President Donald Trump took his case to the graduating cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy the other day. They did not rise up in support. They were surprisingly polite. And probably dumbfounded. Trump’s problems are not their concern. When you are commissioned as a junior officer of the United
Continue readingTag: new
Babel-on-the-Bay: Fixing Ontario’s out-of-date work laws.
Ontario Labour Minister Kevin Flynn has a tough road to travel with the Wynne Cabinet. He is seeking to address the antiquated labour laws in Ontario. He wants to restore balance to the rights of part-time workers. He wants to guarantee a minimum wage on which someone can live. What
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: On the road to mediocrity.
Do you know who will be the new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada on May 27? With a third of the votes already in and more trickling in every day, it is a very frustrating guessing game to determine who will win. The problem you are facing is
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The poster boy and the NDP.
Charlie Angus meet Jagmeet Singh. No doubt Charlie Angus MP, candidate for the New Democratic Party leadership has met Jagmeet Singh MPP, the newest candidate for the NDP leadership, before, but not likely as a competitor. The only surprise about this meeting is that both these gentlemen are in the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Infrastructure bank belongs in Toronto.
The good news is that Canada’s new infrastructure bank will be in operation by the end of this year. Despite the complaints of other centres, Toronto is the city where it belongs. The bank will be launched with $35 billion in capital from the federal government and will seek Canadian
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Take it to heart Ms. Wynne.
Yes, there is a lesson to be learned from the B.C. provincial election by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. The lesson is that when voters are mad, you best get out of the way. Take a page from former Premier Dalton McGuinty’s book: he knew when to get out of the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Spicer embarrasses all press secretaries.
Donald Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer is earning press secretaries a bad name. You would like to think it is not because he is totally incompetent. He might just have an impossible task for an impossible client. President Trump does not make the job any easier. We used to refer
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Those tree-hugging Greenies did it!
When we wrote our Morning Line for the British Columbia provincial election, we admitted the weakness to our assessment. Here it is four days after the election and we still know very little. Blame the Greens! With the B.C. Liberals one short of a majority, the absentee ballots and the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A politico posits on Patrick Brown.
One of the more interesting aspects of some politicians is the effort they will take to make sure you do not know them. It is like Ontario voters should be less worried about Ontario Conservative leader Patrick Brown’s lack of policies than his lack of personality. Having moved to Barrie
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Taking back our civil rights.
You hate to have to remind our Liberal government in Ottawa that one of the basic tenets of liberalism is human rights. It is as though the cabinet members get elected and then forget what party supported their election. It is even worse when the Liberals on the parliamentary committee
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Is Andrea Horwath circling the drain?
There had to be some confusion in Ontario New Democratic Party ranks last week. It was caused by an unfortunate story about the NDP getting a second wind “With Horwath at the helm.” This was after the party had the wind taken out of its sails by the Liberals announcing
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Conrad Black on Donald Trump.
“He knows what he wants,” was the message by Conrad Black to a parliamentary committee examining the current situation on trade relations with the United States. The former Canadian and now an ex-convict and Lord Cross-the-Pond or some such title, was telling the committee about his friend Donald Trump who
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Cole bites the hand feeding his activism.
Just who is the racist here? Do Torontonians need black activists stirring imaginary pots in our polyglot society? What is it Desmond Cole is peddling? If he has a case, why is nobody speaking out for Toronto’s Asian Canadians? Are they not also feeling the pinch of racism? It has
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The myth of America’s FBI.
There is a very bad television show on television these days called Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. A weak spinoff from the highly successful Criminal Minds show that is now ending its twelfth season on CBS, the Beyond Borders version tries to replace strong characterizations with travelogues and requires that the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A rookie mistake in Don Valley North.
In October last year we wrote some personal comments about the area of Don Valley North electoral district in Toronto. The wife and I had our home there in that part of North York for more than 20 years. It was just down the street and around the corner from
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Creating conflict for city and province.
They really cannot be doing it to ‘sell’ newspapers in this day and age. The Toronto Star has been busy building a supposed conflict between Mayor John Tory of Toronto and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. It is based on the recent Ontario budget that did not mention more funds for
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: In the Senate: “Some are more equal.”
In George Orwell’s Animal Farm we were told that some animals are more equal than others. This makes it an appropriate analogy for the institution in Canada known as the senate. The senate was created 150 years ago as a chamber of sober second thought to rein in any excesses
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Speechwriters and old soldiers never die.
This writer would have serious doubts taking on writing speeches for an old soldier such as Canada’s defence minister Harjit Sajjan. There are a series of problems involved, not the least of them being the mistake of trying to present an apolitical Sikh in the guise of a politician. There
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: A hundred days in America.
Marking his first 100 days in office, U,S. President Donald Trump told the media that he thought the job as president was easier. It is an admission that he has neither the training, nor experience nor temperament to handle the position. He has proved to the world that he is
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The piecemeal processes of Premier Wynne.
“Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages: Let me draw your attention to the left ring of our three-ring circus. Here for your entertainment and edification is our finance minister who has just passed the miracle of a balanced budget. Charles Sousa will now amaze you further by proposing
Continue reading