Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister recently convened ambassadors in Ottawa and pressed for an aggressive stance against Iran. The West's threat of military intervention in Iran is akin to spanking your child while yelling, "Don't hit others!" Canada needs to influence its allies with a "do what we do" approach.

Senator Patrick Brazeau took to Twitter to insult a Canadian Press journalist after she published a story highlighting his lack of attendant in the senate. In the 1990s, the Conservative Party promised to reform the Senate while the NDP promised to abolish it all together if they ever formed future Canadian governments. Since those days, very little reform has taken place.

On Monday, Cabinet Minister Joe Oliver made a federal funding announcement at Toronto General Hospital. However, within minutes of Minister Oliver taking the podium, something truly exceptional occurred; emergency room doctor Chris Keefer walked boldly up to the front of the room. Despite attempts by a hospital administrator to shut down Keefer's interruption, he nonetheless persisted.

This morning after I'd read an article in Foreign Affairs entitled "How Obama Lost Canada." Canada? Lost? Really? The authors' view that the Obama administration has alienated Canada through its neglect of Canadian priorities seems overly defeatist. It is undeniable that Canada has not got everything it has asked for from the Obama administration, but relations between Canada and the United States are not that bad.

Just over a decade ago, the UN declared June 20th as World Refugee Day. But in Canada today, we are losing our noble traditions of welcoming refugees and giving them full benefits. Thankfully, there are organizations like the Canada Centre for Victims of Torture that are trying to help out these immigrants in any way they can.

Wednesday's revelation of Peter MacKay's support for the state of Israel demonstrates the strength of this principle of friendship among nations. His statement that a threat to Israel is a threat to Canada was a powerful declaration to a friend -- and to the world -- that Canada can be counted on.

At a recent talk, John Turner hoarsely reminded his audience that politics are about people; something which seems to have been forgotten. Unlike the current strategies of Stephen Harper and Thomas Mulcair, the Prime Minister, in order to win, would have to unite and not divide Canada. Only when every region in Canada is on board with an idea can the country truly tackle the challenges it faces.

Despite Prime Minister Stephen Harper's recent announcements of trade talks with various Asian countries, joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a more important strategic victory for Canada. Bargaining alongside the United States, Canada can get concessions from other countries it couldn't get alone. And as a TPP member, Canada can better safeguard its relationship and hard-won market access to the United States than if it was excluded.

My greatest fear is that one day Canadians, as fair-minded as they may be, will close their doors to other refugees. Bill C-31 -- Protecting Canada's Immigration System Act -- is now in the Senate where it will be studied and debated. Not only is this bill unconstitutional and inconsistent with Canada's international obligations, it will change the face of Canada as we know it.

Doctors witness the impact of bad public policy on the health of individual patients and their families. When physicians, health workers and community members take a stand on June 18, we stand in solidarity with those affected and fighting for the right to health for all refugees and refugee claimants. This is about some of the most vulnerable people in our society becoming even more so.