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Saturday, June 28, 2025

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Michael Harris

Michael Harris is a writer, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. He was awarded a doctor of laws for his “unceasing pursuit of justice for the less fortunate among us.” His nine books include Justice Denied, Unholy Orders, Rare Ambition, Lament for an Ocean and Con Game. His work has sparked four commissions of inquiry and three of his books have been made into movies. His book on the Harper majority government, Party of One, was a No. 1 bestseller. Follow Michael Harris on Twitter at @HarrisAuthor

It’s time to end Trump’s free ride

  • In a free society, the office never sanctifies the man. But the man can disgrace the office, and U.S. President Donald Trump has definitely disgraced
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 23, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump to the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., on June 16, 2025. The only question that remains about Trump's presidency is how much damage it can do to the U.S. and the world before it is over, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of the Government of Canada

It’s time to end Trump’s free ride

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 23, 2025
  • In a free society, the office never sanctifies the man. But the man can disgrace the office, and U.S. President Donald Trump has definitely disgraced

It’s time to end Trump’s free ride

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 23, 2025
  • In a free society, the office never sanctifies the man. But the man can disgrace the office, and U.S. President Donald Trump has definitely disgraced
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump to the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, Alta., on June 16, 2025. The only question that remains about Trump's presidency is how much damage it can do to the U.S. and the world before it is over, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of the Government of Canada

Trump shamelessly uses U.S. military to do his bidding in Los Angeles 

  • These protesters passionately disagree with Trump’s ruthless round-up, detention, and deportation of hundreds of immigrants to a prison in El Salvador. This is the
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 16, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles in reaction to protests against his immigration raids. That is in addition to his federalizing thousands of California National Guard members for the same purpose. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House.

Trump shamelessly uses U.S. military to do his bidding in Los Angeles 

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 16, 2025
  • These protesters passionately disagree with Trump’s ruthless round-up, detention, and deportation of hundreds of immigrants to a prison in El Salvador. This is the

Trump shamelessly uses U.S. military to do his bidding in Los Angeles 

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 16, 2025
  • These protesters passionately disagree with Trump’s ruthless round-up, detention, and deportation of hundreds of immigrants to a prison in El Salvador. This is the
U.S. President Donald Trump deployed 700 Marines to Los Angeles in reaction to protests against his immigration raids. That is in addition to his federalizing thousands of California National Guard members for the same purpose. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House.

Conservatives need to do some serious soul-searching

  • Is Pierre Poilievre the right person to lead the Conservatives out of the wilderness they've inhabited since former prime minister Stephen Harper’s defeat in
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 9, 2025
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, pictured on March 21, 2025, making an announcement at LiUNA local 527 training centre in Nepean, Ont., to support training 350,000 new trades workers. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Conservatives need to do some serious soul-searching

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 9, 2025
  • Is Pierre Poilievre the right person to lead the Conservatives out of the wilderness they've inhabited since former prime minister Stephen Harper’s defeat in

Conservatives need to do some serious soul-searching

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 9, 2025
  • Is Pierre Poilievre the right person to lead the Conservatives out of the wilderness they've inhabited since former prime minister Stephen Harper’s defeat in
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, pictured on March 21, 2025, making an announcement at LiUNA local 527 training centre in Nepean, Ont., to support training 350,000 new trades workers. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Carney’s tone a welcome distinction from Trump’s taunts and threats

  • Political leadership requires civility and collegiality to get things done. That is the promise of Mark Carney, compared to the Dark Ages of Donald
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 2, 2025
Mark Carney
Mark Carney
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House on May 6, 2025. The recent royal visit engaged Canadians, and reminded the Orange One that Canada is very much a real country, a fully sovereign nation under a constitutional monarchy, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

Carney’s tone a welcome distinction from Trump’s taunts and threats

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 2, 2025
  • Political leadership requires civility and collegiality to get things done. That is the promise of Mark Carney, compared to the Dark Ages of Donald

