Diplomatica
Temporary visa versus refugee status reforms
The beginning of the 20th Century ushered in the increased need for global travellers to obtain a visa before entering another country for a temporary period. The visa is a means of pre-screening to ensure people who may be inadmissible for health, security or criminal reasons are prevented from arriving at a port of entry. […]
Zimbabwe has come a long way in 34 years
On April 18, Zimbabwe will mark its 34th year of independence. This year’s independence anniversary comes alongside a number of key national developments, including a new constitution and free and fair harmonized elections held in July 2013. The election, won by the Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front [ZANU (PF)] party, was endorsed by […]
Enhancing Canada-Japan economic relations
Canada and Japan have long enjoyed complementary economic relations, each specializing in products for which the other has a strategic need. Canada is rich in natural resources and yields a multitude of agricultural products of which Japan is a major importer. Meanwhile, Japan has developed cutting-edge manufacturing technologies and exports a variety of manufactured products […]
Myanmar: A new frontier of trade and investment for Canadian business
Over the past two years, soon after Myanmar embarked on the path of democratic transformation and economic reforms, many positive and significant developments have taken place in Myanmar-Canada bilateral relations. The year 2012, in particular, ushered in a new relationship between the two countries. Foreign Minister John Baird was the first Canadian foreign minister to […]
Ireland and Canada: Historic ties in a modern relationship
Five hundred years ago, fishermen from Ireland sailed west to fish cod off the banks of Newfoundland. In time, a vibrant trade relationship began, and by the late 17th Century, merchants in Ireland were exporting supplies such as pork, butter and beef to support the migratory transatlantic fishery. Eventually, many of those fishermen and traders […]
For the love of Bach
The Ottawa Bach Choir is an Ottawa institution but it’s just as cherished by German transplants in the city, and it has its fans in other quarters of the diplomatic corps as well. “The Germans are very supportive of us,” explains Lisette Canton, founder and artistic director of the choir. “We’re the Ottawa Bach Choir, […]
Aga Khan Foundation: Bringing world-class health care to hard-to-reach communities
The lush hills of Tanzania’s Uluguru mountain range have many things to offer: 100 plant species found nowhere else in the world, a forest-capped peak towering at 2,630 metres high and rushing rivers that form the main source of water for the urban population of Dar es Salaam. But there is one feature strikingly absent […]
Irwin Cotler: Human rights crusader retires as MP
Irwin Cotler, who has been called the “pre-eminent voice in the fight against oppression,” is retiring after 16 years as an MP, a job he didn’t really want, at least in the beginning. As the tireless crusader for human rights, freedom and democracy, tells Diplomat’s editor, Jennifer Campbell, he has no plans to change his […]
The heavy price of corruption for democracy
There is a story — apocryphal perhaps — that used to make the rounds in Turkish political circles. When he was the mayor of Istanbul, Turkey’s current prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was paid a visit by some of the country’s leading businessmen about a major construction project. At the end of the meeting, […]
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