Author: Owen Gray

In his review of the year which has almost ended, Lawrence Martin writes: In 2011, Canada took its sharpest turn right in its history. It will go down as the year of transformation in Canadian politics, the year when the political right gained unprecedented control, when the traditionally dominant centre

Conservatism, like Dr. Jekyll, has undergone an ugly transformation. Those who claim that mantle these days say they stand for liberty. However, they have long forgotten Edmund Burke’s caveat:: “But what is liberty without wisdom, and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly,

Every year, as Christmas approaches, I think again of A Christmas Carol. The world has always been opposed to the idea of Christmas — unless it can be turned into a money making proposition. If Christmas can serve the ends of business, by all means, it should be celebrated. But,

When Helena Geurgis melted down almost two years ago at the Charlottetown Airport, she received little sympathy. When she was asked to take off her boots for a security screening, she exploded. According to The Toronto Star: Guergis “slammed her boots into the bin” provided by security personnel and then,

The Harper Conservatives refused to admit that they were spreading misinformation when they told the constituents of Mount Royal that Irwin Cotler’s retirement was imminent. But the prime minister claims that opponents of the Tar Sands are spreading misinformation about Canada’s gold producing tar pit. As Michael Harris writes at

Anyone who has followed Stephen Harper’s political career should not be surprised by Jim Flaherty’s take it or leave it offer to the provinces. And those who fear for the future of medicare should recall what Stephen Harper has said in the past. Back in 1997, as President of the

Robert Samuelson asks that question — and gives his answer — in this morning’s Washington Post: Governments have ceded power to bond markets by decades of shortsighted behavior. The political bias is to favor short-term stimulus (by lowering taxes and raising spending), which is popular, and to ignore long-term deficits

At Durban two weeks ago, a young woman rose and addressed the delegates: I speak for more than half the world’s population,” declared Anjali Appadurai of Maine’s College of the Atlantic. “We are the silent majority. You’ve given us a seat in this hall, but our interests are not at

Jeffrey Simpson writes this morning that: Those who thought the Harper government would ease up a bit after winning a majority were wrong. Noblesse oblige is out, or, rather, was never in. If anything, the Harper government is more bullying, scornful of dissent, intent on controlling every utterance, contemptuous of

Stephen Harper claimed that, with a majority, his government could focus — laser like — on the Canadian economy. But since their return to Parliament Hill, the Conservatives have paid no attention to the economy. Instead, they have passed legislation to abolish the Canadian Wheat Board; they passed their omnibus

Andrew Cohen writes that Stephen Harper has had Irwin Cotler in his sights for some time. Two months ago, the Conservatives spread the rumour that Cotler –three and a half years before the next election — was about to resign. It wasn’t the first time they had been so underhanded.

Paul Krugman reminds his readers today that tough economic times can sow the seeds of authoritarianism. He then offers an analysis of what is happening in Europe. The economic crisis there, he writes, is killing the European Dream: Specifically, demands for ever-harsher austerity, with no offsetting effort to foster growth,

Perhaps it was inevitable. Historians for a long time now have been predicting Canada’s eventual integration into the American Empire. The agreement which Stephen Harper and Barack Obama signed last week is just another step along the way. .And, besides, say the commentators, it’s not just inevitable — it’s painless.This

Jeffrey Simpson is full of praise for Richard Gwyn’s two volume biography of Sir John A. Macdonald. And he mourns the place which history holds in modern Canada: In schools, history remains an orphan, barely taught, often entirely neglected. In the media, ahistoricism reigns. Even in universities, it’s alarming to

 Jennifer Ditchburn reports this morning that, having installed a new unilingual auditor general, the Conservatives would rather not hear from him: Five different individuals – inside and outside Auditor-General Michael Ferguson’s office – told The Canadian Press this week that officials there expect the opportunities for him to testify on

David Olive writes in today’s Toronto Star that Canada has many “firsts” to its credit: First in North America with universal health care and prudent branch banking. First on this continent to take up arms against the fascist overthrow of Europe, and first with peacekeeping. First to spearhead the Commonwealth

There has always been an unpleasant stench of righteousness about the Harper Conservatives. I use the word “stench,” because they so obviously do not practise what they preach. They lack a collective conscience. But, Frances Russel writes in The Winnipeg Free Press, “the Conservatives’ penchant for playing hardball and dirty