RCI | English : Interviews

As usual, he was right on the edge, but in the end he prevailed--pretty much like he always did on a baseball field.

Walker becomes the first position player from Canada ever to be elected to the Hall and the second Canadian, following pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, from Chatham, Ontario, who was voted in in 1991.

https://twitter.com/fergieajenkins/status/1219764866422136832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1219764866422136832&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rcinet.ca%2Fen%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D135793%26action%3Dedit

It was Walker's 10th and final chance to be voted in by the baseball writers and he barely made it above the minimum 75 per cent of the votes required, but he will now have a place to go during the last week of July every summer when members of the Hall of Fame gather to celebrate.

And that weekend will sit just fine for Walker, a man possessed with the ability--as was one of his mentors, Tim Wallach--to make everyone around him feel terrific.

Walker is greeted by his teammate, friend  and mentor Tim Wallach, left, after Walker hit a two-run home run in 1990. (Mary Butkus/Associated Press)

Walker, who was born and raised in British Columbia, first gained fame as a member of the Montreal Expos and was on the team in 1994, the year a work stoppage cost the team what everybody said was a legit shot to become World Series champions.

The team was dismantled the following spring, and Walker moved on to Colorado, where he excelled.

But the sensational numbers he put up were said to be tainted--at least by many HOF voters--because the thin mountain air allows a baseball to travel a whole lot further, so it wasn't a fair fight--or so the experts said.

But as the Sabermetrics guys proliferated across the game, so did new respect for Walker.

Gradually, people began to realize that playing in Colorado was not the piece of cake everybody thought it was.

And so, Walker, finally--and legitimately--has made it to Cooperstown.

About time, I say.

But I confess, I am prejudiced. I really, really like the guy.

Gregarious, generous, and a possessor of immaculate comic timing, he was someone you wanted to be around and last night he was feeling pretty good about life when he spoke to the CBC's Andrew Chang.

Never mind Hall of Fame Ballplayer, Walker's always been a Hall of Game Guy.

A mutual friend of ours is Richard Griffin, who is the director of baseball media for the Toronto Blue Jays, after being the top baseball writer and columnist for the Toronto Star.

Before that, Griffin was Expos media relations director, a job that saw him spend a lot of hours with Walker.

Griffin joined me by phone from his home in Toronto today to talk about Walker, the person, Walker, the ballplayer, and Walker, the Canadian.

ListenEN_Interview_4-20200122-WIE40

China has reported about 200 cases of a new coronavirus originating in the city of Wuhan  which has caused the deaths of six people so far.

It also is now reportedly spread from person to person, vastly increasing concerns.

The World Health Organisation is holding an emergency meeting in Geneva today to discuss potential courses of action to halt the spread as needed.

For more on this new disease we spoke with Dr. Dick Zoutman  He's an infectious disease specialist and professor at Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario and at the University of Toront, he was also chair of the scientific advisory committee on SARS.    He's currently chief of staff with the Scarborough Health Network.

ListenEN_Interview_1-20200121-WIE10

Its called a coronavirus due to its physical appearance when viewed under electron microscopes. Chinese authorities say it has now spread to other cities with over 200 new cases reported.  There is further concern about the spread as millions of Chinese are expected to travel as part of the Chinese Lunar new year holiday starting later this week

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Dick Zoutman of the Scarborough Health Network and the University of Toronto, and Queen's University (CBC)

Concern about this new infection is already being raised in effort to prevent another pandemic like the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak which also began in China in 2002. That resulted in over 8,000 casea and almost 800 deaths in 37 countries around the world.

Travellers pass by a health checkpoint before entering immigration at the international airport in Beijing last week. Other international airports and entry points have begun additional screening for visitors arriving from China or who display any of the flu-like symptoms (Ng Han Guan/Associated Press)

Although the new disease is of the same basic virus family and bears some similarity to the SARS virus, it is not the same. Over 200 new cases of the Wuhan virus have been reported in the past couple of days.

Dr. Zoutman notes that technology has greatly improved since then as have detection, intervention and prevention techniques.

On a personal level he says of greater concern to individuals for the moment is to prevent the spread of the flu, which can be done by regular hand washing (to prevent contact with the face) and getting a flu shot.