Carney’s tone a welcome distinction from Trump’s taunts and threats

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 2, 2025
  • Political leadership requires civility and collegiality to get things done. That is the promise of Mark Carney, compared to the Dark Ages of Donald
Mark Carney
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House on May 6, 2025. The recent royal visit engaged Canadians, and reminded the Orange One that Canada is very much a real country, a fully sovereign nation under a constitutional monarchy, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House (Official White House Photo by Daniel Torok)

As the world turns and burns, war is everywhere

  • War without end is also the story in Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Everyone knows the genesis of that conflict—the brutal slaughter by Hamas of 1,196
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 26, 2025
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. To Canada’s everlasting credit, Carney—in concert with other world leaders from the U.K. and France—injected a little Gandhi conscience into the ascendancy of violence in our world, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade and courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

As the world turns and burns, war is everywhere

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 26, 2025
  • War without end is also the story in Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Everyone knows the genesis of that conflict—the brutal slaughter by Hamas of 1,196

As the world turns and burns, war is everywhere

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 26, 2025
  • War without end is also the story in Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Everyone knows the genesis of that conflict—the brutal slaughter by Hamas of 1,196
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. To Canada’s everlasting credit, Carney—in concert with other world leaders from the U.K. and France—injected a little Gandhi conscience into the ascendancy of violence in our world, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade and courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Trump just tossed a $400-million jumbo jet into the swamp he was supposed to drain

  • Even though accepting the jet is clearly unconstitutional, as Representative Jamie Raskin and Senator Richard Blumenthal have pointed out, Donald Trump got the gift legally
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 19, 2025
U.S. Donald Trump accepted a $400-million jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar last week, even though he insists it was a gift to the Pentagon. What people don’t know, and probably never will, is what the other half of the exchange might have been, writes Michael Harris.   Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House

Trump just tossed a $400-million jumbo jet into the swamp he was supposed to drain

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 19, 2025
  • Even though accepting the jet is clearly unconstitutional, as Representative Jamie Raskin and Senator Richard Blumenthal have pointed out, Donald Trump got the gift legally

Trump just tossed a $400-million jumbo jet into the swamp he was supposed to drain

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 19, 2025
  • Even though accepting the jet is clearly unconstitutional, as Representative Jamie Raskin and Senator Richard Blumenthal have pointed out, Donald Trump got the gift legally
U.S. Donald Trump accepted a $400-million jumbo jet from the royal family of Qatar last week, even though he insists it was a gift to the Pentagon. What people don’t know, and probably never will, is what the other half of the exchange might have been, writes Michael Harris.   Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House

Carney pulls off mission impossible

  • In Carney’s world, two plus two always equals four. In banking and finance, facts matter. In the navel-gazing nightmare of intuitive Trumpism, two plus two equals
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 12, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, greets Prime Minister Mark Carney at the West Wing entrance of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 6, 2025. Photograph courtesy of Official White House photographer Gabriel B. Kotico

Carney pulls off mission impossible

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 12, 2025
  • In Carney’s world, two plus two always equals four. In banking and finance, facts matter. In the navel-gazing nightmare of intuitive Trumpism, two plus two equals

Carney pulls off mission impossible

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 12, 2025
  • In Carney’s world, two plus two always equals four. In banking and finance, facts matter. In the navel-gazing nightmare of intuitive Trumpism, two plus two equals
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, greets Prime Minister Mark Carney at the West Wing entrance of the White House in Washington, D.C., on May 6, 2025. Photograph courtesy of Official White House photographer Gabriel B. Kotico

Carney steps into the fray

  • Liberals like their leaders coming out of caucus, not left field. Carney bucked that preference. He not only captured the top job, he raised the
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 5, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney, centre, with Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, left, and International Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Carney will find that it's one thing to deliver a speech, but delivering on promises is quite another, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Carney steps into the fray

