Retired Canadian Foreign Service officer. Former Ambassador to Ukraine, Jordan. RWG Gavel 1995-2000. Occasional commentator on Middle East & Ukraine/Russia.

Ottawa
Joined December 2012
1979 Electoral promise by (future PM) Joe Clark to move Canadian Embassy to Jerusalem led instead to Cdn recognition of need to open dialogue with PLO via Cdn Embassy in Beirut. How did it work out? Decide for yourself. tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1…
Happy to announce that my article on Canada's dialogue with the PLO and Canada's decision  to support the principle of Palestinian self-determination will be appearing soon in the Canadian Foreign Policy Journal. Details to follow.
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The UK’s recent moves toward sanctioning Israel have opened a window of opportunity for Canada to take meaningful action. But these measures will not happen without pressure. Canada must impose comprehensive sanctions on Israel and take action to uphold Palestinian rights and international law. Canada must impose comprehensive sanctions on Israel and uphold Palestinian rights and international law. Make your voice heard and join us in the fight for sanctions against Israel! #SanctionIsraelNow actionnetwork.org/forms/sanc…
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"What the Palestinian public offers is a desire and readiness for a real end to conflict. The question at hand is not whether Israel has a partner for peace. It is whether the Palestinians have one." The results of Israel’s election on October 27 may help answer this question.
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If NATO wants Russia to take the alliance seriously, they should announce a NATO air defense mission to intercept Russian drones and missiles over western Ukraine, while making clear that this step is a direct response to increasing Russian violations of NATO airspace. The Kremlin's campaign of gray zone aggression will continue to escalate until Putin encounters genuine costs atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/uk…
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When asked if Canada will allow ICC fugitive Netanyahu to fly through Canadian airspace en route to the UN in New York, Minister @AnitaAnandMP says that she has “asked her department” for information related to this flyover and that “our position is to respect decisions of international courts.” We once again call on Canada to explicitly deny diplomatic clearance to Netanyahu and close the airspace to his plane. Canada must stop giving safe passage to war criminals.
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Andrew Robinson retweeted
I....don't know what prompted this from the president today, but StatCan reported JUST this morning that in the past year, Canada experienced its slowest population growth since 1916. The country's population is essentially stalled right now.
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My first piece for @TheHillTimes is about a letter CIJA and Bnai Brith wrote to the board of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, making slanderous comments about me in order to try and denigrate the CEO of the museum.
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Does Canada do any uranium enrichment, or are we entirely dependent on others. If the latter, time to start.
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So many good articles in today's @globeandmail about Canada-USA trade issues. Lots of references to tariff retaliation but I did not see a single mention of possibility of export taxes or restrictions on Canadian energy exports. Is this an agreed non-starter? If so, why?
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Andrew Robinson retweeted
The sheer number of lies from President Trump about Canada – growing again today – is remarkable. Just some fact checks from the last 18 months: - Trump falsely said today that Canada's unemployment rate is "10% and rapidly rising,” though it is 6.4% (under the Canadian method that adds about a percentage point) and has been declining for three months - Trump falsely said today that Canada does 95% of its business with the US, though 72% of Canadian exports went to the US last year - Trump falsely said today that high Canadian agricultural tariffs have caused the entire US trade deficit with Canada, though that deficit is overwhelmingly caused by US imports of cheap Canadian crude and though something like 97% of US ag exports to Canada are tariff-free - Trump has falsely said Canada generally doesn’t “take” US agricultural exports, though Canada is the world’s second-biggest buyer of those exports - Trump has falsely said the Canadian public likes the idea of becoming the 51st state, which the Canadian public overwhelmingly opposes - Trump has falsely said Canada is one of the world’s highest-tariff countries, though it is actually low in WTO global rankings - Trump has falsely said Canada essentially doesn't have a military, though its military has fought with the US in multiple wars and its force size ranks in the upper half of NATO - Trump has falsely said Canada hiked its dairy tariffs during the Biden administration, though they hadn’t changed since Trump’s first presidency - Trump has falsely said the US trade deficit with Canada is “$200 billion,” though it is nowhere close - Trump has falsely said Canada prohibits US banks, though it doesn't and though more than a dozen US banks were operating in Canada at the time he spoke - Trump has falsely said Canada is “constantly surrounded” by Chinese and Russian ships, though that is fiction - Trump has falsely said then-outgoing PM Trudeau was using their trade battle to run again for prime minister, though Trudeau obviously wasn’t running
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Russia must be held accountable for its actions. Canada stands firmly with the people of Ukraine and will continue to support Ukraine in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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US president, Ronald Reagan, and Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, in 1988. Later that year, Reagan said: “Our peaceful trading partners are not our enemies; they are our allies. We should beware of the demagogs who are ready to declare a trade war against our friends—weakening our economy, our national security, and the entire free world—all while cynically waving the American flag."
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Extremely well said, as always @AmiraElghawaby.
City of Ottawa mayoral candidate Neil Saravanamuttoo is under attack for speaking out against genocide in Gaza. He’s simply showing the moral courage we all need from our elected leaders. Gaza has become the litmus test for anyone who claims to care about human rights and justice — even at the city level.
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Andrew Robinson retweeted
Replying to @brianlilley
Also US wanted to remove the requirement to have French on all packaging coming in to Canada as per Bill 96.....
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This was the most interesting part of Carney's appearance this morning. Asked what changes the Americans made that were unacceptable, he gave a clear and direct answer with concrete examples. This was not a deal any PM should have signed with those auto tariffs on trucks.
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“we’ve recognized from the start that america has changed. we recognize that sometimes its signature is written in pencil.” - canada pm mark carney
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I have always respected and admired @BobRae48 but never more than today after listening to this interview about the challenges of and to the present international environment caused by a totally unreliable world power.
History of the Present host Brian Daitzman sits down with Canada’s former UN Ambassador @BobRae48 on Trump’s “51st state” threats and whether Canada can still trust its closest ally. xitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1MKgNbzEP…
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Our government talks about Canadian values on the world stage, but we need it to act with moral clarity when it matters. It’s long past time to cancel the Canada-Israel free trade agreement, issue sanctions, and use every diplomatic tool at our disposal to rein in this rogue state. Anything less is a green light for Israel to continue killing civilians with impunity.
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Andrew Robinson retweeted
Spain deplores the announcement of sanctions against two senior officials of the @IntlCrimCourt. International courts must exercise their functions independently and free from interference. Spain will continue to support the ICC. 🔗exteriores.gob.es/en/Comunic…
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Why is the Canadian Olympic Committee silent on Russia’s reinstatement? Help us break the COC’s silence – click here to find out more: buff.ly/47qe1cS
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