Additional information-sources

Associated Press (via CBC): Jan 20/20: China confirms human-to-human transmission of new coronavirus

Thomson-Reuters (via CBC): Jan 19/20: China reports sharp rise in new cases of pneumonia, 3rd death as coronavirus spreads

Reuters: Jan 19/20: As virus spreads to more Chinese cities, WHO calls emergency meeting

Welcome to Diplomatic Dispatch, a new podcast series by Radio Canada International.

My goal is to bring you insights into Canada’s foreign, defence and development policy.

I’ll discuss Canada’s global role through interviews with policy makers, former and serving diplomats and soldiers, academics and think tank experts, humanitarian workers, civil society activists and entrepreneurs recorded at the Summit on Canada’s Global Leadership in late November of 2019.

Robert Greenhill is executive chair of Global Canada (Photo courtesy of Global Canada).

The event was organized by the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC), the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development (CASID), the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH) and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI).

There I met with Robert Greenhill, executive chair of Global Canada and former president of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Greenhill says the minority Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needs to take a page from its recent defence policy and commit to serious increases in its international development budget.

"If you don't want a climate crisis become a catastrophe, we have to help developing countries leapfrog how they're doing energy," Greenhill says. "If we don't want to have the Zikas, the SARS, the Ebolas, as just being early examples of terrible pandemics in the future, we need to improve healthcare systems around the world.

"If we don't want to have Western Europe that is massively destabilized because of millions of irregular immigrants and refugees, we all have a vested interest to help places like the Sahel and others be able to take control of their own destiny in a more successful way."

This is Episode Five: A Marshall Plan for the 21st century

ListenEN_Interview_3-20200117-WIE30

Welcome to Diplomatic Dispatch, a new podcast series by Radio Canada International.

My goal is to bring you insights into Canada’s foreign, defence and development policy.

I’ll discuss Canada’s global role through interviews with policy makers, former and serving diplomats and soldiers, academics and think tank experts, humanitarian workers, civil society activists and entrepreneurs recorded at the Summit on Canada’s Global Leadership in late November of 2019.

Former Liberal cabinet minister and Canadian ambassador to the United Nations, Allan Rock, says the Trump administration presents Canada's greatest foreign policy challenge. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

The event was organized by the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC), the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development (CASID), the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH) and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI).

There I met with Allan Rock. He is a former Liberal cabinet minister and also served as Canada's ambassador to the United Nations after leaving federal politics, as well as president and vice-chancellor of the University of Ottawa.

He says the possible re-election of President Donald Trump for another term in 2020 would present the greatest challenge for Canadian foreign policy.

"The decision that is going to have the biggest impact on Canada's foreign policy is not going to be made by Canadians, it's going to be made by Americans," Rock says. "If he [Trump] continues in power, after the election of November 2020, we're going to have to think very carefully how we're going to survive that.

"And if he doesn't, we're going to have to think very carefully how we're going to rebuild and restore, and recover from these awful years."

This is Episode 4: The Trump challenge

ListenEN_Interview_3-20200116-WIE30

A new book is being released called “From the Depths of Our Hearts”. It’s sparked a bit of controversy within the Roman Catholic church.

It seems to push a conservative message about celibacy, and includes an essay by retired Pope Benedict who has asked to have his name removed as co-author.

Micheal Swan is associate editor of The Catholic Register which lists itself as “Canada’s Catholic news source since 1893”

ListenEN_Interview_1-20200116-WIE10

While the book supports the idea of celibacy, the bigger controversy seems to swirl around the retired Pope Benedict’s apparent interference in Pope Francis’s policies.

Michael Swan, associate editor of Canada's "The Catholic Register" news

According to Swan, it seems the former Pope was unaware of how a “personal” opinion was to be used, and given a degree of papal authority in the book. This was against his own expression that he would not interfere and hence the call to have his name removed.

The book which is causing a stir within the Roman Catholic church (Ignatius Press)

Part of the controversy seems to be over the idea of extending the priesthood to married deacons in the Amazon to fill a need for priests there to perform the full Catholic rites. Theoretically this  “married” extension might someday apply to Canada’s far north and other remote areas for the same reasons.

The other issue here says Swan, seems to be a desire by the conservative elements of the Church, backed by big money, to push their message and create some degree of discomfort with the current Pope. This he says is with a view to influence Cardinals in their choice of the next Pope which this element hopes would be a more traditional one.

