The Trudeau government recently announced that it would not pursue the appeal of Omar Khadr’s release on bail. That’s a good first step, Gerry Caplan writes. But there’s more that needs to be done. Consider the history:The Afghan firefight in which an …
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Northern Reflections: In Praise Of The Supreme Court
Last week, The Supreme Court issued three more landmark decisions. The first two decisions struck down more of Stephen Harper’s tough on crime agenda. Tom Walkom writes:On Friday, the court unanimously swept aside provisions of the former Conservative …
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Spend It On The Kids
Jerry Diakiw has a terrific idea. If governments are looking for good infrastructure investments, he writes, focus on kids. That’s not just a noble sentiment. There’s lots of evidence to suggest that it’s wise policy:Our new federal government plans to…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Necessity OfCivic Virtue
Chris Hedges sees a bleak future for the United States. The ruins of post industrial America are all around. He describes what has happened in places like Elizabeth, New Jersey:Elizabeth was devastated by the 1982 closure of its Singer plant, which ha…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Different Crowd
Some commentators view what happened in Edmonton last weekend as an exercise in self destruction. Not so, writes Murray Dobbin. The membership of the NDP has sent a clear message. Principle is more important than political opportunism:The NDP has paid …
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Poloz Seal Of Approval
The Conservatives — and the Parliamentary Budget Office — continue to pummel the Liberals over their budget. But Stephen Poloz made it clear yesterday that the Bank of Canada has a different take on things. Tom Walkom writes:Speaking to reporters Wed…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Those Who Adapt
The Leap Manifesto appears to be tearing the new Democratic Party apart. But, Tom Walkom writes, it’s hardly a radical document. And a number of its recommendations are being advocated or implemented:Like Ottawa and virtually every provincial governme…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Down Time
I’ve been having health issues that have kept me away from the computer. With a little recovery time, my back and legs should be renewed. I hope to be back in about a week. Best wishes to all.Image: mindmeister.com
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Making The Same Mistake
Stephane Dion stepped in it last week when he suggested that the UN Human Rights Council choose someone other than Michael Lynk as Special Repporteur for the Palestinian Territories. Apparently, M. Dion has been consulting with UN Watch, a pro Is…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Not On His Father’s Terms
There are those who claim that Justin Trudeau became prime minister because of his name. And, in his first month’s in office I find myself comparing him — unfavourably to his father. Lawrence Martin argues that, in many ways, Justin is not his father’…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: No Paragons Of Virtue
We in the West were appalled by what happened in Brussels last week. But Chris Hedges reminds us that war promotes depravity on all sides. And, most certainly, our hands are not clean:The Christian religion embraces the concept of “holy war” as fa…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: A Final Word On Rob Ford
I have resisted writing anything on the death of Rob Ford. I am — perhaps — the least objective commentator on that late former mayor of Toronto. But, last week, Rick Salutin wrote a fair assessment of the man and his followers:Terms used to describe…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: One More Sacred Cow
The Liberals’ budget has slain one sacred cow — the notion that deficits are intolerable. Scott Clark and Peter Devries write that there is one more cow to be dispatched — the idea that Stephen Harper’s cuts to the GST are cast in stone:How will thes…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The Bright Lights Aren’t Burning
We in the West were appalled by this week’s terrorist attacks in Brussels. At almost the same time, there was an attack in Ankara. Micheal Harris writes:Just before ISIS operatives set off bombs in Brussels, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks detonated a car…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Not A Comforting Thought
The conventional wisdom seems to be that, if Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump face off against each other in November, Hillary will win. Gerry Caplan isn’t so sanguine. He writes:Hillary Clinton is perhaps the best-qualified candidate for the American…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: The 2016 Budget
Reaction to yesterday’s budget has been predictable. On the Right, Andrew Coyne writes that the budget is “one for the 1970’s to address problems from the 1980’s.” On the left, Andrew Jackson, of the Broadbent Institute, writes, “The Budget reinvests s…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Forward, Not Backward
The Conservatives are looking for a new leader. But they have a lot of work to do before they hold a leadership convention. Hugh Segal writes that the last election proved how barren the party has become:A campaign in which candidates are barred from a…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Like The Morning Dew
In the last election, Justin Trudeau ran as the Protector of the Environment. That claim took a serious hit last week when his government approved the Woodfibre LNG plant near Squamish, British Columbia. Michael Harris writes:In giving Woodfibre LNG th…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: It’s About Quantity And Quality
Tuesday is budget day. The deficit, Justin Trudeau tells us, is about job creation. Carol Goar reminds her readers that job creation is about quality as well as quantity:This truth never penetrated Stephen Harper’s government. Year after year, the fe…
Continue readingNorthern Reflections: Trumping Free Trade
There’s not much to like about Donald Trump. But, Tom Walkom writes, Trump may bring a new perspective to the present conventional wisdom on Free Trade:As journalist Thomas Frank noted this week on CBC Radio and earlier in the Guardian, Trump’s succ…
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