Eugene Lang

Eugene Lang is an adjunct professor at the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University and Fellow, Canadian Global Affairs Institute. He is co-author (with Janice Stein) of The Unexpected War: Canada in Kandahar. During the Chrétien and Martin governments, Lang was chief of staff to two ministers of national defence.

Articles by this author

As populism rises, look at what has fallen: Wages

The Canadian Global Affairs Institute recently hosted its annual trade policy conference, Canada’s State of Trade: At Home and Beyond. It was an informative event that covered various topics of concern to the business and …

Élections 2015

Several public opinion surveys taken over the past few months confirm this view offered by a veteran parliamentarian. For the first time in a quarter century Canadians head into a federal election in which the …

Is the “business Liberal” extinct?

C .D. Howe. Mitchell Sharp. Donald Macdonald. Charles “Bud” Drury. Edgar Benson. Don Johnston. Robert Winters. Bob Andras. Paul Martin. John Manley. Doug Young. Roy MacLaren. Anne McLellan. Some of these names are long forgotten; others …

Ottawa’s dirty little secret

Professional athletes know better than most that when a muscle isn’t used it doesn’t take long for atrophy to set in, no matter how well developed that muscle once was. And when the muscle is …

Recession risk is a taboo subject for election campaigns

“Politicians like to tell people what they want to hear — and what they want to hear is what won’t happen.” Paul Samuelson In September 2006, a then relatively unknown academic named Nouriel Roubini gave a …

The era of gigantic government is upon us

“This is the largest economic program in Canada’s history,” proclaimed Prime Minister Trudeau on April 1. It was not an April Fool’s joke. In the battle against COVID-19, the federal government is acting on a scale and at …

The role of deputy prime minister is not as powerful as most think

Prime Minister Trudeau should step aside and let Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland take over until the ethics commissioner decides on the conflict of interest allegation in the WE controversy. Freeland is the second most …

The shelf life of defence White Papers

The Trudeau government has just published their much anticipated defence White Paper. Titled Strong, Secure, Engaged, the document was the product of unprecedented public consultations, ranging from round tables chaired by the Minister of National …

The Trudeaus and western alienation

Like father, like son. Nearly 40 years ago, in February 1980, Pierre Trudeau won a majority government with two seats in western Canada and none west of Manitoba. A year later the Trudeau Liberals unveiled the …