The #cdnfp Twitterati: Who We’d Love To See Start Tweeting

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11 January, 2013

By: OpenCanada Staff

Mark Carney

Governor of the Bank of Canada

Carney is one of Canada’s most respected leaders, here at home and around the world. Canadians would love to follow his international financial moves more closely, especially after he shifts across the pond.

Fen Hampson

Distinguished Fellow and Director of the Global Security research program, CIGI

A frequent commentator on Canadian foreign policy, Hampson is right at the heart of #cdnfp. From his vantage point, we’re sure he’d bring a unique view to the table.

Jonathan Hausman

Co-chair, Munk School of Global Affairs

Now that the Munk School is back on Twitter, we’d like more of its experts to come online and weigh in on Canadian foreign policy, particularly the economic side of things. Hausman’s voice would be a welcome addition.

Joseph K. Ingram

President and CEO, The North-South Institute

Mr. Ingram’s work has taken him from the World Bank to the WTO to CIDA. He is ideally positioned to share lessons learned over the course of a dedicated career in international development.

Brian Job

Director, Liu Institute for Global Issues

The Liu Institute is at the forefront of research on global issues, and Brian Job is the man at the helm. With a wealth of expertise on Asia-Pacific security issues, Job would have no shortage of material to tweet about.

Jeremy Kinsman

Former Ambassador to the European Union

A retired career diplomat, Kinsman has served Canada as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ambassador to the European Union. Witty, incisive, and engaging, we think Kinsman’s voice would carry well in the real-time repartee of twitter.

Stephen Lewis

Chair, The Stephen Lewis Foundation

One of Canada’s truly inspirational humanitarians, Stephen Lewis is known for passionately and elegantly articulating his views in speech and in print. We’d like to see him to do so on twitter as well.

David Malone

Rector, United Nations University (effective March 1, 2013)

A former Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations, Malone is the outgoing president of the Ottawa-based International Development Research Centre. An expert on international security and development, as well as Haiti, David Malone would be a valuable addition to the #cdnfp Twitterverse.

John Manley

President and CEO, Canadian Council of Chief Executives

One of our most well respected public figures, Manley’s political network keeps him plugged into the formation of Canadian policy, domestic and foreign. We’re sure his tweets would provide a fresh angle on our government’s activities.

Rohinton Medhora

President, Centre for International Governance Innovation

As the President of Canada’s preeminent research institution on global governance, Medhora is at the center of some of the most important debates on the future of the global economy. He could do much on twitter to help explain to Canadians what’s at stake.

Daniel Schwanen

Associate Vice President, Trade and International Policy, C.D. Howe Institute

Schwanen’s expertise on international trade and investment policy would be fuel for a fascinating twitter feed, as Canadians debate who should get to invest in our country, and which economies should be targeted by Canadian investors.

Janice Stein

Director, Munk School of Global Affairs

The Munk School’s global reach has expanded enormously, guided by Stein’s visionary leadership. Her own reach on twitter would be just as extensive, and so we’d like to see Stein use twitter to share her views on international issues.

Jennifer Welsh

Professor, University of Oxford

One of Canada’s most respected scholars of international relations, Welsh has fascinating views to share on everything from drone strikes and international law to the war in Syria. Fans of her work within Canada and abroad would jump at the chance to follow her.

Canadian foreign service officers

These are the men and women representing Canada abroad. We recognize they are restricted by requirements to stay on message, but we also think the future will be one where diplomats, having acknowledged the benefits of loosening up and engaging online, don’t shy away from genuine interaction. We want Canadian officials to lead this trend, not follow.

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At Open Canada, we believe this must change. If anything, the pandemic has taught us we can’t afford to ignore the changing world. What’s more, we believe, most Canadians don’t want to. Many of us, after all, come from somewhere else and have connections that reach around the world.

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