Additional information

Catholic News Agency: Jan 14/20: From the Depths of Our Hearts - Latest News

Catholic World Report: Jan 12/20: Pope Emeritus Benedict, Cardinal Sarah author new book on priesthood, celibacy

Welcome to Diplomatic Dispatch, a new podcast series by Radio Canada International.

My goal is to bring you insights into Canada’s foreign, defence and development policy.

I’ll discuss Canada’s global role through interviews with policy makers, former and serving diplomats and soldiers, academics and think tank experts, humanitarian workers, civil society activists and entrepreneurs.

Kate Grantham is an international development consultant and vice president of the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development. (Photo courtesy of Kate Grantham)

In June of 2017, the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled its feminist foreign and development policy. But what is at the core of that policy? And has Canada put its money where its mouth is when it comes to upholding the principles unveiled in that policy? Does that policy need to change and if yes, how? What should be Canada's international development priorities?

These are all questions that I’m hoping to ask and try to answer in this podcast series. And my search for the answers began in Ottawa, at the Summit on Canada’s Global Leadership in late November of 2019.

The event was organized by the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC), the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development (CASID), the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH) and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI).

There I met with Kate Grantham. She's an international development consultant and vice president of the CASID.

This is Episode Three: The feminist perspective on Canada's foreign policy

ListenEN_Interview_3-20200115-WIE30

Welcome to Diplomatic Dispatch, a new podcast series by Radio Canada International.

My goal is to bring you insights into Canada’s foreign, defence and development policy.

I’ll discuss Canada’s global role through interviews with policy makers, former and serving diplomats and soldiers, academics and think tank experts, humanitarian workers, civil society activists and entrepreneurs.

Richard Fadden, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, appears at Senate national security and defence committee in Ottawa on Apr. 27, 2015. (Sean Kilpatrick/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Canada needs to be “clear eyed” about its own place in the rapidly changing multipolar world and the security challenges presented by such “revisionist” adversaries as Russia and China, says a former spy chief and national security advisor to two prime ministers.

The world is undergoing fundamental change and Canada cannot rest on its laurels at a time of rising global threats, including the increasingly isolationist United States, dysfunctional Western allies and the emergence of China and Russia, cyber threats and terrorism, says Richard Fadden.

He is a former national security adviser to both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his predecessor, Stephen Harper.

I spoke with him at the Summit on Canada’s Global Leadership in Ottawa at the end of November in 2019.

The event was organized by the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC), the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development (CASID), the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH) and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI).

This is Episode Two: Foreign policy through the national security lens and does Canada need its own foreign intelligence service?

ListenEN_Interview_3-20200114-WIE30

Viewed by some as ‘too restrictive’, Canadian laws around medically assisted dying are under review.

The government is asking Canadians to submit their views on the laws and what might be changed.

Arthur Schafer is founding director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, and was a consultant on previous government discussions on the issue

ListenEN_Interview_1-20200114-WIE10

It’s called medical assistance in dying, and known by the acronym MAID.

Current laws are deemed too restrictive by some, and by a Quebec court which challenged the law as being unconstitutionally restrictive.

The law states that someone requesting MAID must be at least 18 years of age, suffereing from a grievous medical condition, suffer intolerable pain,  the condition is incurable, and are mentally competent to make the decision to end their life, and death is ‘reasonably forseeable’.  This latter is deemed very vague by most st

Professor Arthur Schafer (PhD) of the University of Manitoba

akeholders.

RCI: Feb 2019: Medically assisted dying in Canada: seeking better rules

There is a desire to make exceptions to the age limit for a category they would like to create called ‘mature minors’. This would be where the conditions apply but the minor is fully understanding the decision would be eligible.

There is also the issue of ‘competence’ which may exist at the time of gaining permission for MAID, but as the disease progresses that competence may be lost and currently the moment that happens, the eligibility disappears even though that is when the individual would seek the procedure. There is hope that a “pre-approval’ may be allowed so that the person may get MAID when they are no longer competent in a situation somewhat akin to a “do not resucitate’ directive.

The new law is likely to be proposed this year.

Additional information

Gov’t of Canada- consultation on MAID

CBC: C Cullen: Jan 13.20: Who should get a medically assisted death? Canadians get 2 weeks to weigh in on new limits

Welcome to Diplomatic Dispatch, a new podcast series by Radio Canada International.

