#cdnpoli: social media like Twitter can polarize voters and over-simplify issues
The effective use of social media may at one time have given a politician an edge over their opponent. But in a world where President of the United States Donald Trump uses 140-character tweets to address and announce policy issues, and Justin Trudeau is known as the ‘selfie prime minister,’ having at least a bare-minimum presence on […]
Trump isn’t going to be impeached anytime soon, numbers just aren’t there
TORONTO—Donald Trump isn’t going to be impeached. Not anytime soon, anyway. The numbers just aren’t there. Impeachment is about overturning the will of the people. Impeachment shouldn’t ever be easy. In the United States, impeachment has been designed to require a supermajority of legislative votes—and is reserved for what the U.S. Constitution calls “high […]
Did someone say Joe Trudeau? Trudeau-Trump meeting went smoothly, almost
They almost got through it without incident, Justin Trudeau and Donald Trump, in the meeting between the two leaders in Washington, D.C., last week. Mr. Trudeau didn’t get preachy, Mr. Trump didn’t say anything too crazy. There was a photograph that showed Mr. Trudeau looking at an outreached hand of the U.S. president with what […]
What is happening to the Conservative Party of Canada?
GATINEAU, QUE.—The once-mainstream Conservative Party of Canada is in danger of turning into something ugly—a vehicle for intolerance, anger, harsh economic and social remedies, coloured by a sour mistrust of anyone who sees life differently. The question is whether moderate Conservatives, traditional Conservatives, red Tories—even those labels have become sneer-worthy—will intervene before its too late. […]
Politics is getting fast and furious
OAKVILLE, ONT.—One Twitter meme phrase I see a lot of these days says: “Life comes at you fast.” And boy does it ever. In fact, life comes at you especially fast if you work in the realm of politics. I’d even say that one of the most drastic differences between the politics of today and […]
Comedians stepping up as media falls short
It seems only fitting that Samantha Bee is staging a “Not the White House Correspondents Dinner” April 29 to cull the squeamish from the herd attending the conventional Hilton event which, this year, may or may not feature President Donald Trump’s stupendous elevation from punch line to headliner. “The evening is sure to bring plenty […]
Angus launches website for possible NDP leadership run
NDP MP Charlie Angus is acting more and more like someone who’s planning to run for the NDP leadership, but he’s playing hard to get. He recently launched a campaign-style website, charlieangusndp.ca, and promoted it through his Facebook page in attempt to gauge the level of support that’s there if he decides to vie for […]
Politicians guiding journalism? No, thanks
Here’s what happened to newspapers. In the early 1990s, I worked at the Gazette in Montreal. In those days, on a Saturday you’d pick up your Gazette, shake five sections of classified advertising and home and car ads onto the floor, and go straight to the City pages, which featured a loving summary of local […]
With Trump and O’Leary, it could be a few long, painful years
OTTAWA—It could be a few long, painful years in North American politics with United States President Donald Trump and potential Conservative leader Kevin O’Leary. While it is quite possible they may have positive effects on their respective countries, their abrasive in-your-face style of communicating could wear thin pretty quickly. It has already for me, but […]
Time to fix the ‘value gap’
In his Hill Times op-ed (“Canadian copyright reform requires a fix on the fair dealing gap,” Dec. 5, 2016) Michael Geist takes issue with the need to address the “value gap” that is hurting Canadian artists, writers, and other members of the creative class. He argues instead that Canada faces a need to address a “fair […]
