Chantal Hebert writes this morning that the battle over Bill C-14 signals a new source of opposition for any Canadian government — the Senate:The legislative discussion over bill C-14 is over but the debate over the role of a more independent Senate i…
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Northern Reflections: When Politics Becomes Reality TV
Kevin O’Leary wants to lead the Conservative Party of Canada. But, before they hand him the keys to the kingdom, the Conservatives would do well to examine the fate of another star of reality television — who is spontaneously combusting. Micheal Harri…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: No Referendum
There is a lot of chatter — particularly from the Conservatives — about holding a referendum on electoral reform. Gerry Caplan doesn’t think a referendum is a good idea. He writes:To raise issues related to democracy is to raise the question of refe…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Getting To The Bottom Of The Afghan Prisoners Debacle
In May of 2007, The Toronto Star ran a story about how Afghan soldiers — who had been captured by Canadians — were being abused in prison. Michael Byers and William Schabas write:As one detainee told reporter Rosie DiManno, “They whipped me…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Envy Is A Very Unattractive Quality
Canadians are supposed to have a reputation for being polite. But, Robin Sears writes, that stereotype doesn’t apply to the Canadian press corps. They are pretty good at stoking class envy:Rarely a month goes by without some lazy reporter, certain of a…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: It’s Later Than We Think
The real battle in the United States won’t be between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Chris Hedges writes that the real battle is between corporate power and ordinary citizens. And, if ordinary citizens are to win the battle, they must understand the…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Those Who Could Stop It Remain Silent
In Israel, the voices arrayed against the Netanyahu government are becoming louder. Murray Dobbins writes:In the space of two days, new critics emerged from within the highest positions of Israel state power. Moshe Ya’alon — until recently the Israe…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Different Folks, Different Rules
The Isle of Man tax avoidance scheme is nothing new. Linda McQuaig reminds her readers that Brian Mulroney cut the same kind of deal with the CRA:The riveting image of the former prime minister accepting wads of cash from a notorious lobbyist
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Conservative Hypocrisy
On Sunday, when NDP MP Nikki Ashton tweeted that she was heading south to stump for Bernie Sanders, Conservative commentators were up in arms. Michael Harris writes:But what (Conservative supporters wanted to know) was a Canadian MP doing knocking on …
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Put It Out Of Its Misery
Tom Friedman believes that the Republican Party is morally bankrupt. He wrote this week in the New York Times, that it should be blown up and reconstructed from scratch:Today’s G.O.P. is to governing what Trump University is to education — an ethi…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Prime Ministers And The Press
Yesterday, Lawrence Martin provided a historical review of the relationship between prime ministers and the press. And, while Justin Trudeau’s appearance at last week’s Parliamentary Press Gallery dinner was hailed as a tour de force, Martin writes tha…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: World Of Wonders!
Over the weekend, the Swiss held a referendum in which they rejected a proposal for a guaranteed annual income. Andrew Coyne writes:The model on which the Swiss voted was at the outer limits of what anyone has imagined a basic income could or should e…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Future Belongs To The Independents
Bill C-14 has gone to the Senate. Who knows what will happen to it there? A clue can be found in independent senator Frances Lankin’s email to several of her colleagues:“For your information, I intend to submit amendments to; 1) establish another r…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: When People Know What They’re Buying
When the Trudeau government agreed last week to adopt an NDP motion which populates the election reform committee on the basis of the votes each party received in the last election, it set up a working model of proportional representation. Andrew Coyne…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: From the Tiger’s Back To The Tiger’s Belly
Our last two prime ministers surfed to power on populist waves. But neither man was a populist. Susan Delacourt writes:With the arrival of Justin Trudeau and his new government this past year, Canadians seem to be caught in some ambivalence about pop…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: How We Take Our Leave
Tom Walkom has a must read column in today’s Toronto Star. The contentious debate over Bill C-14, he writes, is about much more than the right to die. It’s also about the right to live:If government has any role in this life and death matter it is not …
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Tale Of Two Parties
Chantal Hebert writes that the recent NDP and Conservative conventions provide a study in contrasts: The party that Harper is leaving behind is a different, more mature creature than the collection of fractious factions that came together under his l…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Dinner Guest Who Refuses To Leave
Last week’s G7 Conference did nothing to stimulate the world’s economy — even though the IMF says that economic stimulus is what the world needs badly. Tom Walkom writes:The International Monetary Fund, which exists to backstop nations in fina…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Who Says You Can’t Buy An Election?
Donald Trump keeps rolling along. And things keep getting worse for Hillary Clinton. The real campaign hasn’t even started yet. A lot of Clinton’s misery is of her own making. Trump is a sociopath — who will say anything and stop at nothing to w…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Party Of The Young
Tim Harper wrote his last column yesterday. In it, he reviewed the state of Canada’s three major parties — which have all held conventions in the last four months:The three gatherings have provided a real-time barometer on the state of politics…
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