Kelly Grounds
Political Corner: Canada is being put in the crossfire created by China’s conflict with the US
January 22, 2019Written by Kelly Grounds, Peak Associate In December 2018, the CFO of Huawei, a Chinese telecommunication and electronics company, was detained by Canadian authorities in Vancouver. Authorities detained the CFO, Meng Wanzhou, to assist US authorities seeking Meng on charges of fraud. Even though this is a conflict between the US and China, Canada is taking much of the fallout of their diplomatic fight based entirely on our country’s role in the arrest. While conflict with China and Chinese businesses isn’t necessarily new for Canada, such conflict seems to have flared unsettlingly, as China now seems to be conducting their own series of Canadian detainments.…
Continue reading
Political Corner: Brazilian president Bolsonaro is an active, frustrating example of authoritarianism
January 13, 2019Written by Kelly Grounds, Peak Associate On January 1, Jair Bolsonaro took office as Brazil’s 38th president, capturing global attention with his hard-right stance, Brazil-first attitude, and infamy for being stabbed at a September campaign rally. Since taking office, Bolsonaro…
Continue reading
Political Corner: The Brexit deadline is soon, and its consequences are only looking worse with each day
November 25, 2018Written by: Kelly Grounds, Peak Associate After a year and a half of negotiation and internal conflicts, British Prime Minister Theresa May finally announced her party’s draft Brexit plan. Now, the deal will go to a special European council meeting…
Continue reading
Political Corner: By leaving the INF Treaty, the US is abandoning peace
November 3, 2018Written by: Kelly Grounds, Peak Associate 1987 Cold-War era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. The announcement came after multiple accusations by US officials that Russia has repeatedly violated the treaty since its conception. The INF was established in the 1970s…
Continue reading
Political Corner: Journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s death should have been the tipping point for relations with Saudi Arabia
October 31, 2018After the weeks following his disappearance, the Saudi Arabian government confirmed that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed on October 2 after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Now, Saudi Arabia’ leadership is in the spotlight. Since becoming crown prince, Mohammed…
Continue reading
The USMCA will do nothing but harm Canada’s trade and independence
October 16, 2018Written by: Kelly Grounds, Peak Associate After months of uncertainty regarding the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), we learned this past week that it is officially dead, and will be replaced with the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA).…
Continue reading
Political Opinion: The progress of the Korea summits is at risk of being stunted by the United States
October 5, 2018Written by: Kelly Grounds, Peak Associate The third summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean leader Moon Jae-in occurred in Pyongyang last week. The summit focused on North Korea’s part of the denuclearization pact. At the end…
Continue reading
Political Corner: Doug Ford’s Better Local Government Act harms Toronto’s upcoming election
September 27, 2018Written by: Kelly Grounds, SFU Student This past week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau disagreed and distanced himself from Ontario premier Doug Ford’s use of the notwithstanding clause of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to proceed in his campaign to…
Continue reading
Political Corner: Sweden’s election is making the country look eerily familiar to political climates elsewhere in the world
September 19, 2018Written by: Kelly Grounds, SFU Student Sweden held their national elections on Sunday. Early exit polls from the election are showing strong gains for the Sweden Democrats — a nationalist party that is strongly against immigration, and partially founded by…
Continue reading
Political Corner: The end of NAFTA may be the biggest current threat to Canadian industries
September 14, 2018Since the beginning of his presidency, United States President Donald Trump has talked about ending the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). On Monday, August 27, President Trump got one step closer to achieving this goal by signing a preliminary…
Continue reading
