Deng Xiaoping in 1989

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On the 30th anniversary of Beijing’s June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square massacre, Probe International Fellow, environmental activist and China’s best-known investigative journalist, Dai Qing, delves deeper into the events leading up to and following the shocking and brutal crackdown that rocked a country on the brink of massive political reform and social change. A book that works as a retrospective documentary in affect, Deng Xiaoping in 1989 challenges the black-and-white dichotomies of “autocracy vs. democracy” and “government vs. students,” including correspondence from military generals who opposed the crackdown, soldiers’ experiences and eyewitness accounts of the “Tank Man,” the unidentified protester who stared down a column of tanks rolling through Tiananmen Square the morning after troops had opened fire on thousands of civilians – an iconic image of resistance since immortalized as a global symbol of pro-democracy protest.

Asset Recovery in OGP: Peer-learning on recovery, return and monitoring – lessons from the field

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The 6th Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit begins this week in Ottawa. Probe International’s Patricia Adams will moderate a discussion on identifying good practices and challenges in assets return and the promotion of peer-learning in assets recovery and monitoring. Organized by the Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) and the MacArthur Foundation.

Bill C-69: Why retain the worst mistake of the 2012 Act?

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“Good ideas that are badly implemented don’t make good laws. Without major amendments it is unlikely that there will be any new pipeline or electricity transmission proposals under C-69.” Read legal expert Andrew Roman’s hard-hitting and thoughtful presentation to the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources conducting hearings on the Trudeau government’s Bill C-69, which proposes to fundamentally change the way resource projects are reviewed and approved.

SNC-Lavalin insider’s bribery allegations spark probe by Crown agency that loaned the firm billions

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Export Development Canada launches review of 2011 deal with engineering company. This CBC News report includes comments from Patricia Adams of Probe International who says if there’s any truth to the allegations EDC money was used for bribes, it implicates all Canadians: “[EDC] operates on the Queen’s credit card. That means that it operates on our credit cards.”

The Prime Minister and the Attorney General

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The recent controversy between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould over the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin has been front-page news for days. Was this a casual conversation or improper interference with the administration of justice? This blog post by former lawyer Andrew Roman discusses the issues from a legal standpoint. The bottom line: there is no law prohibiting either of them from speaking publicly about their conversation.