Robert Ready
1,893 Added | 4 Magazines | 16 Likes | 8 Following | 309 Followers | @notready | Retired Diplomat w interest in Canadian politics, understanding the Caribbean. Follows developments in international economic policies (trade; investment; air transport)
Canada to bring feminism to NAFTA talks in seeking new chapter on gender
Print<p>OTTAWA — The Liberal government wants to bring its feminism to the North American Free Trade Agreement, building on an agreement between Prime …
NAFTAChina warns Washington against ‘trade war’
BEIJING — China’s government on Thursday warned “there is no winner in a trade war” after an aide to President Donald Trump called in published comments for a tougher stance toward Beijing.<p>A foreign ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, appealed for dialogue to preserve stable relations when asked …
ChinaMexican farmers, workers protest NAFTA
Mexican farmers and workers reportedly came out by the thousands on Wednesday to demand the dissolution of the North American Free Trade Agreement …
Robert LighthizerThe Case for Adding an Indigenous Chapter to NAFTA
The recent speech by Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s foreign minister, stating that there should be an Indigenous chapter added to the renegotiated North …
Indigenous PeoplesVenezuela tells Germany 'don't interfere'
Venezuela has told Germany not to meddle in its affairs after Berlin called for a return to democracy in the crisis-stricken South American country. …
VenezuelaForeign oil has its eyes on 44 billion barrels in Cuba
One of the few foreign energy companies with a presence in Cuba is now seeking funding for a 2018 exploration drilling campaign for Block 9, which is expected to hold over 44 billion barrels of in-place potential oil reserves.<p>Melbana Energy, an Australia-based oil and gas explorer, has announced a …
OilVenezuela Diplomat Resigns to Protest Maduro Acts
Isaias Medina, former senior Venezuelan diplomat with the United Nations, explains to Bloomberg TV Canada’s Rudyard Griffiths why he resigned during …
VenezuelaBook Review of Carla Gardina Pestana’s The English Conquest of Jamaica
It is an exciting time to be a scholar of Caribbean history. From conferences to publications, the past decade has seen historians of early America, …
HistoryNAFTA negotiations: U.S. trade officials say Canada’s key demands will be tough sell
WASHINGTON – Some of Canada’s key demands in the upcoming NAFTA renegotiation will be a tough sell in the United States, according to former American …
CanadaHigh-level donors visit to Haiti aims to boost child immunizations | Miami Herald
In Haiti, 69 children out of every 1,000 born alive still die before their fifth birthday. And many of those deaths are from diseases that are …
Public HealthStepping into the US Backyard: China’s Caribbean Policy
While the world’s attention focuses on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) connecting China with Eurasia and Africa, China is also making major investments in the Caribbean. In September 2016 the China Harbor Engineering Company (中國港灣工程有限責任公司) agreed to build a mega-port in Jamaica that would make …
ChinaAndrew Coyne: Canada's ultimate leverage in NAFTA talks — our willingness to walk away
Canada survived for 120 years without a free trade agreement with the United States. It can survive without one in the future, if it has to.<p>The first …
GlobalizationVenezuela expected to dominant Pence's Latin American trip
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence's visit Latin America comes amid unrest in Venezuela and concern by its neighbors about a possible American military role.<p>Pence planned to meet with Colombia's president, Juan Manuel Santos, later Sunday at the start of a weeklong trip likely to be …
VenezuelaIndustry associations lobby Liberals ahead of NAFTA talks
The federal government has spent a lot of time in the U.S. of late, making Canada’s case in advance of this week’s long-awaited NAFTA talks. Back home, though, industry groups have been working hard to make sure they deliver the right message.<p>Andrea van Vugt, the vice-president of policy for North …
CanadaThe ultimate NAFTA primer
Canada, Mexico and the U.S. head back to the bargaining table on Aug. 16. Get caught up with our guide to the key players, disputes and strategies<p>The essentials<p>Need a NAFTA refresher? Here is where you should begin:<p>The Canadian strategy<p>Read through expert insights on what Canada should fight for – …
CanadaWhat U.S. Wants From Nafta Talks
U.S. negotiators hope to translate President Trump’s protectionist rhetoric into policy without disrupting big business and trade partners<p>WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump’s trade team this week will begin the complicated task of rewriting the sprawling North American Free Trade Agreement, the …
United StatesRound 1: Canada stakes out ground as historic NAFTA rewrite begins
Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland will push environment, labour standards in trilateral trade deal<p>Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland …
CanadaSpecial Report: Vladimir's Venezuela - Leveraging loans to Caracas, Moscow snaps up oil assets
CARACAS/HOUSTON (Reuters) - Venezuela’s unraveling socialist government is increasingly turning to ally Russia for the cash and credit it needs to survive – and offering prized state-owned oil assets in return, sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters.<p>As Caracas struggles to contain an …
VenezuelaDid covert spy gear cause U.S. and Canadian diplomats in Cuba to lose their hearing?