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 5, 2025
  • Liberals like their leaders coming out of caucus, not left field. Carney bucked that preference. He not only captured the top job, he raised the

Carney steps into the fray

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 5, 2025
  • Liberals like their leaders coming out of caucus, not left field. Carney bucked that preference. He not only captured the top job, he raised the
Prime Minister Mark Carney, centre, with Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, left, and International Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Carney will find that it's one thing to deliver a speech, but delivering on promises is quite another, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Farewell to the old order

  • With a brand new leader at the Liberal Party helm and with the distinct chance of new leadership in all the main federal parties,
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 28, 2025
Mark Carney
Mark Carney
If the polls are right, and Liberal Leader Mark Carney emerges victorious on April 28, it would be a remarkable outcome after the Trudeau era, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Farewell to the old order

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 28, 2025
  • With a brand new leader at the Liberal Party helm and with the distinct chance of new leadership in all the main federal parties,

Farewell to the old order

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 28, 2025
  • With a brand new leader at the Liberal Party helm and with the distinct chance of new leadership in all the main federal parties,
Mark Carney
If the polls are right, and Liberal Leader Mark Carney emerges victorious on April 28, it would be a remarkable outcome after the Trudeau era, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

‘This is a national election inside a local riding,’ says Fanjoy in his bid to oust Poilievre in Carleton

  • Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy is running against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre who has a national profile as both party leader and a potential prime
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 21, 2025
Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy, pictured, said he has worn out two pairs of sneakers in the process of knocking on 15,000 doors in Carleton, Ont. He's running against powerhouse Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre who was first elected in the riding in 2004.    Photograph courtesy of X/Bruce Fanjoy

‘This is a national election inside a local riding,’ says Fanjoy in his bid to oust Poilievre in Carleton

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 21, 2025
  • Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy is running against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre who has a national profile as both party leader and a potential prime

‘This is a national election inside a local riding,’ says Fanjoy in his bid to oust Poilievre in Carleton

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 21, 2025
  • Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy is running against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre who has a national profile as both party leader and a potential prime
Liberal candidate Bruce Fanjoy, pictured, said he has worn out two pairs of sneakers in the process of knocking on 15,000 doors in Carleton, Ont. He's running against powerhouse Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre who was first elected in the riding in 2004.    Photograph courtesy of X/Bruce Fanjoy

Carney grasps a key point that Poilievre has missed in the trade war

  • It can never be politics as usual again with the United States. Mark Carney has talked about the political imperative that this new and
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 14, 2025
Liberal Leader Mark Carney, left, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Carney understands that Canada needs to reinvent itself as a self-sufficient country, allied to new trading partners who share our values, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Carney grasps a key point that Poilievre has missed in the trade war

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 14, 2025
  • It can never be politics as usual again with the United States. Mark Carney has talked about the political imperative that this new and

Carney grasps a key point that Poilievre has missed in the trade war

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 14, 2025
  • It can never be politics as usual again with the United States. Mark Carney has talked about the political imperative that this new and
Liberal Leader Mark Carney, left, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Carney understands that Canada needs to reinvent itself as a self-sufficient country, allied to new trading partners who share our values, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Carney is clearly the most qualified candidate to take on Trump  

  • Even if Trump is using tariffs to negotiate better deals with trading partners, that process could take up the rest of his presidency. After all,
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 7, 2025
The song remains the same: Prime Minister Mark Carney holds a press conference on the Hill on April 3, 2025, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement. So the ballot question remains the same in this election. Who is the best candidate to deal with Donald Trump? And the answer remains the same, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Carney is clearly the most qualified candidate to take on Trump  

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 7, 2025
  • Even if Trump is using tariffs to negotiate better deals with trading partners, that process could take up the rest of his presidency. After all,

