On Board The Pequod
For me, there are two quintessential American novels. Huck Finn is about the American heart. Moby Dick is about the American soul. It is perhaps no accident, then, that Chris…
Owen Gray
New Faces, New Puppets
Vic Toews resigned from the Harper cabinet — and politics — yesterday. His is the latest departure from Team Harper, as the prime minister tries to put a new face…
Healthcare Is Next
In today’s Toronto Star, Natalie Mehra and Michael McBane warn that the Harper government is taking aim at Medicare. For the system to work, the prime minister needs to meet…
The "Primitives" Have Got It Right
In a recent article, Noam Chomsky asks the question we should all be asking: “Who will defend the earth?” The people who are desperately interested in the answer to that…
It’s Happened Before
Documents released yesterday indicate that, contrary to what Stephen Harper says, there were more people than Nigel Wright involved in the pay off to Mike Duffy. Most interesting of all…
The Last Progresive Conservative
Stephen Harper is about to shuffle his cabinet. And those who are presently in it — but who will not run in the next election — are taking their leave.…
Austerity Kills
In their book, The Body Economic: Why Austerity Kills, David Stuckler and Sanjay Basu demonstrate that, around the world, austerity has had devastating consequences on public health. Consider what economic…
Running Scared
The Harper Government, Michael Harris writes, is running scared. It’s now patently obvious that its claim to fame — competent management — is unadulterated flap doodle: The PM and his…
Recent History Is Repeating Itself
StatsCan’s latest report on household income gives the lie to the Harper government’s claim that it knows how to manage the nation’s economy. The Huffington Post reports that: StatsCan’s latest…
Keep The Militarism Out Of It
It’s traditional to look back at our history on Canada Day. And on this Canada Day — our 146th — the Harper government has decided to review whether we teach…
The Fevered Dreams Of Blue-Eyed Sheiks
Not seeing the forest for the trees. It’s the classic characterization of tunnel vision. An updated version of the old saw might be not seeing the shale for the pipeline.…
He’s Losing His Grip
Lawrence Martin writes that the cracks are spreading at Fortress Harper. First it was those ornery backbenchers who refused to shut up. Then one of them, Brent Rathgeber, resigned. And,…
Do They Get It?
Andrew Nikiforuk loves his city and his province. Both, he writes, have had a “Manhattan moment:” We thought we were big and powerful and beyond humbling just like New York.…
The Future Is — Retail
Statscan reports that, when it comes to employment in Canada, the future is in retailing.We no longer make things. We sell things that other people make. According to The Toronto…
Economic Obsessions
Those of us who are appalled by the Harper government have taken some hope for the future as we have watched the PMO implode. But Edward Greenspon warns that, when…
Blatant Hypocrisy
Martin Regg Cohn calls Rob Ford’s bluster, after his meeting with Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa, exactly what it is — blatant hypocrisy. And Cohn provides a little historical context:…
Penny Wise and Pound Foolish
Senator Colin Kenny has written an important op-ed in this morning’s Toronto Star. The central thrust of the piece is that the Harper government’s approach to foreign aid is sheer…
They’re In The Money
“In Ottawa,” Michael Den Tandt wrote last week, “money sloshes around like water in a tub.” Things have gotten worse since Stephen Harper ditched Jean Chretien’s modest attempt to provide…
Creative Destruction?
The Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter wrote that capitalism encouraged “creative destruction.” Tom Walkom writes that The Great Recession has been all about destruction: In Canada, we are said to be…
With Friends Like Harper, You Don’t Need Enemies
Rob Moore The Grace Foundation, the New Brunswick charity which complained last week about Justin Trudeau’s speaking fee, now says it’s “deeply distressed” by the way things have turned out.…