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Blayne Haggart

Associate Professor of Political Science, Brock University

I am an Associate Professor of Political Science at Brock University in St. Catharines. I hold a PhD in Political Science with a specialisation in political economy from Carleton University. Prior to my academic career, I worked as a journalist with the social justice-focused newspaper Catholic New Times, and as an economist with the Canadian Parliamentary Information and Research Service (roughly equivalent to the US Congressional Research Service), serving on various parliamentary committees, including Finance and Foreign Affairs and International Trade. My current work focuses on copyright politics and the long-term viability of online social movements. My book, Copyfight: The Global Politics of Digital Copyright Reform, was published in 2014 by University of Toronto Press. I also teach in the area of politics and society, focusing on Australian Rules football and (ice) hockey.

What Elon Musk's destruction of Twitter tells us about the future of social media

Nov 23, 2022 05:10 am UTC| Insights & Views

Elon Musks purchase of Twitter has been a fast-moving disaster. It has also created a tangible problem for journalists, politicians, activists and academic scholars: Where do we talk to each other if or when Twitter...

Canada's COVID Alert app is a case of tech-driven bad policy design

Aug 14, 2020 15:17 pm UTC| Technology

The July 31 release of Canadas COVID Alert app was greeted with almost universal praise. Privacy experts applauded its strong privacy protections, echoing the official app websites extensive detailing of how your privacy...

It's time for a new way to regulate social media platforms

Jan 20, 2019 09:02 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

When it came to our online lives, 2018 was revealing in its dysfunction. The just-expired years parade of scandals at Facebook alone was relentless Cambridge Analytica, its inflation of video-viewing stats that have...

Make no mistake: The USMCA is an America-first trade deal

Oct 29, 2018 19:20 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The emerging conventional wisdom around the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) seems to be that its a mediocre deal for Canada, driven by an American president who mostly cares about the agreements...

Why not nationalize Facebook?

Apr 02, 2018 16:46 pm UTC| Insights & Views Technology

The Facebook/Cambridge Analytica scandal is fast emerging as a watershed for our increasingly digitized society. For the first time, how to regulate personal data has become a mainstream public issue, so its important that...

Economy

UK Finance Minister Healey Calls for Fiscal Discipline Amid Global Risks

British Finance Minister John Healey is set to emphasize fiscal discipline and economic resilience during the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank annual meetings in Bangkok this week, as governments confront...

Oil Prices Rise as Houthi Attacks Threaten Middle East Supply

Oil prices climbed on Monday as escalating Middle East tensions, renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, and tanker incidents near the Strait of Hormuz heightened concerns over global crude supply disruptions. Brent crude...

Bank of America Predicts Yen Rebound as USD/JPY Faces Risks

The Japanese yens prolonged depreciation has been driven entirely by offshore trading activity since 2025, according to Bank of America (BofA), highlighting a significant shift in global foreign exchange market dynamics....

Deutsche Bank CEO Urges Faster German Economic Reforms

Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing has urged the German government to accelerate economic reforms, warning that slow implementation and political compromises could weaken Germanys competitiveness and long-term growth...

Trump Calls for Zelenskyy Replacement Amid Russian Diesel Deal

US President Donald Trump has called for Ukraine to replace President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, deepening tensions between Washington and Kyiv over a controversial agreement allowing Russian diesel exports to global markets....

Politics

Trump Sanctions International Criminal Court, Sparking EU Backlash

US President Donald Trumps administration has imposed sweeping sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), escalating tensions with European allies and raising concerns about the future of international justice....

Trump Announces Russia-Ukraine Energy Ceasefire as Zelenskiy Awaits Details

US President Donald Trump announced an immediate energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine on Sunday, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Kyiv was still awaiting details from Washington as Russian attacks...

US Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Taxpayer-Funded Political Ads

A US federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from using taxpayer funds to finance television advertisements promoting President Donald Trump, following widespread criticism and legal challenges over...

Brazil Election: Lula and Bolsonaro Rally Ahead of October 25 Runoff

Brazils presidential election campaign intensified on Sunday as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and conservative Senator Flavio Bolsonaro mobilized supporters in Sao Paulo ahead of the October 25 runoff vote. The...

Russian Strikes Kill Six in Ukraine, Including Three in Kharkiv

Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least six people on Sunday, including three civilians in a deadly strike on a grocery store in Kharkiv, the countrys second-largest city. The latest violence also left dozens injured,...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Moonshot AI Executives Seek Settlement Ahead of Hong Kong IPO

Executives at Chinese artificial intelligence startup Moonshot AI are reportedly negotiating a settlement with Recurrent.ai over allegations of misconduct, as the company prepares for its planned Hong Kong initial public...

Amazon in Talks to Acquire AI Startup Decart for $7 Billion

Amazon is reportedly negotiating a potential $7 billion acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Decart, signaling the technology giants growing ambitions in generative AI, real-time video processing, and advanced...

Yandex Data Center Hit by Drone Strike as Russia-Ukraine Cyber Infrastructure Attacks Escalate

Russian technology giant Yandex has suspended operations at a major data center in the Vladimir region following a drone strike, marking the third attack on its server infrastructure within four days as the Russia-Ukraine...

Apple Supplier Luxshare Sees Limited Impact From US Patent Probe

Chinese electronics manufacturer Luxshare Precision Industry expects minimal disruption to its business from a US patent infringement investigation involving power supply technology used in data centres. In a stock...

Elon Musk Eyes Semiconductor Manufacturing Expansion With $15 Billion Terrafab Project

Elon Musk believes his companies could eventually outperform established semiconductor manufacturers by developing more efficient chip production methods, although he cautioned that achieving this ambition could take...