My goal is to bring you insights into Canada’s foreign, defence and development policy.

I’ll discuss Canada’s global role through interviews with policy makers, former and serving diplomats and soldiers, academics and think tank experts, humanitarian workers, civil society activists and entrepreneurs.

Nicolas Moyer is the president and CEO of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation. (Nicolas Moyer)

What is Canada's foreign policy? How should Canada conduct its foreign policy? Who should conduct that policy? Should that policy change? And if yes, how? Who are Canada's allies and who are its foes? And what do we do with them?

These are all questions that I'm hoping to ask and try to answer in this podcast series. And my search for the answers began in Ottawa, at the Summit on Canada's Global Leadership in late November of 2019.

The event was organized by the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC), the Canadian Association for the Study of International Development (CASID), the Canadian Partnership for Women and Children’s Health (CanWaCH) and the Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI).

There I met with one of the principal organizers of the summit, Nicolas Moyer, president and CEO of the CCIC.

This is Episode One: Rethinking Canada’s foreign policy 

ListenEN_Report_3-20200113-WRE30

After initially denying they were at fault, Iran quickly backtracked saying the shot down the passenger jet by mistake?

But with modern sophisticated systems how could a large, slow moving, and climbing jetliner be mistaken for a “hostile” fighter jet or cruise missile?

James McKay (PhD) is a professor of political science at the Royal Military College in Kingston Ontario.

ListenEN_Interview_1-20200113-WIE10

There should have been several clear indications that PS752 was not hostile and was in fact a large passenger jet.

James McKay, political science professor at the Royal Military College of Canada. (supplied)

Strategists say a hostile craft would have been smaller, faster and travelling towards a potentially identifiable target on a probable level course with no identification. In this case, PS752 would have been on a Standard Instrument Departure (SID) had its identifying transponder on, ‘squawking’ an allocated IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) transponder code as a non-threat. As a radar passes over a plane the transponder is triggered to respond with a 4-digit code, while an additional selection on the radar unit can read altitude.

A TOR M1 Surface to air missile launcher, front radar folded down during movement. The missiles are launched out of the top of the vehicle (AP photo)

PS752 was relatively slow, and climbing away from the city -outbound- not inbound- on a known regular flight path..

So what went wrong?

So many possibilities.

Communications breakdown is likely along a system involving civilian aviation authorities, the regime leadership, the regular military, and the separate Revolutionary Guards military command which operates the missile system and going down through the lower levels of the Guards down to the missile battery and the crew of the particular launcher.

Iran had launched a missile attack on military bases in Iraq just hours before and McKay notes the Iranians were fearing American reprisal attacks. He says the crew of the launcher may have been shutting down their radar and communications periodically to prevent their location from being identified and becoming a target for anti-radiation missiles which seek and track radar emissions. This meant they may have missed critical information about passenger flights from the still operating airfield.

Radar track shows flights from Tehran airport showing PS 752 was on a standard flight path and climbing when  communication suddenly ended, two minutes after leaving the runway ( Flight24)

McKay also says the system “Identification friend or foe” (IFF) system may have had a malfunction but the direction of flight he says casts doubt on that.

He also says it may be a question of training of the Revolutionary Guards operating these deadly missiles. Also playing into the tragic equation may be an issue of crew fatigue affecting judgement, the force having been on high alert for up to several days.

While McKay says the case will be studied by military analysts in Iran and elsewhere in efforts to avoid such mistakes, and the civil aviation body may also rethink policy about operations in hostile or potentially hostile airspace, will this tragedy prevent anything like it in the future?

The TOR M1 is fitted with 9m330 missiles 2.4m tall. The missile contains about 15kg of explosive designed to spray metal shrapnel into the target aircraft. (Allocet-wiki commons)

There have already been previous cases .

On September 1, 1983, a Korean Airlines 747 accidentally strayed into Soviet airspace. Thinking it was a similar looking American spy-plane it was ordered shot down even though the jet interceptors closing in on it said it appeared not to be a spy-plane. Some 269 people died

In July 1988, an American warship shot down an Iranian Airbus flying between Iran and Dubai claiming it was thought to be an Iraqi F-14. Some 290 died, in a tragedy noted this week by Iranian President Rouhlani in a tweet.