Can Trump really undo NAFTA on a whim?
I am not losing sleep about the threats to NAFTA from the United States administration. There are serious questions about whether U.S. President Donald Trump has the legal authority to unilaterally pull the U.S. out of NAFTA. And if he did, wouldn’t the previous Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement remain? The constitutional questions bear review. It […]
NAFTA leaves workers coming up short
While NAFTA talks continue in Ottawa, very little focuses on its impacts on working people. Before committing to any agreement, we need to ensure that Canadians’ lives and our communities have been improved by this trade relationship. Twenty-three years ago when NAFTA was originally negotiated by the Mulroney Conservatives, they tried to sell Canadian workers […]
Status of government bills
HOUSE OF COMMONS Second reading: S-5, An Act to amend the Tobacco Act and the Non-smokers’ Health Act C-5, An Act to Repeal Division 20 of Part 3 of the Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1 C-12, An Act to amend the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act C-27, An Act […]
Justin Trudeau’s abs will make a cameo on Stephen Colbert’s new show
Yes, you read that right. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s sculpted stomach will make an appearance on The Late Show host Stephen Colbert’s new show called Our Cartoon President. A Jan. 11 Toronto Star article said the prime minister will be transformed into an animated character and make a guest appearance on the show, which will […]
Why the world needs a little less Canada in 2018
Barack Obama, then United States president, told Parliament in 2016 that: “The world needs more Canada.” Banners in Chapters bookstores proclaimed the same message in 2017, by way of celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary. But considering the harm to nature that Canadians cause, the inconvenient truth is that the world needs less Canada. Indeed, if the world’s other species could vote on which humans should be voted off Turtle Island, Canadians would be […]
Once upon a time, or how to talk to your children about Trump
One of the challenges of living in a time when attacks on democratic integrity have produced outcomes that defy long-standing notions of electability and reason is finding the right words to explain political events to your children. There was a time when questions of how to talk about politics with your children had almost entirely […]
Conservatives surge to within three points of Liberals in newest Nanos poll, though may be too early to decipher trend
The governing Liberals are ceding ground to their rivals in the House in the wake of a series of ethics controversies involving the prime minister and finance minister, with the opposition Conservatives now sitting only three points off first place, according to the latest weekly poll from Nanos Research. In the tracking survey for the […]
On NAFTA, Canada agrees to discuss the unthinkable
Canada seems to be quietly backing down on the North American Free Trade Agreement. It is now willing to bargain U.S. demands that the Liberal government had formerly dismissed as deal-breakers. That seems to be the gist of several days of confusing messages on the NAFTA negotiations coming out of Ottawa. Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia […]
The politics of political messaging
OAKVILLE, ONT.—If I were asked to give quick advice on how to create an effective political message, I’d say make it concise, make it direct and make it easy to understand. Of course, the problem with offering “quick advice” is it usually oversimplifies the process. In fact, coming up with an effective and persuasive message […]
Communists take over in Nepal and nobody cares
LONDON, U.K.—The Communists are taking over in Nepal, and nobody cares. Thirty years ago, it would have caused a grave international crisis; 50 years ago there would even have been talk of foreign military intervention. Today—nothing. Outside Nepal, it has barely made the news at all. In the grand old Marxist tradition, Nepal’s Communists have […]
