The world sees that Russia is engaged in war crimes. U.S. President Joe Biden continues to insist that at this point in time, the accusation cannot be made.

By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on March 7, 2022.

OTTAWA—American President Joe Biden is a political survivor. But that comes with its own challenges.

As a member of Congress, he was able to work both sides of the aisle and build bi-partisan legislation.

But in the world of war there are no bi-partisans. And that is the problem he is facing as European leaders push the envelope while Biden keeps trying to find compromise.

The world sees that Russia is engaged in war crimes. Biden continues to insist that at this point in time, the accusation cannot be made.

Perhaps the deadliest political moment was the American offer to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to flee the Ukrainian capital. His retort will go down in history. “The fight is here; I need anti-tank ammo, not a ride.”

While British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is well-known for bombast, in this instance, bombast works.

A psychopathic bully like Vladimir Putin will only respond to force. The notion that soft words are a path to peace rings hollow.

While the Ukrainian people literally fight for their lives, the American president seems strangely detached.

He still has a chance to turn it around, but it better happen quickly. While Russian bombs are targeting childcare centres and hospitals, it is time for NATO to declare and enforce a no-fly zone over the Ukraine.

Of course, this will be viewed as an act of war by Putin, but he is banking on the fact that his opponents will be afraid to unleash his ire with a direct act inside Ukrainian borders.

But it will push him back and stem the bleeding that is currently happening inside the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

An opportunity to push Putin back will also allow time for international financial sanctions to bite deeper into his pocket and those of his friends and allies.

Only a week ago, the German government said no to offering more weapons and closing down SWIFT to Russian banks.

In a stunning reversal, the Germans are leading the charge in ways to frustrate Putin’s war.

That response was prompted by public horror at what was happening in the Ukraine. And as more pictures of maimed and murdered women and children emerge, the international horror will only mount.

So why doesn’t Biden lead the charge instead of appearing to play follow the European leader?

In the same way that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a peacemaker by nature, Biden’s first instinct is to find a diplomatic way out.

Putin keeps saying that he is ready for a diplomatic solution, but actions speak louder than words.

In Canada, the war cabinet is looking very strong. With the Ukrainian roots of the deputy prime minister, it is obvious to all that Chrystia Freeland is personally invested in saving her family’s homeland.

As finance minister, she also has the tools to cut off the money supply to the murderers. Freeland has been working incessantly to bring her European partners onside for deeper and stronger financial sanctions.

Defence Minister Anita Anand has also risen to the occasion, appearing composed and knowledgeable on the military deployment and arms procurement process for the effort.

With Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly rounding out the triumvirate, it is the first time in Canadian history that three women have led an international war effort on behalf of our country. These women are also potential successors to the prime minister. Despite that internal competition, they all appear to be working well in tandem.

The huge Ukrainian diaspora in Canada is also politically important for the government.

Canada boasts the largest community of Ukrainians outside the Ukraine. Their high level of political involvement makes them very important to any party that hopes to form government.

In the Greater Toronto Area, Ukrainians can make the difference in several ridings in west Toronto, Mississauga, and Hamilton.

Likewise, Winnipeg and Edmonton have strong Ukrainian ties and the community is not only working to promote government action but many are returning to Ukraine to join the battle for the homeland.

The world of sport is also stepping up to the plate, with international federations cancelling events in Russia and tossing their teams from global competition.

The world is definitely ahead of the NATO politicians.

But that gives Biden the chance to follow his finely honed political instincts and build back some political support.

The more Putin is isolated, the easier it will be for NATO to provide real support to the Ukrainian people.

The no-fly zone is the only way to stop this insanity.

Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.

For the first time in the history of Canada, we have women in the majority of the top spots in government. From foreign affairs, to finance, from the deputy prime minister, to defence, the face of the government is decidedly feminist.

By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on November 15, 2021.

OTTAWA—If ever in doubt, Justin Trudeau proved his feminist credentials in the crafting of his new cabinet.

For the first time in the history of Canada, we have women in the majority of the top spots in government. From foreign affairs, to finance, from the deputy prime minister, to defence, the face of the government is decidedly feminist.

The minister of families, children, and social development has been assigned to pull off the biggest job of all—a national childcare system, is herself the first cabinet minister to have a child while in office.

In the back room, the prime minister’s chief of staff is a woman, perhaps one of the reasons for this phalanx of women in power, the likes of which this country has never witnessed before.

Not only do we have strong women.

They are also self-described feminists, who would not roll back the hard-fought gains that women have achieved in reproductive rights and gender equality.

