Prime Minister Mark Carney announces Canada’s next governor general, Louise Arbour, in Ottawa on May 5, 2026. [Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press]

Law and order: Louise Arbour, Canada’s next governor general and former war crimes prosecutor, brings hope for peace

STORY BY RICHARD FOOT

The Nuremberg trials of Nazi leaders were a turning point in history. They marked not only the end of the Second World War, but the hopeful beginnings of the postwar, rules-based international order.

More than a half-century later, the idea that the conduct of governments and armies should be subject to international law arguably reached its high point with the 1999 indictment of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević—the first time a sitting head of state had ever been indicted for war crimes by an international tribunal.

The lawyer behind that historic indictment was Canadian Louise Arbour, then chief prosecutor for the United Nations International War Crimes Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

As Canadians learned last week, Arbour’s latest undertaking will be serving as Canada’s 31st governor general.

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A recent aerial view of the former cafeteria building of WW II PoW Camp 30 near Bowmanville, Ont. [Jury Lands Foundation]

Marilyn Morawetz on a campaign to preserve Canada’s last surviving WW II prisoner-of-war camp

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

A community campaign to save Canada’s last surviving WW II-era prisoner-of-war camp has reached a new milestone, according to its stewards.

The historic Camp 30 site in Bowmanville, Ont., has languished for years due to various complications. Now, plans are underway to preserve its former cafeteria building after the local council approved fundraising efforts, effectively saving it from demolition.

Approximately $1.6 million will be required to complete the initial phase of the project being spearheaded by the Jury Lands Foundation. Established in 2014, the non-profit organization strives to protect as much of the aging property as possible, recognizing its infamy for the so-called Battle of Bowmanville, where German prisoners revolted against Canadian guards.

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Mark Carney reflects on the legacy of Isaac Brock in a video posted to the prime minister’s YouTube channel. [youtube.com/Mark Carney]

Speaking loud: In his first public update video, Carney channels Major-General Isaac Brock

STORY BY RICHARD FOOT​​​​​​​

Who knew that Prime Minister Mark Carney kept a tiny toy solider on his desk?

Canadians learned this last week in a remarkable video Carney released—the first in a series of occasional public updates he is promising to deliver from the Prime Minister’s Office via YouTube.

The inaugural video posted on Sunday, April 19 was an internet-era version of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s famous fireside chats, an effort to both comfort and energize the country through tough times ahead. In Carney’s case, he laid out the economic and security threats facing Canada and how his government plans to deal with them.

Sitting prominently in front of him during his chat was a small, red-coated figurine of Major-General Isaac Brock, the British commander whose heroics helped save Canada from American conquest in the War of 1812.

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Veterans Ombud Nishika Jardine. [Stephen J. Thorne/LM]

Veterans Ombud Nishika Jardine on defending veterans

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

“Being able to respond to individual complaints that come into us is the bread and butter of our office,” explained colonel (ret’d) Nishika Jardine, Canada’s veterans ombud. “That is the service we provide, a free and independent service for fairness for veterans and their families. That is our number one priority. It will always be our number one priority.”

Neither an advocate for Veterans Affairs Canada nor, strictly speaking, for veterans themselves, Jardine’s job—along with some 30 colleagues—is to determine what’s right and just. Whether the issues involve VAC’s benefit-related decisions, broader health-care provisions or fundamental support for former personnel, the veterans ombud strives to resolve disputes between the government and those in its care.

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