Eugene Lang
Assistant Professor (Continuing Adjunct)
School of Policy Studies
Queen's University
Research Areas
- Policy analysis
- Public administration
- Public finance
- Economic Policy
- Defence/foreign policy nexus
- Defence Funding
- Defence Industrial Policy
- Political Economy
Biography
Eugene Lang is an Assistant Professor in the School of Policy Studies, where he teaches the core courses MPA 802 (Applied Policy Analysis) and MPA 810 (Introduction to Public Administration), as well as the elective course MPA 876 (Instruments and Institutions of Public Finance).
For several years Eugene coached the School of Policy Studies team to the National Public Administration Case Competition, including to a gold medal in 2024. In 2025 he was appointed National Co-Chair of the Case Competition.
Eugene is dedicated to enriching the student experience and supporting students in and outside of the classroom. In 2023 he was named a 黑料吃瓜资源 Champion for Mental Health by the Campus Wellness Project. In 2025 he was awarded the John G. Freeman Award For Faculty Excellence from The Society of Graduate and Professional Students.
Eugene began his career in the federal government and worked in both the public service and in Cabinet Minister鈥檚 offices, serving as Policy Advisor to the Solicitor General of Canada; Senior Policy Advisor (Economic) to the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada; Senior Economist, Finance Canada; Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State (Finance); Chief of Staff to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Chief of Staff to the Minister of National Defence.
He has also worked for twenty years in the private sector, first at Bell Canada Enterprises and subsequently as a consultant advising domestic and multinational companies and business associations on public policy and advocacy.
A Senior Fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History, Trinity College, University of Toronto; Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute; and Fellow of the Centre for International and Defence Policy, 黑料吃瓜资源, Eugene was previously Visiting Fellow at the Munk School of International Studies, University of Toronto, and BMO Visiting Fellow, Glendon School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), Glendon College, York University. At Glendon College, he taught in the Master of Public and International Affairs program and served as Interim Co-Director of the School.
Eugene is the co-author of two books, including The Unexpected War: Canada in Kandahar, a national best-seller which won the Writer鈥檚 Trust Cohen Award for political writing, was short-listed for the Donner Prize for the best book on Canadian public policy, was named one of the Globe and Mail鈥檚 top one hundred books of the year, and was the basis for a documentary film produced by Global Television.
His writings have appeared in various edited books as well as Policy Options, Policy Network, International Politics and Society, International Journal, Policy Perspectives (Canadian Global Affairs Institute), The Global Exchange, Walrus and The Conversation. He has also published hundreds of columns in all of Canada鈥檚 major newspapers and contributes op eds regularly to The Globe and Mail.
Eugene has spoken at various universities and think tanks in Canada and abroad and has testified as an expert witness to federal government commissions and inquiries. He has appeared as a commentator on CBC radio and television, CTV, Global Television/Radio, BNN-Bloomberg, numerous podcasts and is quoted regularly in print media.
Educated at the University of Western Ontario (B.A., M.A., political science), 黑料吃瓜资源 (M.P.A.) and the London School of Economics (M.Sc. International Political Economy), where he studied as a Chevening Scholar, Eugene lives in Ottawa with his wife and children.
Links
Selected Publications
Andrew Graham and Eugene Lang. 鈥淕lobal Pandemics and National Security: Will the Federal Government Have Your Back.鈥 In Kathy Brock and Geoffrey eds., Managing Federalism Through Pandemic. University of Toronto Press (forthcoming in 2024).
Eugene Lang and Janice Stein. 鈥淐hretien鈥檚 Afghanistan Policy: From Symbolic to Strategic鈥. In Jack Cunningham and John Meehan eds., Jean Chretien鈥檚 Foreign Policy. University of British Columbia Press (forthcoming in 2024).
Eugene Lang. 鈥淎WOL: Canada鈥檚 National Security Policy, Governance and Culture.鈥 In Norman Hillmer and Vincent Rigby eds., Canada Among Nations: The New National Security. Palgrave-MacMillan. (forthcoming in 2024).
