Mike Blanchfield
National Observer
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Past articles by Mike:
Canada sanctions Russian oligarch Abramovich as Trudeau leaves Europe amid war
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced new sanctions on Friday, March 11, 2022, against Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, a major shareholder in Evraz, a British multinational manufacturing company that operates a steel mill in Regina. → Read More
How Canadian police moved in calmly and forcefully on Ottawa anti-vax-mandate protestors
Police officers donned helmets, wielded batons and deployed pepper spray in downtown Ottawa on Saturday, February 19, 2022, as they tried to clear out protesters putting up what the city's interim police chief described as a "barrage of resistance" to ending their illegal occupation of the national capital. → Read More
Canada pushing for UN Security Council seat during COVID-19 crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic ended the secret handshakes and deal-making in the world's power corridors, but Canada's campaign for a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council is full steam ahead. → Read More
Science not disinformation needed in COVID-19 fight: Champagne
Canada and its G7 counterparts are concerned about the spread of disinformation in the COVID-19 fight, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said on Thursday, March 26, 2020, stressing the need for a co-ordinated world response based on science. → Read More
Ex-Obama envoy Heyman details 'ice age' with Harper over Keystone pipeline
Barack Obama's former envoy to Ottawa has pulled back the veil on how the previous Conservative government of Stephen Harper froze him out over the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. → Read More
Huawei not only firm that could build Canada's eventual 5G networks: Liberals
A pair of federal cabinet ministers said Monday that Chinese telecom giant Huawei isn't the only company that can build Canada's next-generation wireless networks, as China muted its threat to retaliate if Canada bans the company. → Read More
Tornado aftermath: 'devastating'
Throughout the Canadian capital region, shaken residents began returning to some of the hardest hit areas, taking stock of what was lost and trying to figure out what remained. For those facing uninhabitable destruction, police, firefighters and other emergency workers were helping them recover important documents, including identification. → Read More
U.S. procurement demand on Canada, Mexico fading from NAFTA: sources
The United States has backed away from its contentious demands for lucrative procurement projects in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, The Canadian Press has learned. → Read More
Trump assails Canadian tariffs, accuses people of smuggling U.S. goods home
While Donald Trump launched his latest tirade against the familiar Canadian targets of tariffs and dairy, nervous opposition MPs demanded answers on how to defend against the president's next expected attack — potentially crippling auto tariffs. → Read More
Trump's tirade sparks calls for calm, promises of support for Trudeau
Leaders from across Canada's political spectrum voiced their support on Sunday, June 10, 2018, for free trade and opposition to U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum while denouncing the Trump administration's unprecedented attacks on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. → Read More
Combat 'vile' material faster and better, or else, G7 tells internet companies
Canada and it G7 partners warned the world's biggest internet companies on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, to do a better job of deleting "vile" material from their platforms and dangled the threat of forcing them if they fall short. → Read More
Ukraine foreign minister warns G7 of Russian threats to western democracy
Russia is using Ukraine as a test ground for its information war against Western democracy, Ukraine's foreign minister told G7 ministers meeting here on Sunday, April 22, 2018. → Read More
Nobel winner Suu Kyi not above reproach in Rohingya crisis: Rae
Bob Rae says no Myanmar politician, including Nobel laureate and honorary Canadian citizen Aung San Suu Kyi, is above a potential investigation by the International Criminal Court of possible war crimes in her country. → Read More
Liberals urged to tackle killer robots at G7 as part of AI innovation push
The Trudeau government is facing pressure on several fronts to lead an international ban on the use of autonomous weapons, the so-called "killer robots" that some fear could result from artificial intelligence run amok. → Read More
Canada abstains from UN vote on Trump's move to relocate embassy to Jerusalem
Canada abstained from a contentious United Nations vote on Thursday, December 21, 2017, that delivered a resounding rebuke to Donald Trump over his decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. → Read More
Canada seeks U.S. buy-in on ocean protection as part of G7 climate initiative
Trudeau formally launched Canada’s G7 presidency on Thursday with a live Facebook event and said Canada will make preservation of the world’s oceans a major agenda item. → Read More
Trudeau says trade with China an answer to rising populism
Pursuing free trade with China and preserving the North American Free Trade Agreement are part of Canada's international mission to combat the rising tide of populism, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday. → Read More
Trade minister to press China on jailed Canadians during Trudeau trip
International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says during a trip to China he plans to raise the case of two Canadian winery owners from British Columbia who have been held by Chinese authorities because of a customs dispute. → Read More
RCMP document targeting Muslims sparks criticism of Liberal asylum management
The emergence of an RCMP questionnaire targeting Muslim asylum seekers in Quebec sparked criticism Thursday that the Liberal government mismanaged last summer's massive flow of migrants from the U.S. → Read More
The art of not getting a deal: Trump tactics seen as way to kill NAFTA
A consensus is growing that a series of untenable U.S. bargaining positions is part of simple plan by U.S. President Donald Trump to lay the groundwork so he can walk away from the NAFTA trade pact. → Read More