Carney is clearly the most qualified candidate to take on Trump  

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 7, 2025
  • Even if Trump is using tariffs to negotiate better deals with trading partners, that process could take up the rest of his presidency. After all,
The song remains the same: Prime Minister Mark Carney holds a press conference on the Hill on April 3, 2025, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement. So the ballot question remains the same in this election. Who is the best candidate to deal with Donald Trump? And the answer remains the same, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Carney is asking Canadians to give him a majority to deal with Trump

  • A few months ago, only people who were smoking the drapes would have thought a Liberal majority possible. Now, who knows?
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 31, 2025
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, and Prime Minister Mark Carney. Canadians have consistently answered the most pressing issue facing the country the same way: Carney is the better choice to deal with Trump’s tariffs, tantrums, and threats, than any other candidate on offer. Poilievre has made no headway here, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia

Carney is asking Canadians to give him a majority to deal with Trump

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 31, 2025
  • A few months ago, only people who were smoking the drapes would have thought a Liberal majority possible. Now, who knows?

Carney is asking Canadians to give him a majority to deal with Trump

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 31, 2025
  • A few months ago, only people who were smoking the drapes would have thought a Liberal majority possible. Now, who knows?
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, and Prime Minister Mark Carney. Canadians have consistently answered the most pressing issue facing the country the same way: Carney is the better choice to deal with Trump’s tariffs, tantrums, and threats, than any other candidate on offer. Poilievre has made no headway here, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia

April could be the cruelest month for Poilievre

  • Pierre Poilievre has been spinning his wheels in a feckless attempt to transfer the enmity he so successfully encouraged against Justin Trudeau to Mark
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 24, 2025
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, pictured March 4, 2025, on the Hill. Most Canadians want their politicians to deal with the current U.S. president, not play partisan politics while Donald Trump pursues our demise, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

April could be the cruelest month for Poilievre

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 24, 2025
  • Pierre Poilievre has been spinning his wheels in a feckless attempt to transfer the enmity he so successfully encouraged against Justin Trudeau to Mark

April could be the cruelest month for Poilievre

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 24, 2025
  • Pierre Poilievre has been spinning his wheels in a feckless attempt to transfer the enmity he so successfully encouraged against Justin Trudeau to Mark
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, pictured March 4, 2025, on the Hill. Most Canadians want their politicians to deal with the current U.S. president, not play partisan politics while Donald Trump pursues our demise, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

For Carney and Poilievre, it’s go time

  • Both leaders of the mainstream parties need to demonstrate their credentials for the top job, and their plan to rebuff Donald Trump. An election is
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 17, 2025
On paper, Mark Carney, left, has the clear advantage. His talents have been road-tested in the 2008 financial crisis in Canada, and in the turbulence of the post-Brexit period in the U.K. But does he have the retail political skills? Pierre Poilievre has clearly demonstrated his considerable retail political skills, writes Michale Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

For Carney and Poilievre, it’s go time

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 17, 2025
  • Both leaders of the mainstream parties need to demonstrate their credentials for the top job, and their plan to rebuff Donald Trump. An election is

For Carney and Poilievre, it’s go time

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 17, 2025
  • Both leaders of the mainstream parties need to demonstrate their credentials for the top job, and their plan to rebuff Donald Trump. An election is
On paper, Mark Carney, left, has the clear advantage. His talents have been road-tested in the 2008 financial crisis in Canada, and in the turbulence of the post-Brexit period in the U.K. But does he have the retail political skills? Pierre Poilievre has clearly demonstrated his considerable retail political skills, writes Michale Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Trump’s word = the square root of bugger all

  • How bad is U.S. President Donald Trump's crazed trade war? Just a day after imposing illegal and punishing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Captain
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 10, 2025
Justin Trudeau, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured at Mar-a-Lago, Nov. 29, 2024. Tough times may lie ahead for Canadians, but tough times are better than bending the knee to a mendacious con man who somehow lied his way back into the White House, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Justin Trudeau's X handle

