Smearing Irwin Cotler
Andrew Cohen writes that Stephen Harper has had Irwin Cotler in his sights for some time. Two months ago, the Conservatives spread the rumour that Cotler –three and a half…
Owen Gray
Storm Clouds Over Europe
Paul Krugman reminds his readers today that tough economic times can sow the seeds of authoritarianism. He then offers an analysis of what is happening in Europe. The economic crisis…
What’s A Border For?
Perhaps it was inevitable. Historians for a long time now have been predicting Canada’s eventual integration into the American Empire. The agreement which Stephen Harper and Barack Obama signed last…
The History We Don’t Know
Jeffrey Simpson is full of praise for Richard Gwyn’s two volume biography of Sir John A. Macdonald. And he mourns the place which history holds in modern Canada: In schools,…
Abuse of Power
Jennifer Ditchburn reports this morning that, having installed a new unilingual auditor general, the Conservatives would rather not hear from him: Five different individuals – inside and outside Auditor-General Michael…
Canada At Durban
David Olive writes in today’s Toronto Star that Canada has many “firsts” to its credit: First in North America with universal health care and prudent branch banking. First on this…
Morally Adrift
There has always been an unpleasant stench of righteousness about the Harper Conservatives. I use the word “stench,” because they so obviously do not practise what they preach. They lack…
Canadian Republicans?
At the end of his reflection on the border security agreement which Stephen Harper and Barack Obama will sign this week, Lawrence Martin writes: In many respects, we have what…
Newt’s Ressurection
Paul Krugman writes that to win the contest for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, “there are only two ways to make the cut: to be totally cynical or to be…
Behold The Party
When Peter Van Loan admitted this week in the House that the Conservative Party had been behind a campaign to spread the rumour that Irwin Cotler was resigning, he did…
The Anti-Trudeau
Stephen Harper despised Pierre Trudeau. He was nine years old when Trudeau became prime minister, and twenty-five when Trudeau retired. Watching Harper pontificate and react, one gets the impression that…
Plenty Of Blame
Richard Wagamese writes that Attawapiskat is not an isolated case. There is plenty of blame to go around for the tragedy there and on other native reserves. The problem, he…
Big Man, Little Boy
We certainly are raising a peculiar crop of leaders these days. Since he was elected, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has frozen out the Toronto Star. He has told his staff…
The Harper Government
Much has been written over the last few days about the “Harperization” of Canada’s government. As much as the term “Harper Government” is an affront to to all Canadians, it…
Stephen Is Watching You
Stephen Harper — a fat man in a flight jacket — is promoting Canada’s military. The latest installment in this carefully orchestrated campaign occurred during last weekend’s Grey Cup game.…
Cynical and Cowardly
The Harper government has made it official. It will celebrate Christmas by pulling out of the Kyoto Protocol. Peter Kent, the Minister of the Environment, announced Sunday that “Canada goes…
Send In The Clowns
I first became interested in politics in 1960, as a twelve year old kid growing up in Montreal. That was the year Jean Lesage defeated Antonio Barrette and the remnants…
There Is A Long Way To Go, But. . .
Things are moving in the right direction. Despite the evictions of protesters from public spaces across Canada, Linda McQuaig writes that the Occupy Movement has managed to “change the public…
The New Generation Gap
Yesterday, Elections Canada released a study on the problem of youthful apathy on voting day. The study suggests that “young Canadians don’t vote because politicians aren’t able to connect to…
Who Tricked Who?
Ezra Klein wonders how smart Republicans were when they talked Barack Obama into automatic spending cuts once the supercommittee failed: Imagine if the Democrats offered Republicans a deficit deal that…