The People Who Don’t Count
Two days ago, Mark Garneau asked the prime minister what he was going to do about youth unemployment: “Yesterday we witnessed the very sad spectacle of the Conservatives and the…
Owen Gray
History Repeats Itself
Jeffrey Simpson, in today’s Globe and Mail, refers to an essay written by British MP and historian Rory Stewart. The subject of the essay is the British invasion and occupation…
More Hypocrisy
Stephen Harper likes to claim that his party is a party of principle. But, of course, that’s all jiggery-pockery. Whether it’s huffing and puffing about China’s human rights record then…
Moving Towards Merger
Paul Adams argues at ipolitics that whoever wins the Liberal leadership race must consider some kind of entente with the New Democrats. The Liberals’ old guard has floated the idea:…
Senor The Savant?
Maureen Dowd writes, in today’s New York Times, that the man behind Republican rhetoric these days is Dan Senor, a kid who grew up in Toronto and graduated from the…
Here They Come — Again
Joanna Slater writes in today’s Globe and Mail that, if you thought the Occupy Movement was dead, you should hold that thought: After months of internal wrangling and low morale,…
Peter Lougheed
Peter Lougheed had a political pedigree. His grandfather was a senator and a partner in R.B. Bennett’s law firm. But, during the Depression, the family lost its fortune and —…
A Political Implosion In Slow Motion
Royson James writes in today’s Toronto Star that mayor Rob Ford is beyond redemption: At some point, Mayor Rob Ford’s mayoralty will collapse under the weight of his own political…
Statesman Of The Year?
The Globe and Mail reports this morning that Stephen Harper has been named Statesman of the Year: The Appeal of Conscience Foundation, an international organization founded by New York rabbi…
Politicians and Poverty
Two weeks ago, Ann Romney told Republicans that she and Mitt had known lean times: “We were very young. Both still in college. There were many reasons to delay marriage,…
The Triumph Of Political Cynicism
Out on the campaign trail, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have been arguing that Barack Obama is a failed president. They claim that he didn’t do anything when he controlled…
Gregg On Harperland
In his brilliant essay, 1984 in 2012 Allen Gregg delineates how much Stephen Harper’s Party — for that’s what it is — learned from Orwell. The Harperites, he writes, have…
Spoiling For A Fight
Tony Burman writes in this morning’s Toronto Star that Canada has a new Foreign Affairs Minister: His name is Benjamin Netanyahu. His day job may be prime minister of Israel,…
Not Such A Bright Idea
Dalton McGuinty scored on his own goal yesterday, when his party came in a distant third in Kitchener-Waterloo. Having engineered the by-election, by offering the sitting MP — Conservative Elizabeth…
Clinton Hits A Home Run
Whatever your politics, you have to admire Bill Clinton’s ability to give a stem winding speech at a critical moment. He did it again last night at the Democratic Convention…
Now What?
Jeffrey Simpson writes this morning that Jean Charest only has himself to blame for his party and his personal defeat last night. That’s true — but only partially true. For…
Politicizing The RCMP
On Saturday, the RCMP forced a plane which was flying over Ottawa and Gatineau to land. The plane carried the banner “Stephen Harper Nous Deteste” — Stephen Harper hates us.…
The Pink Elephants Have Left The Big Top
Now that the Republican Convention is over, what have we learned? It would appear that not much has changed. Economic policy remains the same — the party favours the wealthy…
As Unions Die, So Does The Middle Class
There’s a lot of talk these days about defending the middle class. Politicians of all stripes claim they are the champions of the middle class.. But everyone knows that the…
Oh, Quebec, Where Art Thou?
Jeffrey Simpson’s column, in this morning’s Globe and Mail, is a sad commentary on Quebec’s links to the rest of Canada: In most walks of life – in what we…