Trump’s word = the square root of bugger all

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 10, 2025
  • How bad is U.S. President Donald Trump's crazed trade war? Just a day after imposing illegal and punishing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Captain

Trump’s word = the square root of bugger all

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 10, 2025
  • How bad is U.S. President Donald Trump's crazed trade war? Just a day after imposing illegal and punishing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Captain
Justin Trudeau, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured at Mar-a-Lago, Nov. 29, 2024. Tough times may lie ahead for Canadians, but tough times are better than bending the knee to a mendacious con man who somehow lied his way back into the White House, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Justin Trudeau's X handle

Trump sinks to new low with AI-generated Gaza video

  • Who in their right mind would put up with such a delusional buffoon?
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 3, 2025
Make it stop: Screenshots from an AI-generated video U.S. President Donald Trump posted about turning the Gaza Strip into a resort, something that Michael Harris says would be funny if it wasn’t such an abomination. Elon Musk, left, Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, a Trump hotel, and a talk gold statue of Trump. Screenshots via Bluesky

Trump sinks to new low with AI-generated Gaza video

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 3, 2025
  • Who in their right mind would put up with such a delusional buffoon?

Trump sinks to new low with AI-generated Gaza video

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 3, 2025
  • Who in their right mind would put up with such a delusional buffoon?
Make it stop: Screenshots from an AI-generated video U.S. President Donald Trump posted about turning the Gaza Strip into a resort, something that Michael Harris says would be funny if it wasn’t such an abomination. Elon Musk, left, Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, a Trump hotel, and a talk gold statue of Trump. Screenshots via Bluesky

Trump sides with Putin, a murderous dictator

  • It is usually the other way around, given that America styles itself as the leader of the Free World. Instead, we have a convicted
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 24, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, has taken the side of a brutal dictator, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, who invaded Ukraine, and he has left Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy swinging in the wind, centre. The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia, and courtesy Flickr/Gage Skidmore/World Economic Forum

Trump sides with Putin, a murderous dictator

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 24, 2025
  • It is usually the other way around, given that America styles itself as the leader of the Free World. Instead, we have a convicted

Trump sides with Putin, a murderous dictator

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 24, 2025
  • It is usually the other way around, given that America styles itself as the leader of the Free World. Instead, we have a convicted
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, has taken the side of a brutal dictator, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, who invaded Ukraine, and he has left Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy swinging in the wind, centre. The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia, and courtesy Flickr/Gage Skidmore/World Economic Forum

Does Canada need a ripper, or someone who knows the ropes?

  • Mark Carney has helped two countries navigate through some serious white water. While Pierre Poilievre’s monetary experience is a babble about Bitcoin, Carney has been
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 17, 2025
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Grit leadership candidate Mark Carney. Trump’s insulting offer to make Canada America’s 51st state as a way of avoiding his punitive tariffs, supercharged the usually understated patriotism of Canadians. We don’t pick fights, but don’t piss us off, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade and courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore

Does Canada need a ripper, or someone who knows the ropes?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 17, 2025
  • Mark Carney has helped two countries navigate through some serious white water. While Pierre Poilievre’s monetary experience is a babble about Bitcoin, Carney has been

Does Canada need a ripper, or someone who knows the ropes?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 17, 2025
  • Mark Carney has helped two countries navigate through some serious white water. While Pierre Poilievre’s monetary experience is a babble about Bitcoin, Carney has been
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Grit leadership candidate Mark Carney. Trump’s insulting offer to make Canada America’s 51st state as a way of avoiding his punitive tariffs, supercharged the usually understated patriotism of Canadians. We don’t pick fights, but don’t piss us off, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade and courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore

We can no longer trust America

  • Canada can never again assume that America is our devoted friend who will look out for our interests or appreciate our friendship. It’s time
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 10, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Out of the blue, U.S. President Donald Trump launched a savage economic attack on both of his reliable allies and his biggest trading partners, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons

