The Northern Sentinels Podcast

I hit the beautiful roads of Nova Scotia to meet up with my next guest. A proud resident of Pictou County, he comes from a family with a multitude of professional backgrounds that influenced him at a young age. After completing his law degree in Halifax, he worked a diverse array of legal cases which is where he developed his desire to improve victims rights in Canada. Although he had no interest in getting into politics, being fired from one job might just have landed him in the House of Commons. After a few years learning the ropes in Ottawa, he became leader of the Progressive Conservative Party. A merger with the Reform Party set the conditions for his tenure as Ministers of Foreign Affairs, National Defence, and Justice. His time in defence was noteworthy for many reasons, not the least of which being his entire tenure  in the portfolio was during the Afghan war. After leaving politics, he found his way home to Nova Scotia and his love for family and practicing the law.

Show Notes:

Westray Mine Disaster - https://novascotia.ca/lae/pubs/westray/execsumm.asp

Peter's Firing as a Crown Prosecutor - https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1686147139614

Unite the Right - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyyI6s1abqE

Peter's Political Career - https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en/peter-gordon-mackay(82)/roles

National Post Op-Eds - https://nationalpost.com/author/peter-mackay/

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On this NSP Short, Peter MacKay tells the story of how he got into politics. It involved a nudge from Jean Charest, a massive battle for the nomination, and getting fired from the crown prosecutor's office. 

Episode Art Credit: Canva

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People speak a lot about gratitude these days. Most of the discussion focuses on being thankful for what we have as individuals. However, there's little discussion on having collective gratitude for living in Canada. On this NSP Short, Peter MacKay shares a few thoughts on this issue. 

Episode Art Credit: Mitrey on pixabay

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On this episode, I sit down with Alastair Luft. Al grew up on the family farm in Alberta where hard work and contributing to something bigger than yourself was part of everyday life. After a brief stop at a civilian university, he decided to join the Army and quickly felt a sense of purpose in this new profession. After graduating from military college, and a brief stop in an Austrian prison, he found him self in Afghanistan with Canada’s first mission after 9/11. As a young platoon commander on the forward edge of a new war, he experienced first hand the challenges of leading Canadians in a combat zone. A US fighter pilot mistook his platoon for enemy and dropped a 500 pound bomb on their night training activity. Four of his soldiers were killed and many more wounded in the tragedy. He completed four more deployments to Afghanistan with our Special Operations Forces Command, but eventually decided to leave the high tempo of operations for a more balanced life. This is when he found a love of creative writing. An author of four books, Alastairs latest offering is called The Spark: A No-Holds Barred Guide to Saving the World.  As a listener of the NSP, I can assure you The Spark will be something you enjoy reading.

Show Notes:

Volga Germans - https://www.volgagermans.org/

Tarnak Farms Tragedy (Afghanistan)

https://www.rcinet.ca/en/2020/04/17/on-this-day-canada-history-april-17-2002-afghan-tragedy-im-rollin-in/

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/remembrance-day-tarnak-farm-afghanistan

Saraposa Prison Break - https://www.npr.org/2011/04/25/135693601/nearly-500-inmates-escape-from-afghan-prison

Alastair's Books - https://alastairluft.com/books/

The Spark - https://alastairluft.substack.com/

Thanks again for listening to the NSP.

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Most people resist change. This resistance can prevent us from making important life decisions. Listen to how Alastair Luft went from high demand, high profile jobs as a military officer with little time for anything else, to splitting his time between being a husband, father, author, while continuing to serve. As you will hear on this NSP Short, it's all about choices. 

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NSP Podcast Music Credit: RomanSenykMusic, Action Trailer, https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-action-trailer-140711/

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NSP Shorts Music Credit: nomaBeats, You Are The Best!, https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-you-are-the-best-146445/

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On 17 April, 2002, four Canadian soldiers were killed and eight wounded when an American fighter get dropped a 500 lb bomb on a night time training activity. On this NSP Short, Alastair Luft provides a first hand account of this important part of Canadian military history - the friendly fire incident at Tarnak Farms in Afghanistan.

Thanks again for listening to the NSP.

Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2208861/share

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NSP Podcast Music Credit: RomanSenykMusic, Action Trailer, https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-action-trailer-140711/

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NSP Shorts Music Credit: nomaBeats, You Are The Best!, https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-you-are-the-best-146445/

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How do you evolve your thinking to improve happiness and make yourself more resilient? On this NSP Short, Alastair Luft shares his thoughts on the milestone mindset and how to get out of your own way. 

Episode Art Credit - Image by Freepik" class="linkified" target="_blank">https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/explorer_4312939.htm#query=mountain%20top&position=2&from_view=search&track=ais&uuid=cfd2d414-525b-45b6-83b2-67710b75099c">Freepik;

Thanks again for listening to the NSP.

Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2208861/share

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What do you do as a junior diplomat when you need to get 400 Canadians out of Europe? You rent two airliners, of course. On this NSP Short, listen to how Bob Fowler's initiative helped his fellow citizens. 

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NSP Podcast Music Credit: RomanSenykMusic, Action Trailer, https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-action-trailer-140711/

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How do you maintain ethics and values when dealing with someone who's trying to kill you? On this NSP Short, Austin Douglas discusses the importance of a resilient moral compass in combat.

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Thanks again for listening to the NSP.

Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2208861/share

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NSP Podcast Music Credit: RomanSenykMusic, Action Trailer, https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-action-trailer-140711/

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NSP Shorts Music Credit: nomaBeats, You Are The Best!, https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-you-are-the-best-146445/

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We all do silly things when we're young. Most people have regretted something they did on a dare. But how many people do you know joined the military after losing a bet? Listen to Marie-Claude Arguin's story about how she ended up in the Army. Thanks for listening to NSP Shorts. 

Episode Art Credit - Canva

Thanks again for listening to the NSP.

Website: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2208861/share

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NSP Podcast Music Credit: RomanSenykMusic, Action Trailer, https://pixabay.com/music/main-title-action-trailer-140711/

NSP Podcast Logo - L. Ayotte, 2023

NSP Shorts Music Credit: nomaBeats, You Are The Best!, https://pixabay.com/music/upbeat-you-are-the-best-146445/

NSP Shorts Logo - L. Ayotte, 2023