The same cannot be said of the females at the forefront of the official opposition. The most prominent women in Erin O’Toole’s party right now are those who want to eliminate protection against the spread of the corona virus by refusing to make vaccinations mandatory.

Most post-cabinet commentary has been focused on Trudeau’s male picks, especially the oilpatch-driven campaign launched against Steven Guilbeault.

Guilbeault seems to be getting the same negative attention that was visited on another very successful environment minister, Catherine McKenna.

For some reason, vitriolic criticism of Guilbeault discounts the fact that the world is moving in a new direction and attacks targeting a single Canadian minister will not change that.

The outcome at Glasgow showed us that the world is moving away from fossil fuels and Canada cannot stand alone in ignoring the global challenges of climate change. That is one of Trudeau’s primary commitments, along with a national childcare plan.

Given that Trudeau is currently in his third term of government, he may decide to fulfill his promises and retire. That will put the Liberals into a leadership convention.

With so many qualified women in cabinet, Canada may finally elect a woman prime minister.

Obviously, the outcome of the next parliamentary session will be key in deciding which of the ministers will rise to the top.

At the moment, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is the definite front-runner. But by remaining in finance, she runs the risk of owning the bulk of criticism about the government’s COVID spending rollout.

And with critic Pierre Poilievre nipping at her heels, she has an effective, albeit annoying, opponent to underscore any tiny mistake.

Defence Minister Anita Anand must tackle the seemingly intractable challenge of sexism in the armed forces. If she proves capable of wrestling this problem to the ground, she too would be a potential candidate for leadership.

Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly is a telegenic communicator who could also prove just how much depth she has in her new post.

Karina Gould, tasked with the challenge of delivering the country’s national childcare plan, is also a potential future candidate.

With all of the foregoing, Trudeau deserves credit for the confidence he has placed in highly qualified women. Not only has he pledged and delivered on cabinet parity. He has made sure that women in cabinet are in highly visible and responsible positions, enhancing their status and underscoring their leadership capabilities.

In the end, the prime minister’s greatest legacy may actually be his commitment to pave the way for real equality in Canadian federal politics.

Right to the top.

Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.

Quebecers will band together to promote French and governments need to have their back. But not at the expense of francophones in the rest of Canada.

By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on February 22, 2021.

Economic Development and Official Languages Minister Melanie Joly’s white paper on official languages has not even been released and already the opposition parties are lining up against it.

In a speech in November, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole accused the Liberals of refusing “to protect French in Quebec because they did not want to harm linguistic minorities in other parts of the country.”

O’Toole went on to claim media pundits were acting in bad faith by comparing the anglophone minority in Quebec to francophones outside Quebec. He claimed that was a “false equivalency.”

To that end, the Conservative party under his leadership is vowing to apply Quebec’s Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses in that province.

On the face of it, that does not seem like a big deal.

But by adopting a provincial language law, the federal government would be throwing millions of francophones outside Quebec under the bus.

If one province is successful in ensuring that its language laws can also override federal jurisdiction, it won’t be long before anti-French campaigns in other parts of the country close down schools and services that are currently funded, in part, by federal language policy and laws.

Joly is treading on very dangerous ground with this white paper, because all opposition parties are lining up to turn it into an anti-French attack by the Laurentian Liberals on la belle province.

The moribund Bloc is dying for an opportunity to drive a wedge into the relationship between francophones and anglophones in the country.

A language war is the only way to convince nationalist Quebecers that supporting the sovereigntists in an election is not a lost cause.

The Tories are trying to re-establish themselves as the party of the Union Nationale and the old Progressive Conservatives, when federal election victories were always dependent on support from Quebec nationalists.

As for the New Democratic Party, it has already thrown its lot in with the separatists. The Sherbrooke Declaration, which was a fairly calculated move by Tom Mulcair and Jack Layton to attract Quebecers, would basically give Canada away with a referendum vote of a simple majority.

Jagmeet Singh has already endorsed the declaration, and the last campaign solidified his attachment to separation, when his Quebec members moved away from their support for social democracy and focussed instead on sovereignty and the right to separate.

Even with that carrot, the party bled votes in Quebec, but when it comes to language laws, the Liberals will be alone in their support for a federal language policy that could apply across the country.

Already the Quebec National Assembly has moved unanimously to support the position of the government that all Quebecers and all services, should be governed by provincial language laws only.

The newly minted provincial Liberal leader followed in the footsteps of her predecessors by falling in line on Bill 101 without even bothering to suggest a single amendment.

That is not surprising as it is common knowledge in Quebec political circles that most provincial Liberals are actually federal Tories. That is why former Quebec premier Jean Charest moved with ease between the two parties at the federal and provincial level.

