When he assumed office, Stephen Harper boasted that we wouldn’t recognize Canada when he was through with it. But Jennifer Ditchburn and Graham Fox argue in the final chapter of the book, The Harper Factor, that — after ten years in office — there is little lasting in his wake:
Continue readingAuthor: Owen Gray
Northern Reflections: Trouble In River City
During the American election campaign, I kept thinking of Harold Hill. His creator, Meredith Willson, grew up in Mason City, Iowa. He tapped into something deep in the American character. The Music Man is a quintessential American story. It’s set in 1912. But, in some ways, not much has changed.
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Sometimes The Difference Is Insanity
The United States has Donald Trump and we have Dr. Kellie Leitch. Leitch likes to burnish her medical credentials. But that doesn’t impress Alan Freeman: Apparently, we were all supposed to be very impressed by somebody being a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. Medical titles do have a certain cachet in politics,
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: On The Road To Collapse
The writing is on the wall. And it’s been on the wall for a long time. David Suzuki writes: Clean air, water and soil to grow food are necessities of life. So are diverse plant and animal populations. But as the human population continues to increase, animal numbers are falling.
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The March Continues
Last night Americans handed the White House, the House and the Senate to Donald Trump. And they normalized their demons — demons that have been there for a long time: They normalized lying.They normalized ignorance for public office.They normalized predatory behaviour.They normalized the mocking of the disabled. They normalized violence as
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: There Are Better Prescriptions
Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced last week that the government was changing the rules regarding foreign ownership of Canadian airlines. The goal is to lower air fares so Canadians can fly more. But there’s a problem. Tom Walkom writes: Aviation fuel gives off carbon when burned. It also gives
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: No Bellowing
A week ago, Justin Trudeau sent the Governor-General to the Middle East. The message he carried with him was much different than the one Stephen Harper promulgated for almost ten years. Michael Harris writes: A renowned academic known to his grandchildren as ‘Grandpa Book,’ Johnston told the Canadian Press, “The way
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Reforming Senate
If Meech Lake had passed, the Senate would have been reformed. Ken Whyte writes that Peter Lougheed understood just how radically the Red Chamber would have been transformed: Mr. Lougheed was a great careerist as well as a great politician, and he had thought about Senate reform with both career
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Burning Down The Island
Andrew Coyne writes that probably Donald Trump will not be elected president. That does not mean, however, that the result will be salutary: The damage he has done just by running — to his party, to American politics, to the country’s sanity — is grievous enough. If the result Tuesday
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Rare Breed Indeed
Michael Gerson used to write speeches for George W. Bush. For sixteen years, he has carried the Republican flag for George W. Bush and against Barack Obama. But he writes in the Washington Post that Americans of both parties should not vote for Donald Trump, a man who represents
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Bring Back Subsidies
There has been an outcry lately about political party fundraising. I, for one, am getting tired of all the parties sending me emails asking for a donation. Susan Delacourt writes: We know that all political parties need money — millions of dollars a year, in fact. But what exactly are
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Movers And Shakers Are Getting Shook
Our movers and shakers are in denial about the affects of globalization. Jim Stanford writes: The architects of globalization are worried, quite rightly, by both the rhetoric and the reality of recent trade developments. On the rhetorical front, the rise of nationalistic populism — exemplified by Donald Trump, Brexit, and ascendant
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Tired Old Nostrums And Tired Old Men
Conservatism used to be intellectually vibrant. But, David Brooks writes, the rise of Donald Trump represents the last stage in conservatism’s meltdown. It has become a refuge for old white men who can’t think but who — like Trump — know how to hurl insults. There are several reasons that
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: We Know How To Do Immigration
There is a lot of anti-immigration talk these days — notably from The Orange One south of the border. So some people in Canada raised their eyebrows when, last week, the Century Initiative proposed that the population of Canada should be 100 million people by the end of this
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Getting Played
Donald Trump knows how to play people for suckers. That talent — if you can call it that — has been on display throughout his presidential campaign. The latest example is FBI Director James Comey. Frank Bruni writes in the New York Times: How strange but how fitting. This entire
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Keeping Score
Justin Trudeau ran on the slogan, “Real Change.” Lately, the change appears to have been to the slogan — which now reads, “More Of The Same.” To make sure that we won’t be getting More of the Same, a conference is being held this weekend at Carleton University. Susan Delacout
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Faces Change. But The Agenda Is Still The Same
The Trudeau Government is considering selling the nation’s airports to private corporations.Linda McQuaig writes: Turning our airports into profit-making business ventures will almost certainly drive up the costs for air travellers, and the government insists that it has not yet made the controversial decision to proceed. But the fact it’s
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Great Divide
Thomas Edsall has an interesting column in this morning’s New York Times. This election, he writes has turned the two parties on their heads: According to the Oct. 20 Reuters-IPSOS tracking survey, Hillary Clinton now leads Donald Trump by 5.6 points among all whites earning $75,000 or more. This is
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Keeping His Word
Justin Trudeau came to office, claiming he would put an end to the cynicism of the Harper years. Michael Harris writes: When Justin Trudeau was running to become prime minister, he said that cynicism — about the future, the fate of our kids, and most especially the political establishment —
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: It’s Over
Andrew Nikiforuk has been writing for sometime that bitumen’s heyday is over. There are four reasons that account for the decline and fall of black goo: 1. There is no way to clean up bitumen spills. Basic science shows that neither industry nor government has developed an effective spill response for
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