Brexit and Brand Britain: authority abhors a barmpot
In his Financial Times column on the weekend, Janan Ganesh unfurled a theory as to why the British accent holds such appeal on this side of the Atlantic. Ganesh attributes the effect to its cadence—the flat, imperative delivery carrying a sense of authority absent in the epidemic of “upspeak” elsewhere. “There is a sense of inevitability about […]
PMO mum over whether Trudeau raised concerns over ‘rising tide’ of anti-Semitism with the Latvian PM
The Prime Minister’s Office is staying quiet on whether Justin Trudeau discussed concerns over creeping anti-Semitism and Nazi glorification in Europe with the Latvian prime minister or NATO leaders during his recent trip abroad. In an email statement to The Hill Times responding to the question, Chantal Gagnon, one of Mr. Trudeau’s press secretaries, said: “Canada […]
Mr. Prime Minister, meet George Costanza
TORONTO—That loud beep, beep, beep you’ve been hearing is the sound of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backing up and rolling over the #MeToo gains of the past several months—his own contributions included. Victims of sexual misconduct have especially heard the crashing of the progress that had finally given them the courage to raise their voices […]
Liberal, Conservative Hill staffers ‘infuriated’ by ‘incredibly inadequate’ response from parties’ leadership on mental health issues
Liberal and Conservative staffers say their political parties aren’t taking any real steps to support Hill staffers or to address mental health challenges, three weeks after former Liberal Hill staffer Paul Wernick made national news when he talked about his deep depression, 60- to 70-hour workweeks and his two attempted suicides, including once on the Hill. Some […]
Donald Trump won, he beat us all
TORONTO—When we have all been reduced once again to ashes—when the issue of The Hill Times you now clutch in your hands is but dust—thinkers will think, as thinkers do: how did Donald Trump win? Because, you know, he did. Donald Trump won. He beat us all. He has dominated the politics of this era like […]
Former Montreal Canadiens coach, Sen. Jacques Demers still recovering from strokes two years ago, has not relinquished Senate seat
Two years have passed since Independent Senator Jacques Demers suffered two strokes that paralyzed half of his body, constraining his ability to move and speak. He has not relinquished his seat in the Senate, despite being unable vote, debate, or serve on committees, and there is no long-term disability program for Parliamentarians that would allow […]
Trudeau’s handling of groping allegation has ‘terribly set back’ progress on women’s issues, puts him in tricky situation too, say political players
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “tortured series of explanations” for the groping allegation against him has “terribly set back” the progress made on women’s issues, proves that all “missteps” should not be deemed as “sexual assault,” and has affected the prime minister’s ability to handle any future cases of sexual misconduct in his own caucus, say […]
In politics, no good deed goes unpunished
CHELSEA, QUE.—The people of southern Ontario and parts of Quebec owe former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty a heartfelt thank you. Partly because of action his government took in 2013—namely, the closure of a large, coal-fired electricity plant on Lake Erie—this sweltering summer has featured no smog days so far. In fact, smog days—once a feature […]
Feminist PM has painted himself into a corner
TORONTO—I like the 2000 version of Justin Trudeau a whole lot better. Anodyne J.T. That Justin, chugging a stein of beer and seemingly wholly enjoying himself at the Kokanee Summit festival—attending the small B.C. town event to accept a charitable donation towards his family’s campaign to build a backcountry lodge in honour of his late […]
Conservatives counting on new faces in Quebec, with few obvious ridings to target in 2019
The federal Conservatives are counting on well-liked local candidates and a message of “openness” from leader Andrew Scheer to convince Quebecers to give them more seats in 2019, say political players. Despite the Bloc Québécois’ messy divorce, however, there are signs it will be tough to build on the party’s recent success in the province. […]
