Rejecting the courts, Ford dismisses any limits to his power—and that’s scary
OTTAWA—Ontarians got a taste on Sept. 10 of what they are in for under Premier Doug Ford’s version of populist government. In a performance fully worthy of U.S. President Donald Trump, Ford indulged himself in a bombastic outpouring of misinformation, personal attacks, fear-mongering, and conceptions of unchecked power. He specifically rejected the role of the […]
Every time Ford busts out the bazooka to get his way, he’s playing with fire
OTTAWA—Premier Doug Ford’s new Ontario government sure knows how to pick a fight. Question is: does it always have to be a racket? Hours after an Ontario court overturned the Ford government’s legislation to shrink the size of Toronto city council, the premier hauled out the bazooka—announcing he would invoke the notwithstanding clause to reset […]
The cursed state of Canadian politics
OAKVILLE—When people say, “may you live in interesting times,” it’s supposed to be a curse, since “interesting” equates to turbulent, i.e. “World War II sure was interesting.” If that’s the case then I guess Canada is mightily cursed right now, since interesting politics is busting out all over the place. To see what I mean, […]
Cuts to Toronto city council point to ‘paternalistic’ city-province relationship, says Edmonton mayor
The mayor of one of Canada’s biggest cities says Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s decision to slash the size of Toronto’s city council shows an imbalanced relationship between provincial and municipal governments, but he isn’t worried that his city is next on the chopping block. “It’s a Toronto-specific issue. But what is coming as a surprise […]
Scheer tries out his Ford-Trump routine
OTTAWA—If you’re tired of the mendacious, anger-spewing modus operandi that now passes for political discourse in the United States, you may want to find something to do outside Canada next year. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, who is so uninspiring that rival Maxime Bernier finally quit the party over what he said was moral and intellectual […]
Now is the summer of our Twitter discontent
OAKVILLE, ONT.—Anyone who regularly follows all the political chatter on social media these days would surely get the idea that Canada is enduring an unprecedented summer of discontent. Indeed, political debate over the past few months has been as hot as the soaring temperatures. Some people are in an uproar over the removal of a […]
Hill lobbyist ties the knot, with help from legendary curler
Hill denizens Derek Nighbor and Joey Taylor wed on Aug. 11 with the help of Canadian curling legend Colleen Jones. Mr. Nighbor is a lobbyist and CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada, and Mr. Taylor is a public affairs manager at Engineers Canada. Since they met through curling and both watched it religiously on […]
‘The only thing Ford understands is brute strength’, says Vaughan, as more Liberals endorse John Tory for mayor
The Toronto mayoral race saw a recent flurry of endorsements from Liberal MPs for candidate and incumbent John Tory, a move some observers say is a low-risk decision with easy political benefits at the local level, and a play to outflank PC Premier Doug Ford. On Aug. 8, Mr. Tory announced that Liberal MPs Marco […]
‘Buzz’ around Ford’s media strategy ‘almost bigger than the tactic,’ says digital strategist
Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s strategy of delivering spin straight to his base through his Twitter channel is less about hoodwinking Ontarians, and more about playing to his base and to the narrative of the media as an opposition party, say some political observers, while others see the start of a concerning trend. The launch of […]
Poverty, homelessness, inequality: a few causes that might outweigh cheaper beer
OTTAWA—Populism scrambles a lot of markers, so maybe nobody cares that Ontario Premier Doug Ford is making a big deal, using government promotional incentives no less, to prioritize in the early days of his administration a possible slight decrease in what Ontarians pay for beer. It’s an amateur move, to be sure, and would seem […]
