Canada’s minister of international trade, Peter Van Loan, was busy courting the countries of the European Union (EU) while on a jaunt that took him to Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia. In a July 16 teleconference from the Romanian capital of Bucharest, Van Loan assured that he was taking every opportunity to remind “our European business partners the many advantages of doing business in Canada.”

Throughout his travels, the minister met with an array of government officials and business...

On the six-month anniversary of the devastating Haitian earthquake, the Canadian government addressed criticism that the international reconstruction project is moving at far too slow a pace.

In a joint news conference from Ottawa on July 12, federal cabinet ministers Lawrence Cannon, Jason Kenney and Beverley Oda deflected such disparaging commentary and insisted that progress in the rebuilding efforts is being realized.

Cannon told the press that he understands the frustration many Canadians harbour toward the grave situation still impacting...

On July 20, as upwards of 70 international delegations descended upon Kabul, the Afghan capital was transformed from a bustling market place to a deserted fortress. The occasion was the International Conference on Afghanistan, a collaborative effort by the Afghan government and the United Nations (UN).

Serving as a forum for “Kabul Process”, the one-day convention sought to highlight progress made towards realizing the priorities outlined by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in his 2009 inaugural address. The talks, however, also...

At a July 26 press conference, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon announced that the Canadian government would be imposing further sanctions against what is perceived as an increasingly hostile Iranian government.

These newest sanctions, effective immediately, aim to slow any further development of Iran’s nuclear, chemical, biological and missile proliferation.

While assuring that the “additional sanctions are in no way meant to harm or punish the Iranian people,” Cannon did say that the action is meant to send a strong...

On July 26, young drivers across Ontario woke up to a new zero-alcohol limit for the province’s roads.

Effective Aug. 1, the new law states that drivers aged 21 and under found registering any blood alcohol concentration level will automatically lose their license for 24 hours, possibly face an additional fine of $60 to $500 and suffer a 30 day license suspension.

To date, fully licensed Ontario drivers have been permitted to have small amounts of alcohol in their...

Speaking before a capacity crowd at Waterloo’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced two major government-supported science initiatives.

The Banting postdoctoral fellowship program is a $45 million, five-year commitment offering 70 grants to researchers in all fields of the sciences each year. The grants, which will provide successful applicants with $70,000 per year, are targeted at Canadian scientists as well as in an effort to draw international talent to research in Canada.

“We want to attract,...

The current president of The University of Waterloo, David Johnston, has been chosen to be Canada’s new Governor General. Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the appointment late Wednesday night, and CTV reports that the Queen has approved the decision. Johnston will take the position in September when Michaëlle Jean, who currently holds the position, completes her term.

Johnston, 69, who has been president of UW since 1999, was educated at Harvard, Cambridge and Queen’s University, holds an Order of Canada...

On June 28, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia to commence the 2010 Royal Tour.

The occasion marked the Queen of Canada’s 22nd visit to this country since her very first Royal Tour in 1957.

On July 5, in the final days of her trip, Queen Elizabeth will make a pit stop in Waterloo. Her visit to the city, which is expected to be just over an hour, is intended to highlight Canadian innovation and the...

TORONTO (CUP) — Saturday's anti-G20 protest culminated in over 500 arrests, after a mob numbering in the hundreds stormed downtown Toronto streets, smashed shop and bank windows and set police cruisers ablaze.

The riots were largely led by a group donning black clothing, goggles, bandannas and ski masks, who some news outlets are identifying as a black bloc group — a protest tactic in which participants aim to conceal their identity in order to carry out acts of violence. They...

TORONTO (CUP) — Stephen Davis was kicked, thrown against a wall and searched by five police officers near where hundreds of peaceful protesters were kettled in downtown Toronto during the G20 summit on June 27.

Davis, a reporter for the McGill Daily, said police accused him of participating in black bloc tactics — the same technique used by disguised rioters accused of burning police cars and damaging property the previous day.

He said he was carrying a camera, was wearing...

TORONTO (CUP) — While the G20 leaders have committed to halving their deficits by 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canada will meet this goal as early as next year.

At the summit's closing press conference on June 27, Harper announced that the G20 countries had agreed to Canada's agenda for making the global economy stable once again.

"As we strive to build strong, sustainable and balanced economies, that is the issue we have had to tackle head on," said...

Kitchener-Waterloo community present throughout weekend protests

After a chaotic weekend, during which a large number of individuals from the Kitchener-Waterloo community were involved in the G20 protests, stories and evidence of both destruction and compassion have begun to emerge.

The community had a large presence in Toronto during the demonstrations, with...

For most students, navigating student loans may be like navigating a minefield, blindfolded. In a recent report released by the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA), one in three students failed a financial aid literacy test that asked just seven basic questions about student loans.

While the necessary information is available to students, Alexi White, executive director for the Ontario Undergraduate Student Association (OUSA) and partner in the 2009 survey, explained that it is not presented in an easy-to-find and...