We can no longer trust America

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 10, 2025
  • Canada can never again assume that America is our devoted friend who will look out for our interests or appreciate our friendship. It’s time

We can no longer trust America

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 10, 2025
  • Canada can never again assume that America is our devoted friend who will look out for our interests or appreciate our friendship. It’s time
Donald Trump
Out of the blue, U.S. President Donald Trump launched a savage economic attack on both of his reliable allies and his biggest trading partners, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons

Maybe, just maybe, Canadians are getting tired of slogans and trash-talk

  • A return to reasoned debate, where leaders answer each other’s points, rather than trade insults, would do a lot to restore our tired democracy.
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 3, 2025
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. Canadians will soon be voting in a federal election, but will they get the chance to cast an informed vote, or merely support the party that most successfully denigrates its rival, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Maybe, just maybe, Canadians are getting tired of slogans and trash-talk

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 3, 2025
  • A return to reasoned debate, where leaders answer each other’s points, rather than trade insults, would do a lot to restore our tired democracy.

Maybe, just maybe, Canadians are getting tired of slogans and trash-talk

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 3, 2025
  • A return to reasoned debate, where leaders answer each other’s points, rather than trade insults, would do a lot to restore our tired democracy.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. Canadians will soon be voting in a federal election, but will they get the chance to cast an informed vote, or merely support the party that most successfully denigrates its rival, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Even Jesus must be shaking his head

  • With Donald Trump’s accession to power, a fact-free zone paralyzed by ego and propaganda, the U.S. has entered liar’s heaven and democracy’s hell.  
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 27, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald Trump, pictured, claimed that he would be willing to wreck the economies of allies like Canada and Mexico ostensibly because their lax border policies were allowing illegal drugs like fentanyl to enter the U.S., writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Even Jesus must be shaking his head

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 27, 2025
  • With Donald Trump’s accession to power, a fact-free zone paralyzed by ego and propaganda, the U.S. has entered liar’s heaven and democracy’s hell.  

Even Jesus must be shaking his head

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 27, 2025
  • With Donald Trump’s accession to power, a fact-free zone paralyzed by ego and propaganda, the U.S. has entered liar’s heaven and democracy’s hell.  
Donald Trump
Donald Trump, pictured, claimed that he would be willing to wreck the economies of allies like Canada and Mexico ostensibly because their lax border policies were allowing illegal drugs like fentanyl to enter the U.S., writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Danielle Smith puts oil and gas before country

  • HALIFAX—So, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has decided not to play for Team Canada. It doesn’t get tackier than that. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s 10-thumbed
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 20, 2025
Danielle Smith
Danielle Smith
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith refused to agree with the other premiers and the prime minister on retaliatory measures against the U.S. Deciding not play for Team Canada is one thing, but playing for Team Trump is quite another, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Danielle Smith puts oil and gas before country

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 20, 2025
  • HALIFAX—So, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has decided not to play for Team Canada. It doesn’t get tackier than that. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s 10-thumbed

Danielle Smith puts oil and gas before country

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 20, 2025
  • HALIFAX—So, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has decided not to play for Team Canada. It doesn’t get tackier than that. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s 10-thumbed
Danielle Smith
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith refused to agree with the other premiers and the prime minister on retaliatory measures against the U.S. Deciding not play for Team Canada is one thing, but playing for Team Trump is quite another, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trump overdoses on unlimited power

  • HALIFAX—When U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatened a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming into the United States from Canada, Ontario Premier Doug
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 13, 2025
Former President of the United States Donald Trump
Former President of the United States Donald Trump
Donald Trump is sounding more like Russian President Vladimir Putin than the incoming president of the United States, writes Michael Harris. Gage Skidmore photograph courtesy of Flickr

Trump overdoses on unlimited power

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 13, 2025
  • HALIFAX—When U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatened a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming into the United States from Canada, Ontario Premier Doug

