Bulletin Board

The Members’ Bulletin Board provides space for members to post items of interest to other members and the general public. These items include presentations and letters from, and articles referred by, Group of 78 members. They represent the views of the individual members or original author, not necessarily those of the Group.

We invite and encourage members to make submissions to this section by emailing us at:

Submissions will be reviewed before posting. All items will be posted in the language in which they are received.

2022

May 24th, 2020 Ottawa Citizen Article by John Stone, Time to Adapt to the Climate Crisis

2020

May 15th, 2020 Hill Times Article by Roy Culpeper, Laura MacDonald, and Sam Vanoort. Financial crisis and the pandemic: is it time for international money?

2015

July 14, 2015 Blog post by Peggy Mason on Historic Iran Nuclear Deal

January 21, 2015 Op-ed by Peggy Mason about Canada/Saudi arms deal in Embassy News

Canada and IS, Project Ploughshares statement:  Short-term gain for long-term pain — Canada’s Challenge in responding to Islamic State
Canada and IS – Short term gain for long term pain
Cover letter to Prime Minister and MPs re Canada and IS

2014

Oct 8, 2014 Former UN Ambassador Peggy Mason, now President of the Rideau Institute spoke on CBC Ottawa about Canada’s recent commitment to carrying out airstrikes in Iraq.
Listen to the full interview here
Oct 7, 2014 Letter to Editor, Globe and Mail by Roy Culpeper At War with Islamic State
Oct 5, 2014 Blog post by Peggy Mason Harper’s Iraq plan may make matters worse

Sept 9, 2014 – op ed by Peggy Mason – Let’s move from dangerous military posturing to serious negotiations
Aug 12, 2014 – Blog post on OpenCanada.org by Roy Culpeper New Bank, New Paradigm: in the BRIC’s world, markets are managed, not free

August, 2014 – Youtube video: In Remembrance Lies Hope concert marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day, April 2014
June 23, 2014 – Media Release – Peggy Mason appointment as President of Rideau Institute
June 11, 2014 – Announcement – Belle Jarniewski appointment IHRA
April 22, 2014 – Roy Culpeper – Comments in Globe and Mail on “Why is Canada botching the Great War centenary?

2013
January 26, 2013 – John Siebert – A Mali-first security strategy for Canada
January 25, 2013 – Paul Rogers – Mali, and the Al-Quaida Trap
January 4, 2013 – Paul Rogers – Al-Quaida, Idea in Motion
February 5, 2013- Michael Byers – Mali: Canada’s Return to UN Peacekeeping?
January 7, 2013 – Hassan Arif – “Does the World Still Trust Canada?“, Telegraph Journal, and Huffington Post Canada – Column on the work of the Group of 78 to promote stability in Africa.

2012
October 30, 2012 – Ron Csillag – Newton Bowles 1916 – 2012 – The Group of 78 remembers with gratitude the life and work of Newton Rowell Bowles, valued long-time G78 Board member and friend.

May 7, 2012 – Two Boys from Aden College by Qais Ghanem. Book Launch at Octopus Books. Buy book at Amazon.

May 1, 2012 – Evan Hoffman and Isak Svensson – Pinning Down Peace: Towards a Multi-Dimensional, Clustered Measure of Mediation Success

April 29, 2012 – Earl Turcotte – Analysis of Proposed New Cluster Munitions Legislation now before Parliament

April 26, 2012 – Manfred Bienefeld, Interview on CHIN radio ‘Dialogue with Diversity’ on economic issues discussed at our 2011 policy conference. Podcast MP3

April 2012 – Peacebuild and Care Canada – Afghanistan: Afghanistan: Pathways to Peace – New Directions for an Inclusive Peace in Afghanistan of the Afghanistan: Pathways to Peace initiative.

