It might not be her usual task but we understand that the wunderkind and finance minister of Canada’s cabinet is busy planning for federal government investment to help our country to recover from the pandemic. This is despite many of us wanting all-hands-on deck, to get us through the pandemic
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Babel-on-the-Bay: The solidarity of the right.
Is Erin O’Toole a fool? The conservative leader would not be so stupid as to reject the support of the extreme right of the conservative party? Yet we read that he does not think he needs them. It was that kind of thinking that enabled Preston Manning to create the
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: America, we hardly knew ya!
While some desperate Canadians still manage to flee south to escape our bitter winters, we have not been seeing Americans breaching our locked-down borders in any large numbers. American tourists used to come in droves for the pageantry in Toronto of our Caribbean festival and our gay days and maybe
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: The pandemic that killed small businesses.
It has always been obvious that while our politicians will say positive things about small and entrepreneurial businesses, the big box stores are all they can see. And nothing has culled the field of small business faster than the second wave of the pandemic. But it was not covid-19 that
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: In defense of dissent.
Is it better to be known for your friends or your enemies? When does a dissenter become the hero? Or is dissent the sad role of the aged curmudgeon? I always admired Pierre Trudeau, father of our present prime minister, for his handling of dissent. He treated it as an
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Ford unlocks his lockdown.
It is not just Ontario residents who are confused. They are in a “lockdown” that nobody understands. The wife and I very much wanted to see an old friend this weekend. We finally figured out that under premier Ford’s lockdown rules, the two of us could not go and visit
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Black’s pal Trump.
If Bob Hepburn of the Toronto Star had not raised it, I never would have noticed. It has been about ten years since Conrad Black was released from prison in the United States and deported to Canada. Obviously, he is more comfortable holing up in Toronto’s Bridal Path area in
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: It’s not your father’s liberal party.
When Pierre Trudeau resigned his leadership of the liberal party in 1984, it was a robust organization with supporters across Canada. The president of the party was B.C. liberal Iona Campagnolo. She was the party president that when the new leader John Turner was caught by the media patting her
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Politics of the pandemic.
It has been fascinating watching politicians learning about the politics of a pandemic. It has been a learning experience for all of them. Some take naturally to the challenge, while others find it a struggle. Thinking of the positive ones first, I have to admit that prime minister Justin Trudeau
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: In praise of liberalism.
Being a liberal is not just some fuzzy feeling. It is a commitment to life. It matters not the color of your skin. It matters not whether you are rich or poor. It matters not the extent of your education. It depends on your caring. It depends on your ability
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Exit President Trump.
It has been America’s shame. The past four years of the American presidency has shown the world a failure of democracy in the strongest country in the world. When you do not pay attention, when you do not care, you can get a president like Donald Trump. It needs to
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Lasting in lockdown.
Happy New Year to you! We spend Christmas and New Years hunkered around the television binge-watching The Crown on Netflix. Nobody got our seasons greetings because just when I was about to send them, my computer died. Between Amazon, Best Buy and Costco, I found I could not buy a
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: UK Teeters at the Precipice.
It seems like a long time since the United Kingdom has had any real leadership. This Brexit business is a dog’s breakfast. Every subsequent leadership aspirant has made a bigger mess of it. Now we are down to the wire with that pathetic guy who looks like he chops at
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Pondering the politics of the potty.
There are issues that people will step up to and there are issues that cause them to smirk and back away. I was reading a very intelligent story the other day about the politics of the toilet and the need for our politicians to grow backbones. To quote a current
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Who’s paying for the bitumen Trudeau ships?
It struck me, listening to the news from Ottawa on Friday, this whole plan for $170 a ton for carbon by 2030 is bullshit. Who is going to pay for the disgusting amount of carbon prime minister Trudeau and his friends in Alberta are hoping to ship from Burnaby, British
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: “Taking care of business…”
The Bachman Turner Overdrive seem to say it best in their song, “Taking care of business (every day).” It seems to be the theme song of the conservatives who are mismanaging things in Ontario at this time. These people will bend over backwards to help business, big and small, and
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Good to know Doug’s got spare money!
Were we reading the other day that Ontario premier Doug Ford has a rainy-day $12 billion tucked away? That is what you can expect when you have a conservative government. Yet the Ontario Financial Accountability Officer tells us that some of that money was from the federal government to help
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: How many did Trump kill today?
That is not a light at the end of the tunnel on January 20. It is the funeral pyre at the crematorium for all the people that Mr. Trump has killed. He has been pushing for the return of the death penalty for federal crimes and has already had eight
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Are any conservatives listening?
It is something of a wonder that Jason Kenney, premier of Alberta, Doug Ford, premier of Ontario, and Erin O’Toole, federal conservative leader, are members of the same political party. The only similarity between the three gentlemen is that they all blame Justin Trudeau for their problems, provincially and across
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Stop your bitching, I’m back.
I know, I promised you something scintillating about Trump yesterday. I lied. I just had more important things to do. I promised myself that I would start anew today, but this day started by pissing me off. My Toronto Star did it by informing me of the new prices for
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