Rae The Public Servant
A Trudeau led the Liberal Party when Bob Rae entered the House of Commons. And a Trudeau leads that party as Rae leaves. The Dippers were never sure Rae was…
Owen Gray
The Gulf Gets Bigger
Two reports — one released yesterday, the other today — paint a pretty grim picture of where the country is. The Huffington Post reports that Canada’s wealthiest continued to do…
Nothing For Something
The Harper government has released ads touting its Canada Job Grants Program. The problem is that the program doesn’t exist. Andrew Coyne writes in the Postmedia papers: Ottawa proposes to…
Hudak Should Watch His Back
When Tim Hudak was elected the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, he came in with Mike Harris’ blessing. He was, after all, one of Harris’ young guns. But, since…
Education Isn’t Enough Anymore
On Friday, Paul Krugman wrote that the technological revolution is leaving even some of the well educated behind: Today, however, a much darker picture of the effects of technology on…
Not A Big Speaker From A Big Country
When Stephen Harper steps out on the world stage, he never fails to offend. Last week, he spoke before the Mother of all Parliaments. He praised David Cameron and Margaret…
Sneaky Steve
You have to admit, the phrase has possibilities, partly because of its alliterative panache. But, Michael Harris writes, the real strength of the phrase comes from its accuracy: Sneaky politicians…
Economics As A Morality Play
Stephen Harper and David Cameron live in a bubble of mutual admiration. That bubble is on display this morning in London. They are congratulating each other on their economic prowess.…
A Progressive Conservative Revival?
Michael Harris writes that Stephen Harper can’t save the Conservative Party. Neither can anyone in his cabinet: The essential reason that no Harper cabinet minister can ride to the party’s…
It’s Ethics, Stupid!
Lawrence Martin summarizes Stephen Harper’s central problem very succinctly: The Prime Minister’s problem is that ethics is taking over from economics as the dominant issue in the public mind. That’s…
He’s Perfectly Clear
Those of us who are old enough to remember, recall that one of Richard Nixon’s pet — and pat — phrases was “perfectly clear.” And, therefore, it is particularly ironic…
Democracy and Efficiency
Corruption is always rooted in human character. But these days — at least in Canada — Robert Sibley suggests that it might also have something to do with the cult…
Follow The Money
Deep Throat advised Woodward and Bernstein to “follow the money” — because that trail would lead them back to the White House and the plumbers who committed the Watergate burglary.…
Things Fall Apart
Humpty Dumpty is teetering on his wall. Michael Den Tandt writes in the Postmedia papers: Edmonton MP Brent Rathgeber’s resignation from the Conservative caucus, which dropped inside the Ottawa bubble…
Rebellion On The Right
Stephen Harper’s most loyal supporters are deserting him. Tom Walkom writes in The Toronto Star: The latest stress point is a damning critique of Harper’s economic policy by the head…
It’s All About Money
The standard narrative on Nigel Wright seems to be that he is a straight arrow who took one for the boss. But Linda McQuaig suggests that narrative is what the…
Stepping In It
All political parties have their own manure machines — propaganda shops, whose task is to sell their program. But, under Stephen Harper, political propaganda has been redefined. It’s now all…
Where’s The Outrage?
That’s what Bob Dole trumpeted almost twenty years ago, when he was running against Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski. Try as he might, Dole couldn’t generate public outrage against Clinton.…
Do What You’re Told
In a recent interview, Noam Chomsky returned to a subject about which he has said a lot over the years — consumer culture: The advertising industry is a huge industry,…
What Does Mike Duffy Know?
That’s a legitimate question, Michael Harris writes. It’s curious: Mike Duffy is still a senator, but Nigel Wright is no longer the prime minister’s chief-of-staff. One man tried to put…