A Podcast Called INTREPID

In this podcast, Stephanie sits down with Gerry Butts, vice chairman and a senior advisor at Eurasia Group, to talk about recent developments in Europe and what the war in Ukraine means for global stability. In particular, they discuss problems relating to energy, food and whether or not the West can stay united in what is increasingly becoming a protracted conflict. Please note this podcast was recorded June 24, 2022.

Diplomacy goes well beyond diplomats – so what is the role of a defence attaché (or in the case of a Commonwealth country, defence advisor) anyway? In this episode Stephanie speaks with UK Brigadier General Doug Gibson about his role in Canada, UK-Canada defence cooperation, the 2021 UK Foreign Policy and Defence Review (linked below), NATO expansion and the war in Ukraine, declassification and prebunking in the information space and more!Please note that this podcast was recorded on June 6 2022 and reflect events up to that date.2021 UK Integrated Review of  Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/global-britain-in-a-competitive-age-the-integrated-review-of-security-defence-development-and-foreign-policy

Craig and Stephanie are joined by former National Security and Intelligence Advisor Vincent Rigby and uOttawa colleague and frequent INTREPID contributor Thomas Juneau to discuss a May 2022 report on reforming Canadian national security. The uOttawa Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) convened a task force of former senior government officials to recommend the path forward on Canadian national security policy and reform. Their report makes a series of recommendations on strategy, tools, governance, and transparency. In this podcast, Messieurs Rigby and Juneau walk through their key observations. The report is here.

In this episode, Stephanie is joined by Intrepid contributor, Thomas Juneau, Major-General Michael Wright, Chief of Defence Intelligence and Commander of Canadian Forces Intelligence Command (CFINTCOM), and Ms. Christine Kennedy, Assistant Chief of Defence Intelligence. The four get into a detailed discussion of what CFINTCOM does, how it is structured and how it is evolving. They also discuss the challenges CFINTCOM is confronting, including the environment and climate change, the war in Ukraine (including disinformation and “debunking”), and AUKUS.  NB: This was our first “in-person” recording since the start of the pandemic – so you will hear a few bumps as we get re-acquainted with our microphone discipl

In this episode Craig and Stephanie sit down with Intrepid Podcast contributor, Thomas Juneau, and Dominic Rochon, senior assistant deputy minister for the national and cyber security branch of Public Safety Canada. Thomas and Dominic are co-chairs of the National Security Transparency Advisory Group. Together, the four look at their latest report “How National Security and Intelligence Institutions Engage with Racialized Communities”. They discuss ongoing challenges in building trust, and how to balance engagement in organizations that are also seen as engaged in active community surveillance.  You can access the report here: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2022-nstag-nsiirc-isnrccr/index-en.aspx  Thomas and Dominic have also written a piece about Policy Options, summarizing some of the key findings in the report: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/may-2022/bridging-the-national-security-trust-gap-with-racialized-people/

Stephanie sits down with her former NPSIA colleague Jez Littlewood, a specialist in weapons of mass destruction, and Craig Forcese to discuss the rules governing nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and their use. They then address questions arising from the conflict in Ukraine, including recent concerns that Russia may use such weapons.

In Ep 174, Stephanie and Craig discussed many of the international issues raised by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They did not, however, address the “laws of armed conflict” (LOAC) (also called “international humanitarian law”) governing how armed conflicts are supposed to be fought, and creating the concept of “war crimes”. In this episode, Stephanie and Craig are joined by MGen (ret) Blaise Cathcart, Canada’s former Judge Advocate Lawyer (JAG). The JAG is the Canadian Armed Forces’ top military lawyer. They discuss the scope and application of LOAC, and drill down on a number of specific issues: can Canada be considered a “belligerent” because of the nature of its support for Ukraine; how are combatants and civilians distinguished; what are the rules on targeting of combatants as opposed to civilians; what happens to prisoners and detainees; what the implications of civilian infrastructure being bombed; and how might enforcement of these rules work. This is a deep dive on many of the matters filling the front pages of newspapers over the last two weeks.

The honking may have stopped in Ottawa, but the debate over the Emergencies Act is far from over. Following the invocation of the Act, there is a requirement for two reviews to take place – one by Parliamentarians, and the other a broader look at government actions.  Hopefully, this will contribute to a better understanding of what happened, why, and whether the Trudeau governments actions were appropriate.  To discuss these reviews, and the need for transparency, Stephanie sits down with Leah West and Thomas Juneau. They also discuss the implications of the Convoy for the national security community going forward – an issue that Intrepid will certainly be returning to over the next few months.  Leah West’s guide to the legal thresholds of the Emergencies Act (mentioned in the podcast) can be found on the Intrepid Podcast blog here: https://www.intrepidpodcast.com/blog/2022/2/17/public-order-emergency-a-guide-to-thinking-through-the-legal-thresholds-and-its-justification*Programming note: we will be returning soon with more content regarding events in Ukraine. 2022 shows no signs of slowing down.

Intrepid podcast continues to grapple with too much history in too short a time. Today, Craig Forcese joins Stephanie to discuss Russia’s illegal and tragic invasion of Ukraine. They walk through the international law issues raised by this act of aggression (a war crime), as of the morning of 24 February. They focus especially on Russia’s “lawfare” and legal trolling — its (unpersuasive) use of pretextual legal justifications to mask aggression since 2014. A earlier blog version of the some the issues they discuss is on the Intrepid website here.

In this brief episode, Jessica Davis, President of Insight Threat Intelligence, provides us with an overview of everything that has happened with finances around the Convoy since the GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign was closed. From the collapse of other crowdfunding campaigns, to Emergencies Act legislation that targets the personal and corporate accounts of Convoy supporters, to the inevitable cryptocurrency discussion, there is a lot to consider. Will this crisis lead Canada to better resource its anti-money laundering resources? See Jessica’s latest for the Global Network on Extremism and Technology (GNET), “Crowdfunding and Protest Financing: Emergency Law in Canada”:  https://gnet-research.org/2022/02/18/crowdfunding-and-protest-financing-emergency-law-in-canada/  While you are waiting for more Emergencies Act content, please check out Leah West’s guide on the Intrepid Podcast website: https://www.intrepidpodcast.com/blog/2022/2/17/public-order-emergency-a-guide-to-thinking-through-the-legal-thresholds-and-its-justification  This episode was recorded on Friday 18 February at 12:30pm.