Trump overdoses on unlimited power

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 13, 2025
  • HALIFAX—When U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatened a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming into the United States from Canada, Ontario Premier Doug
Former President of the United States Donald Trump
Donald Trump is sounding more like Russian President Vladimir Putin than the incoming president of the United States, writes Michael Harris. Gage Skidmore photograph courtesy of Flickr

Like it or not, the die is cast

  • Justin Trudeau's graceless dithering in the face of the obvious that his time is up sets up two possibilities. The possibility of an ugly
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 19, 2024
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at the Liberal national caucus holiday party in Ottawa on Dec. 17, 2024. In politics, the only thing harder than winning power is making a graceful exit when the party is over, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Like it or not, the die is cast

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 19, 2024
  • Justin Trudeau's graceless dithering in the face of the obvious that his time is up sets up two possibilities. The possibility of an ugly

Like it or not, the die is cast

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 19, 2024
  • Justin Trudeau's graceless dithering in the face of the obvious that his time is up sets up two possibilities. The possibility of an ugly
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at the Liberal national caucus holiday party in Ottawa on Dec. 17, 2024. In politics, the only thing harder than winning power is making a graceful exit when the party is over, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Hey Trump, we shouldn’t be your 51st state, you should be our 11th province

  • No real leader sneers at another country’s sovereignty or its elected leader, poses on mountain tops with a Canadian flag with all that that
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 16, 2024
Walk this way: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and then-U.S. president Donald Trump, walk outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 13, 2017. Photograph courtesy of official White House photographer Shealah Craighead

Hey Trump, we shouldn’t be your 51st state, you should be our 11th province

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 16, 2024
  • No real leader sneers at another country’s sovereignty or its elected leader, poses on mountain tops with a Canadian flag with all that that

Hey Trump, we shouldn’t be your 51st state, you should be our 11th province

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 16, 2024
  • No real leader sneers at another country’s sovereignty or its elected leader, poses on mountain tops with a Canadian flag with all that that
Walk this way: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and then-U.S. president Donald Trump, walk outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 13, 2017. Photograph courtesy of official White House photographer Shealah Craighead

In the last days of his lame-duck presidency, Joe Biden has become Trumpian

  • Biden is not the first politician to cut a family member a break, either with a job or a pardon. But what Biden did may
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 9, 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden, pictured in Ottawa on March 24, 2023. Like Trump, the aspersions Biden has cast against the U.S. Department of Justice are of a purely personal nature. They invite Americans to embrace the dangerous lie that the justice system and the rule of law it represents are corrupt and not to be trusted, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

In the last days of his lame-duck presidency, Joe Biden has become Trumpian

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 9, 2024
  • Biden is not the first politician to cut a family member a break, either with a job or a pardon. But what Biden did may

In the last days of his lame-duck presidency, Joe Biden has become Trumpian

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 9, 2024
  • Biden is not the first politician to cut a family member a break, either with a job or a pardon. But what Biden did may
U.S. President Joe Biden, pictured in Ottawa on March 24, 2023. Like Trump, the aspersions Biden has cast against the U.S. Department of Justice are of a purely personal nature. They invite Americans to embrace the dangerous lie that the justice system and the rule of law it represents are corrupt and not to be trusted, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
More Stories

Canada’s in a mess up to its ears, and all we’re talking about is blackface and a reusable cup

  • HALIFAX—As Donald Trump dangles by the thread of his latest impeachable offence, what one historian has called his “historical merit” is on full display
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 30, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured on Sept. 20, 2019, campaigning in Toronto with Liberal MPs Nate Erskine-Smith and Julie Dabrusin. Much more consequential questions surround this blackface story. Given that Justin Trudeau has governed for a full term as PM, how can it be that his biggest electoral challenge, if the pollsters have it right, is to successfully apologize for events that took place in high school and early adulthood?How can this be a bigger challenge to his electability than the SNC-Lavalin affair, his foreign policy, and his broken promises? My guess? Blackface instantly inflames the emotions, while weighty policy matters are a drug on the market in the click-bait era. Photograph courtesy of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Twitter

