Dear CCF readers, this week the committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade discussed Canada‘s changing relationship with China in anticipation of a renewed Indo-Pacific Strategy, while comments from the Japanese Prime Minister on Taiwan and the Taiwanese Prime Minister on Israel have prompted emphatic responses from Chinese officials. See also in this edition: two pieces from the Narwhal and the CBC reveal how Canadian intelligence closely surveilles defenders of Indigenous lands.

Until next time!

Georgia (georgiajinkelly@uvic.ca)
Communications Director

Foreign Minister Anand has asked Foreign Affairs Canada to produce an updated Indo-Pacific Strategy for 2027-2032. Assistant Deputy Minister Weldon Epp noted that work is underway to introduce a formal process for stakeholder input. Epp called for greater collaboration in Canada and China‘s energy sectors and noted that the urgency of foreign trade may override “ideological disagreements” with China. Witness Hugh Stevens called people-to-people exchanges and institutional partnerships a “bedrock” of Canada‘s engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. 

Under Trudeau, Canada had nasty relations with China and India. Thanks to Trump, the new Canadian administration is pivoting to Asia.

Amid stalled commitments and wavering political will, Beijing‘s steady march toward a green transition stands out—less as rhetoric, more as strategy.

The rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) saw CO2 emissions from transport fuel drop by 5% year-on-year, while there were also declines from cement and steel production.

China‘s core offer in 2026 to countries being bullied by President Donald Trump is this: “You know where you are with us.”

The current friction between the two countries intensified after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, referring to Chinese military action, said that a Taiwan contingency could constitute a “situation threatening Japan‘s survival,” prompting Japan to respond.

Taiwan wants to deepen its ties with Israel despite criticism over its war in Gaza because Israel has shown support for Taiwan unmatched by other countries in the Middle East, the island democracy‘s foreign minister told reporters on Wednesday.

Previously secret papers detail agency‘s ’Native extremism‘ surveillance program between 1988-99

As the federal government designates resource extraction projects in the ’national interest,‘ the companies building them are deepening ties to Canada‘s intelligence service and law enforcement agencies.

Richard Falk, a prominent international legal scholar and former United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, was detained and questioned by Canadian border agents for approximately three hours.

Published: November 17, 2025
Written by: Prisha Dev

The apology was delivered during a special meeting of council on Saturday, accompanied by a vote to repeal three discriminatory bylaws that had remained on the books despite no longer being enforced.

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) warn it could cause long-term, irreversible harm leaving vulnerable communities without essential medical care, food, and protection.

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