But if the white paper content and rollout is not properly managed, the Liberals could back themselves into a corner in strategically vote-rich Quebec.

If Quebecers feel attacked, they will immediately band together and vote en masse. And that capacity to vote collectively could change the outcome of the election.

That is why Quebec-born Erin O’Toole was out early on his party’s position on Bill 101. He knows this could play very well in certain parts of the province that he desperately needs to form government.

The white paper may succeed in lowering the temperature, which is what the Liberals need to kill a divisive language issue on the eve of an election.

Joly has excellent communication skills in both official languages, but as she discovered on the Netflix file, the devil is in the details.

You can rest assured the Prime Minister’s Office will be combing through details of the document, looking for potential pitfalls.

The Liberals have already taken a beating in Quebec on the decision to grandfather possession of military assault rifles and defer to municipalities on the decision to ban handguns.

That won’t be too damaging because the other parties do not want a legislative gun battle.

But language is a different story.

Quebecers will band together to promote French and governments need to have their back. But not at the expense of francophones in the rest of Canada.

Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.

By SHEILA COPPS

First published on Monday, October 2, 2017 in The Hill Times.

OTTAWA—Canada’s culture wars will never end. Nor should they.

Heritage Minister Melanie Joly struck the right tone Thursday when she set out a plan to increase content on multiple platforms without imposing new taxes.

The last thing the Liberals need these days is to open another tax front while Finance Minister Bill Morneau is busy garnering front-page headlines on that file.

And Netflix has been embraced by Canadians as their go-to platform of choice when it comes to sassy, critically acclaimed cinema that crosses all genres. The newly announced deal will actually put more Canadian bums in virtual seats, which is ultimately the goal of any culture minister.

Critics argue that Canada should follow the French and British example by introducing on tax on the international streaming giant.

Some say $500-million over five years is peanuts when you look at the $6-billion annual world production budget of Netflix.

But Joly’s partnership will vault the company to a place of prominence in Canadian cultural investments. And the initial dollars could grow once Netflix establishes a beachhead in Canada.

Anytime a politician can increase cultural funding agreement by $100-million a year, it is a win-win for all concerned.

After all, the origins of the Canada Media Fund were voluntary. The original Canada Television Fund, was established by the government in concert with funding from cable and satellite providers. It replaced the cable fund, which voluntarily financed additional television content in return for a distribution monopoly.

Over time, demand for content creation grew and when the Liberal government created the CTF back in the nineties, it topped up growing private-sector funding with $100-million in public monies.

Meanwhile, new satellite entrants negotiated various “voluntary” contributions in return for licence approvals. The Bell Fund is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and has contributed $200-million in financing for Canadian media productions.

Netflix was not the first content provider to decide to make voluntary contributions nor will it be the last. At the end of the day, the carrot is always better than the stick and government always has the option to tax,

The Netflix decision to set up a production facility in Canada will also mean more Canadians will find jobs on the creative side, which is certainly a plus for our economy.

The beauty of Canada’s voluntary contribution model, is that it enhances the opportunity for multiple project funding sources, with most of the money going to small and medium-sized producers focused on Canadian content in costly areas of television like drama, and documentaries.

Unlike the tax credit system, which is calculated by how many Canadians are actually employed in a production, the Media Fund focuses on supporting content creation for multiple platforms and targeted communities.

To date, the fund has financed 108 aboriginal productions, and also works to support regional and official language minority language filmmakers.

In its heyday, the previous fund was the single most successful job generator of any government program. For every dollar invested by the taxpayer, $7 of additional creative sector funding followed, and cultural jobs rapidly became the fastest growing job sector for young people.

Joly has widened her reach and the partnership with Netflix will certainly be used as an example to get other international media giants, including Google and Facebook to the Canadian cultural table.

The establishment of a new Creative Industries Council which Joly will co-chair with Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains, will focus more government attention on the value of creative investments.

Last week’s announcement may not be embraced by all, but it is a far cry from the days of the previous Conservative government when the dirty word of Canadian culture did not pass the budgetary lips of a single finance minister for years.

The minister’s promised retooling of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is also long overdue. During Tory times, at least one board member simply refused to even attend meetings and most were chosen to downsize the place.

In the world of international cultural content, it is about time the CBC broadened its mandate, and worked directly with Radio Canada International to establish a Canadian presence on the world stage.

The British Broadcasting Corporation has spread its wings worldwide. There is no reason the CBC cannot do the same.

And with the first stop on the minister’s cultural roadmap already logged, the timing could not be better.

CBC and Netflix could be a powerful Cancon combination. And creators will welcome an international Netflix platform.

Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.