Jan. 17, 2012 – Letter from Earl Turcotte to the Prime Minister: It’s time for Canada to accede to the Convention on Cluster Munitions – and to do it ‘right’

2011
October 26, 2011 – After Palestine’s Statehood Bid: resolutions and ‘solutions’ by Professor Michael Neumann, Inaugural Peyton Lyon lecture

March 25, 2011 – How We Stopped Loving the Bomb: An insider’s account of the world on the brink of nuclear disarmament, by Douglas Roche

March 25, 2011 – Final Flight from Sanaa, by Qais Ghanem

February 10, 2011 – Senator Douglas Roche nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

February 6, 2011 – Remembering Norma Walmsley

2010
November 24, 2010 – “Afghanistan: The Pipeline Factor“, by John Foster, Straight Goods

November 16, 2010 – “Are troops staying to protect pipeline?” by John Foster, Kingston Whig-Standard

November 9, 2010 – Books published recently by Group of 78 members:

October 2010 – Eyes on the Spies: Reforming Intelligence Oversight in Canada by Paul Robinson, CIPS Policy Brief (Centre for International Policy Studies, University of Ottawa). Additional information on the 2010 conference theme, submitted by Peggy Mason.

October 26, 2010 – Final report of Richard Falk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories occupied since 1967, to the United Nations General Assembly. (Additional material related to the 2009 annual conference.)

September 26, 2010 – Afghanistan Pathways to Peace Summary Report 2009-2010 to Annual General Meeting by Gerry Ohlsen.

August 18, 2010 – How to balance security and rights? Ottawa Citizen Letter to the Editor by Richard Harmston, Board Chair.

2008
January 22, 2008 – Final Report of the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan.

2007
December 1, 2007 – Afghanistan: In Search of Peace, Submission by the Group of 78 Afghan Reference Group to the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan

1 decembre 2007 – Soumission du Groupe de 78 au Groupe d’experts indépendant sur le role futur du Canada en Afghanistan

The Afghanistan Reference Group (ARG) is an ad hoc group of Canadian civil society organizations and individuals interested in peace, justice and development in Afghanistan. The purpose of the ARG is to facilitate information sharing among its members, elaborate joint positions on particular issues, conduct research to inform advocacy campaigns, educate the public and engage the Canadian government in a regular dialogue on its aid and defence policies with regard to Afghanistan. ARG is co-convened by  the Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee (CPCC), and the Canadian Council for International Cooperation (CCIC).

  • submission 1: Peace and Security: New Directions in Afghanistan
  • submission 2: Human Rights, Gender and Governance: building the future through the present
  • submission 3: A Better Helping Hand: Recommendations to Increase the Effectiveness of Canada’s Humanitarian and Development Assistance In Afghanistan

June 2007 – An online forum : “Debating Canada’s Contributions to Peace Operations, Past, Present and Future”
Ms. Peggy Mason and Dr. Doug Bland have taken sides in this rich, in-depth discussion on what role Canada should play in international peace operations. Responses to the initial comments have been submitted by Peter Goodspeed and Ernie Regehr. Submitted by The Peace Operations Working Group of the Canadian Peacebuilding Coordinating Committee

May 2007 – Parliamentary Appeal to G8 Heads of State and Governments – sent to G8 Heads of State and Governments at the G8 Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Economic Rewards of Investing in HIV/AIDS Prevention and Health in Berlin, Germany 30-31 May 2007. Forwarded to the conference by Dr. Keith Martin, MP.

May 2007 – Global Peace Index
The Economist Intelligence Unit, in conjunction with an international team of academics and peace experts, has compiled an innovative new Global Peace Index (GPI), which ranks 120 nations according to their relative peacefulness. The Global Peace Index is composed of 24 indicators, ranging from a nation’s level of military expenditure to its relations with neighbouring countries and the level of respect for human rights.

