Justin Trudeau needs to pay attention to Kamala Harris. Robin Sears writes: It is rare that one event can upend an entire political landscape overnight. But it happened at 1:45 on a Sunday afternoon in Delaware. Mindful that every campaign exaggerates its wins and discounts its failures, consider these statistics
Continue readingAuthor: Owen Gray
Northern Reflections: Wow
That was interesting. Joe Biden flipped the script. Dana Milbanks writes: On Sunday morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson declared that President Biden absolutely, positively had to run for another four years as president. “It’s not possible to simply just switch out a candidate who has been chosen through the democratic,
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Tough Row To Hoe
Progressives in the United States and Canada have a leadership crisis on their hands. Michael Harris writes: In both countries, the progressive parties are in a crisis of leadership. For very different reasons, the parties themselves are deeply conflicted about their incumbents: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau here, and President Joe
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Good Businessman?
A decade ago, the government of Ontario replaced our LCBO with a much bigger building. It does a roaring business, particularly in the summer. These days, there’s a long picket line outside the building. Almost a decade ago, Doug Ford rode to power, promising a “buck a beer” and wider
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Get Real
Americans are tearing themselves apart over Joe Biden. Nobody’s talking about Donald Trump. Dana Milbank writes they’re focusing on the wrong guy: The heavy-handed attempt to force Biden to quit the race after his disastrous debate has, predictably, backfired. Biden has dug in, pitting “elites” against the people. Democrats are
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Don’t Buy The Image
Pierre Poilievre claims he’s a man of the people. Linda McQuaig isn’t buying it. She writes: Poilievre has managed to pass himself off as anti-elitist and populist largely because Canadians have heard little about all the time he spends — when the cameras aren’t rolling — courting the country’s business
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: King Donald
On Monday, the United States Supreme Court declared that the American President — and they were writing about Donald Trump — is King. Jennifer Rubin writes: Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. held: “We conclude that under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Canada Day 2024
We’re grumpy these days. Mr. Poilievre tells us that “Canada is broken.” It’s Poilievre boilerplate — over the top and mean. There is much to fix and improve. But there is much to celebrate. Happy Canada Day. Image: Britannica
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Why Stay?
A lot of people are suggesting that Justin Trudeau should go. Martin Regg Cohn writes that Justin should talk to Kathleen Wynn: Kathleen Wynne has been there, done that — and didn’t go. After a bitter byelection defeat for the federal Liberals in Toronto–St. Paul’s riding this week, Wynne has been
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Very Consequential
Canadians aren’t impressed by their political leaders. Michael Harris writes: Federal politics has entered a “none-of-the-above” phase. The same polls that show Justin Trudeau taking his party over the electoral cliff if he remains leader also show something else of importance. Canadians are deeply unimpressed with the current crop of
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: On The March
Authoritarianism is on the march. Michael Harris warns that we should keep our eyes on Europe: Across the world the hard right is moving toward centre stage. The latest sign that liberal democracy is in decline comes from an ocean away. But we in Canada would be fools to
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Pig In A Poke
Pierre Poilievre claims that he’s the working man’s friend. But the policies he promotes reveal that he’s on the side of the working man’s overlords. Linda McQuaig writes: Pierre Poilievre often calls Canada “broken,” but he rarely reveals that his dream Canada is an austere place that few Canadians would
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Another Departure
Some long-time politicians have simply had enough. The latest departure is Shannon Phillips. Max Fawcett writes: At some point, even for the toughest of cookies, enough is enough. After years of enduring threats, harassment, and even an illegal surveillance campaign by local police officers — one that never resulted in
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Clear And Present Danger
Some countries are messing with our democracy. Michael Harris writes: Canadian democracy has been weakened this past week by a signal failure of transparency, a dire error of priorities. On an issue of monumental importance, the public was informationally dealt out. What makes that harder to take is that the Trudeau
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Thr MAGA Mob
Michelle Goldberg writes that Donald Trump’s Maga Mob has embraced criminality. She refers to a recent interview with Peter Navarro from his Florida jail cell: This week, Breitbart interviewed the former Trump official Peter Navarro, one of many criminals in the ex-president’s orbit, from the Miami prison where he is
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Why Is He Sticking Around?
Justin Trudeau is in trouble. Lots of people wonder why he’s sticking around. Michael Harris writes that two new books deal with that question: Whatever the answer may be, two [books] have just been [published] — a full-length book by Stephen Maher, and a slim volume by Paul Wells. Both
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Finally
Yesterday, the law finally caught up with Donald Trump. Dana Milbank writes: After the jury convicted him Thursday evening on 34 felony counts in the hush money case, he stood in the dingy green hallway on the 15th floor of the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, huddling at length with his
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Trumpification of Language
Donald Trump is a vulgarian. Nowhere is this more apparent than in his use of language. Michael Harris writes: Language is the basis of how societies mediate differences of opinion. The give and take of sweet reason that produces compromise comes in words. Language is the foundation of diplomacy,
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Merrily We Go To Hell
Linda McQuaig writes that Canada is still in the grip of Big Oil: The opening of the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion this month — widely celebrated in the media — reminds us that Canada is still very much in the grip of Big Oil. That $34 billion expansion was financed by
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Abortion And A Rogue Supreme Court
In the United States, abortion will be on the ballot this year. Jennifer Rubin argues that the Supreme Court should also be on the ballot: This year, abortion remains a powerful issue for Democrats. And the focus on abortion might also make the Supreme Court itself a top issue for
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