the importance of
addressing inequality in society, and what lessons other countries should take
from the Canadian and Australian responses to the refugee crisis.  

As pockets of
discontent flourish around the world and information is shared at a rapid pace,
what is the role of think tanks today? OpenCanada’s Catherine Tsalikis reports
from the Global Think Tank Summit in Montreal.

Filmmaker and author
Alexandre Trudeau on his family’s fascination with China, the state of Chinese-Canadian
relations under his brother’s government, and why, when it comes to human
rights, his hardest demands are reserved for his own country.

Former UN Special Adviser Jennifer Welsh on the importance of refugee burden-sharing, how pluralism and equality go hand in hand, and how Francis Fukuyama’s ‘end of history’ may not have been the end, after all. 

International human rights lawyer and activist Georgette
Gagnon spent five years in Afghanistan and saw first-hand the contribution made
by Canadians. Here she shares her takeaways from her time as director of human
rights for the UN in Afghanistan.

‘We will continue to build relationships with
both parties,’ Trudeau responds, as referendum results prompt predictions of
dramatic regional change.

As Graham releases his
political memoir, The Call of the World,
he reflects on the 2003 decision not to join the U.S. in Iraq, what he
learned from Libya and how today’s world poses different challenges for the
current Canadian government.   

The Arab Spring didn’t birth the political revolution many
had hoped for. But as Bessma Momani discovered while researching her new
book, youth in the Middle East are now spurring a social and cultural shift.

Toronto-based
Khan discusses next steps following the WHO’s emergency declaration, whether the
virus could eventually head north and lessons from the Ebola outbreak.

As the UN Sustainable Development Goals come into effect, the authors of a new CIPS report on “global sustainable development” explain how the world’s challenges are truly global and what Canada can do to tackle them. 

OpenCanada speaks with the New York Times correspondent
ahead of his visit to Canada this week: “When I’m on an assignment, I try and
do description, not prescription.”    

As 2015 winds down, mark your calendars with this mix of upcoming events slated for Canada, North America and the international community.

With a change of government
and a wave of global events, this was a significant year for Canada. Here are
10 moments you won’t want to forget.

The Canadian filmmaker discusses the inspiration behind her latest project, Beeba Boys, and how far gangsters will go to fit in and “be seen.”

An interview with economist Dambisa Moyo on the state of inequality and the solutions in our midst.

The director of An Inconvenient Truth and Waiting for Superman spent 18 months with Malala Yousafzai and her family.  His resulting new film tells the story of one ordinary girl who faced extraordinary choices.

With real problems plaguing lower income Canadians, why has this election campaign focused so much on the middle class?