When is an apology good enough?
OTTAWA—When is an apology good enough? As most Canadians, I watched the brownface incident and response on Sept. 18 and felt a range of emotions, from anger to grief. Racism is like that—it elicits such a range of emotions. The question is when is an apology good enough? It’s complicated, but the first point: only […]
Not a fan of Scheer, worried about environment
I’m retired and extremely worried about what is happening in Canada, especially with the election of Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Alberta Premier Jason Kenny. Now there is Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer. We don’t want Canada to be Americanized and I don’t want health care to be privatized like in the U.S. It scares me […]
Liberal war room may have to stop releasing dirt on Tory candidates, for fear of appearing ‘hypocritical’
In the traditionally Conservative-area of Kanata-Carleton, the Liberals have highlighted the relationship between the Conservative candidate and a far-right activist, but they may have to curtail attacking the alleged detriments of Tory candidates in light of photographs surfacing showing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in brownface and blackface. When Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer (Regina-Qu’Appelle, Sask.) headed […]
Liberals going to have to make fundamental shifts in their communications and strategy
OTTAWA—The perfect analogy for how I participate in elections now: I head toward the crowd, hang around the fringes, graciously accept whatever is on offer, and speak with confidence about things I neither know, nor understand. The timing of the call was a bit of a surprise, although in hindsight the timing calculation had to […]
Climate crisis requires industrial mobilization on scale not seen since Second World War
The climate crisis requires industrial mobilization on a scale not seen since the Second World War. While Canadian governments have moved at snail-like speed to fully address the emergency, in just a few weeks last spring, thousands of Canadians gathered in town halls across the country to discuss ideas for sweeping transformation under the Pact […]
Scheer’s marketing problem
OAKVILLE, ONT.—For better or worse, electoral politics in Canada has evolved into a leader-centric form of political combat. In other words, the current federal election isn’t really about pitting political parties or ideologies against each other, it’s more of a one-on-one contest between party champions, i.e., between Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and Prime Minister Justin […]
The debate about debates is debatable
OTTAWA—The debate about the debates is debatable. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau was criticized for not attending the first televised debate organized by Maclean’s magazine and CityTV. He will face more criticism next week as a likely no-show at the Munk Debates on Foreign Policy Oct. 1 in Toronto. Trudeau’s explanation is that he is attending […]
Reaction to Trudeau’s racist brownface photos, here and abroad
After multiple images emerged Wednesday of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in racist blackface and brownface, in some instances dating back to the 1990s, reaction from Canadians and international figures continued to pour in Thursday. Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.), currently on the campaign trail, has since apologized, admitted wearing brownface and blackface is racist, and said […]
GTA to be hotly contested in election, ‘decides whether governments are minorities or majorities’
Political strategists, professors, and candidates agree that voters in the Greater Toronto Area will play a critical role in deciding who will form the next government, with one pollster saying the recent blackface controversy enveloping Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could potentially suppress the Liberal Party’s vote in the upcoming election and lose them some crucial ridings. […]
Campaign signs across Canada are being defaced with hateful graffiti
As local campaigns hit the pavement ahead of the Oct. 21 federal election, candidates across the country are seeing their campaign signs defaced with racist graffiti, from drawing blackface on candidates to vandalizing signs with swastikas. In the Montreal-area riding of Hochelaga, Que., represented by outgoing NDP MP Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet since 2011, Liberal candidate Soraya […]