It is a mysterious episode seemingly ripped from the pages of a Cold War spy novel.<p>In recent months, several U.S. and Canadian diplomats posted in Havana have reported experiencing unusual medical symptoms, including impaired hearing, sometimes so severe that they had to return home.<p>News of the …
CubaCaribbean Cigar Makers Turn to the European and Chinese Markets
Radhames Rodriguez is using a rare tobacco and special wrapper to roll 50,000 of his new premium cigars, the Pulita, in the Dominican Republic. U.S. …
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationJa faces economic colonialism - Bunting - Former nat'l security minister decries Chinese dominance of construction industry
Former Minister of National Security Peter Bunting has added his voice to the growing concerns surrounding Chinese investment in Jamaica, accusing …
JamaicaVenezuela's Maduro: 'Mr. Donald Trump, here is my hand'
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro said Thursday he wants a meeting with President Donald Trump — the same man he ridicules as a crass imperial magnate and blasts for U.S. sanctions against officials in his socialist administration.<p>In a lengthy address to the 545 members of …
VenezuelaVenezuela’s instability has far broader implications. Here’s what’s at stake.
Venezuela seems locked in a downward political and economic spiral. But what happens in Venezuela has far broader implications for international security.<p>“Here you must not speak badly about Chávez” — this was the message on banners at the Colombia-Venezuela border bridge I crossed recently on a …
VenezuelaCanada has 'no grounds' for optimism in NAFTA talks: ex-U.S. envoy Burney
Former ambassador to the United States Derek Burney is warning Canadians against undue optimism over looming North American free-trade agreement talks, cautioning the reopening of the trade deal at Donald Trump’s request will usher in a period of uncertainty for businesses and that the American …
CanadaBahamas Tourism Minister Not Happy with Cruise Industry
The Bahamas Minister of Tourism Dionisio D'Aguilar is making his frustrations with the cruise industry known, sounding off in local media.He told …
TourismPuerto Rico’s Exodus of Doctors Adds Health Care Strain to Dire Financial Crisis
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico's struggling financial crisis has set off an exodus of medical personnel, leaving physicians with unmanageable patient loads and triggering a cascade of problems for patients and hospitals. The government, some hospitals and non-profits are offering incentives to …
Health CarePay reparations for slavery, says Trinidad and Tobago President
By Sean Douglas<p>Anthony Carmona, President of Trinidad & Tobago, yesterday publicly supported a call to have European governments, whose countries …
Black HistoryForeign minds - Jamaica’s youngest and brightest would migrate today if given a chance
Despite the myriad challenges facing Jamaica, there is an almost even split between those who would migrate today if given the chance and those who …
JamaicaCanada v Mexico: Trump seeks to divide and conquer in Nafta negotiations
Both countries are scrambling to best handle a president who ranks among the more unpredictable elements of the upcoming negotiations<p>The rhetoric against a neighbouring country dominated Donald Trump’s presidential campaign: a billion-dollar wall, a crackdown on immigration, and a steep border tax. …
CanadaVenezuela’s shameless and colossal vote-rigging
“IT WAS a result that was so big, so surprising,” said Tibisay Lucena, the head of Venezuela’s electoral authority, late on July 30th. She was …
Latin America