April 7, 2007 – Physicians for Global Survival on Canada’s role in Iran. Letter to the Editor, Ottawa Citizen. Submitted by members of Physicians for Global Survival, many of whom are G78 members. (Re: Canada blasts Iran over hostages and Threaten Iran with ‘real pain’)

March 2007 – The Responsibility to Protect: Moving the Agenda Forward by Maria Banda A report produced as part of the United Nations Association in Canada policy and community discussion in 2006 and 2007 to mark the 50th Anniversary of UN Peacekeeping. For Full Report (PDF)

2006
August 2006 – Global Economics and the HIV/AIDS CrisisAbstract by: Shirley Farlinger

2005
March 1, 2005 – “Come on. By now pundits should know NORAD part of the BMD Debate.” Letter by Peggy Mason to the Globe and Mail in response to columnist Jeffrey Simpson.

March 1, 2005 –  “NORAD Is About Continental Surveillance, Not Destroying Missiles.” Comments by Peggy Mason on the CBC radio “Ontario Today” phone-in show.

2004
December 5, 2004 – Joan Russow – Did the UN “High-Level” Panel succumb to the “Spirit of Compromise”?

September 13, 2004 – Lynn Myers – Canada faces major security decisions This article was originally published in the Kitchener-Waterloo Record Mon 13 Sep 2004

September 12, 2004 – Press Release: Anti-Missile System Offers False Security

August 5, 2004 – News Release: Group of 78 Deplores Further Step Down BMD Slippery Slope

August 4, 2004 – Peggy Mason Speaks about BMD on CBC The Current, CBC radio The Current

August 3, 2004 – Just say no, Canada to ballistic missiles – article by Ernie Regehr and Gerry Barr, Globe and Mail on-line edition

June 26, 2004 – A ‘man of radical compassion’ – Obituary, Most Rev. Edward Scott by Michael Valpy, Globe and Mail

June 11, 2004 – Report of the Panel of Eminent Persons on United Nations–Civil Society Relations (full report)

June 11, 2004 – Report of the Panel of Eminent Persons on United Nations–Civil Society Relations Summary (Roundup Newsletter)

January 29, 2004 – Flora MacDonald awarded the “Padma Shri Award” – news release, High Commission of India

Jan. 26, 2004 – Andy Clarke – World Community or World Chaos? Letter to the editor, Ottawa Citizen

2003
Nov. 6, 2003 – Ann Gertler – Statement for Pugwash Working Group 1 – 53rd Pugwash Conference 17-21 July 2003; Halifax and Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Canada

Oct. 18, 2003, Iraq: Wanted – mundialist police by John Roberts

Oct. 7, 2003 – Website Launch – Canadian Network to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

Oct. 2, 2003 -submitted by Tim Creery – A Legal Black Hole – Excerpts from the first Brian Dickson Memorial Lecture by Johan Steyn

Sept. 7, 2003 – Derek Paul – Think about this before you apply for military funding, A letter circulated to members of the University of Toronto Physics department

Aug. 10, 2003 – Ross Smyth – The International Criminal Court could help end war, Letter to the Editor, Montreal Gazette

Sept. 8 – 10, 2003 – Human Security & Dignity: Fulfilling the Promise of the United Nations, 56th Annual Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations,Webcast

Feb. 20, 2003 – Peggy Mason – CBC’s As It Happens should keep its distance from American war propaganda, letter re. CBC ‘As It Happens’ coverage of UN resolution

Feb. 3, 2003 – Joanna Santa Barbara – Why Canada Should Not Join the War in Iraq Regardless of a UN Resolution, letter to editor, Toronto Star re. Canadian military involvement in Iraq

Jan. 20, 2003 – Joanna Miller – Daisy Anti-War Advertising Campaign

Jan. 9, 2003 – Joanna Miller – Impact of ‘Bowling for Columbine’ and ‘Stupid White Men’

2002
Dec. 20, 2002 – Ross Smyth – International Criminal Court should rule on Saddam Hussein’s guilt or innocence, letter to editor, Montreal Gazette

2001

April 22, 2001 – Geoffrey Oliver & Michael Oliver – A Quebec Diary

2000

Ernie Regehr – Small Arms and Light Weapons: A Global Humanitarian Challenge