Eugene Lang, 鈥淥ttawa Has Cut Loose All Fiscal Anchors鈥, Policy Options, April 14, 2023
Eugene Lang, 鈥淐BC President Catherine Tait is Out of Her Lane鈥, Policy Options, February 24, 2023
Eugene Lang, 鈥淚n Defence of the Politician-Ambassador鈥, Policy Perspective, January 31, 2023, Canadian Global Affairs Institute
Eugene Lang, 鈥淢inisterial Mandate Letters: Another Nail in the Coffin of Cabinet Government鈥, Policy Options, February 15, 2022
Eugene Lang, 鈥淭he COVID 19 Pandemic and the Emergencies Act: If Not Now, When?鈥, Policy Perspective, March 2021, Canadian Global Affairs Institute
Eugene Lang and Greg Schmidt, 鈥淭he Role of Deputy Prime Minister is Not as Powerful as Most Think鈥, Policy Options, August 6, 2020
Eugene Lang, 鈥淐an the National Interest be Served Through a Prisoner Exchange鈥, Policy Perspective, July 2020, Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
Eugene Lang, 鈥淩IP鈥擲SE: What the COVID-19 Pandemic Means for Defence Funding鈥, Policy Perspective, May 2020, Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
Eugene Lang, 鈥淭he Era of Gigantic Government is upon Us鈥, Policy Options, April 17, 2020
Eugene Lang, 鈥淚s The Business Liberal Extinct?鈥, Policy Options, March 18, 2020
Eugene Lang, 鈥淭he Trudeau鈥檚 and Western Alienation鈥, Policy Options, November 1, 2019
Eugene Lang, 鈥淏ringing Chaos to Order: Donald Trump and his Band of National Security Advisors鈥, Policy Perspectives, Canadian Global Affairs Institute, September 17, 2019
Eugene Lang, 鈥淪earching for a Middle Power Role in a New World Order鈥, Policy Perspectives, Canadian Global Affairs Institute, June 13, 2019
Eugene Lang, 鈥淎s Populism Rises, Look What has Fallen: Wages鈥, Policy Options, March 13, 2019
Eugene Lang, Book Review, 鈥淭he Politics of War: Canada鈥檚 Afghanistan Mission, 2001-14鈥, by Jean Christophe Boucher and Kim Nossal, International Journal, Volume 73, 3 September 2018, pp. 492-494
Eugene Lang, 鈥淯se it or Lose It: DND鈥檚 Chronic Underspending Problem鈥, The Global Exchange, Volume XVI, Issue II, 2018
Eugene Lang, 鈥淭he Shelf Life of Defence White Papers鈥, Policy Options, June 23, 2017
Eugene Lang, 鈥淚s Canada Back on the World Stage or Irrelevant鈥, The Conversation, February 6, 2023. Re-published in The National Post and Winnipeg Free Press
Eugene Lang, 鈥淐anada Needs to Act on its Existing Defence Policy, Not Review it Repeatedly鈥, The Conversation, December 1, 2022. Re-published in The National Post
Eugene Lang, 鈥淭he Throne Speech: Inflation Crowds Out the Agenda鈥, The Conversation, November 24, 2021. Re-published in The National Post, The Winnipeg Free Press, The Canadian Inquirer and various other news websites
Eugene Lang, 鈥淣ew Pact Between Australia, UK and UK Shows Canada鈥檚 Waning Global Relevance鈥, The Ottawa Citizen, September 23, 2021
Eugene Lang, 鈥淩hetoric Check: Federal Leaders鈥 Debates Rarely Have an Impact on Election Outcomes, so Why Bother?鈥 The Conversation, September 10, 2021
Eugene Lang, 鈥淩hetoric Check: Parliament Wasn鈥檛 Toxic, Justin Trudeau Just Wants a Majority鈥, The Conversation, September 7, 2021. Re-published in The Winnipeg Free Press, September 13, 2021
Eugene Lang, 鈥淗ow Afghanistan is and isn鈥檛 Vietnam All Over Again鈥, The Conversation, August 22, 2021. Re-published in The National Post, August 25, 2021, and The Winnipeg Free Press, August 31, 2021
Eugene Lang, 鈥淚t鈥檚 Time to Invoke the Federal Emergencies Act to Fight COVID鈥, The Ottawa Citizen, April 24, 2021
Eugene Lang, 鈥淐anada鈥檚 Military is Dishonoured Again鈥, The Hill Times, March 24, 2021
Eugene Lang, 鈥淟essons from the Julie Payette Affair: Even the Governor General Can be Held Accountable鈥, Ottawa Citizen, January 25, 2021
Eugene Lang, 鈥淢issing: Public Servants Who Could Warn Trudeau 黑料吃瓜资源 WE Conflict鈥, Ottawa Citizen, July 16, 2020
Eugene Lang, 鈥淲hy Canada is Losing at the UN鈥, Toronto Star, June 25, 2020
Eugene Lang, 鈥淐OVID-19 Aftermath: The Government Can鈥檛 Keep Improvising Forever鈥, Ottawa Citizen, June 15, 2020
Eugene Lang, 鈥淗ow to Un-tie the Canada-China Knot鈥, The Hill Times, January 28, 2020
Eugene Lang, 鈥淐anada is Rich--and Cheap鈥, Globe and Mail, Opinion, December 9, 2019
Eugene Lang, 鈥淭he Rise of Boris Johnson Re-enforces Populist Narratives. Will Canada Follow Suit?鈥, Ottawa Citizen, July 9, 2019
Eugene Lang, 鈥淛ohn McCallum鈥檚 China Gaffe Shouldn鈥檛 Obscure his Successes鈥, Ottawa Citizen, January 31, 2019
Eugene Lang, 鈥淐anada鈥檚 Trade Retaliation is Rational, but Trump isn鈥檛鈥攖hat鈥檚 why it won鈥檛 work鈥, Globe and Mail, Opinion, June 20, 2018
Eugene Lang and David Perry, 鈥淩emind us, why does Canada want a seat on the UN Security Council, Globe and Mail, Opinion, May 7, 2018
Eugene Lang, 鈥淲hy Canada Misfired on Ballistic Missile Defence鈥, Globe and Mail, Opinion, September 26, 2017
鈥淢aking Defence Policy鈥, Defence Deconstructed, CGAI, March 24, 2023,
鈥淚nflation and Impending Bank of Canada Rate Hikes鈥, The Scoop, CFRC Podcast Network, 黑料吃瓜资源, January 28, 2022.
鈥911: Lessons Learned鈥, Defence Deconstructed Podcast, Canadian Global Affairs Institute, recorded September 10, 2021
Canada鈥檚 Fiscal Snapshot and Defence Spending, (with Ian Brodie, host David Perry), Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
Defence in a Liberal Minority Government (with Ian Brodie, host David Perry), Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
Elections and Defence Policy, (host, David Perry), Canadian Global Affairs Institute
Is Canada a Middle Power? (host, David Perry), Canadian Global Affairs Institute