Canada’s in a mess up to its ears, and all we’re talking about is blackface and a reusable cup

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 30, 2019
  • HALIFAX—As Donald Trump dangles by the thread of his latest impeachable offence, what one historian has called his “historical merit” is on full display

Canada’s in a mess up to its ears, and all we’re talking about is blackface and a reusable cup

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 30, 2019
  • HALIFAX—As Donald Trump dangles by the thread of his latest impeachable offence, what one historian has called his “historical merit” is on full display
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured on Sept. 20, 2019, campaigning in Toronto with Liberal MPs Nate Erskine-Smith and Julie Dabrusin. Much more consequential questions surround this blackface story. Given that Justin Trudeau has governed for a full term as PM, how can it be that his biggest electoral challenge, if the pollsters have it right, is to successfully apologize for events that took place in high school and early adulthood?How can this be a bigger challenge to his electability than the SNC-Lavalin affair, his foreign policy, and his broken promises? My guess? Blackface instantly inflames the emotions, while weighty policy matters are a drug on the market in the click-bait era. Photograph courtesy of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Twitter

Trudeau, the Mr. Dressup of Canadian politics

  • HALIFAX—A long time ago, a Liberal MP told me he was not supporting Justin Trudeau for the leadership of the party. At that time,
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 23, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured Sept. 17, 2019, in Cardigan, P.E.I. The proof that most people, aided and abetted by a candy-floss mainstream media, don’t give much of a hoot about complex policy matters. But they love a good gotcha moment. Justin Trudeau’s brownface, blackface, redface fiasco is perfect for the new news. Don’t get me wrong. There is much for the Mr. Dress Up of Canadian politics to be ashamed of here, but this is not it, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Justin Trudeau's Twitter

Trudeau, the Mr. Dressup of Canadian politics

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 23, 2019
  • HALIFAX—A long time ago, a Liberal MP told me he was not supporting Justin Trudeau for the leadership of the party. At that time,

Trudeau, the Mr. Dressup of Canadian politics

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 23, 2019
  • HALIFAX—A long time ago, a Liberal MP told me he was not supporting Justin Trudeau for the leadership of the party. At that time,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured Sept. 17, 2019, in Cardigan, P.E.I. The proof that most people, aided and abetted by a candy-floss mainstream media, don’t give much of a hoot about complex policy matters. But they love a good gotcha moment. Justin Trudeau’s brownface, blackface, redface fiasco is perfect for the new news. Don’t get me wrong. There is much for the Mr. Dress Up of Canadian politics to be ashamed of here, but this is not it, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Justin Trudeau's Twitter

Trudeau may be starring in his own peek-a-boo campaign

  • HALIFAX—I don’t know if Justin Trudeau is going to win this October’s election or not, but his imitation of Baghdad Bob to begin the
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 16, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured on Patriot Act hosted by comedian Hasan Minaj on Netflix aired on Sept. 2. As Mr. Minhaj put it during this hilarious interview with the PM, buying a pipeline to save the planet was like using red wine to whiten your teeth. Screen shot of Patriot Act

Trudeau may be starring in his own peek-a-boo campaign

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 16, 2019
  • HALIFAX—I don’t know if Justin Trudeau is going to win this October’s election or not, but his imitation of Baghdad Bob to begin the

Trudeau may be starring in his own peek-a-boo campaign

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 16, 2019
  • HALIFAX—I don’t know if Justin Trudeau is going to win this October’s election or not, but his imitation of Baghdad Bob to begin the
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured on Patriot Act hosted by comedian Hasan Minaj on Netflix aired on Sept. 2. As Mr. Minhaj put it during this hilarious interview with the PM, buying a pipeline to save the planet was like using red wine to whiten your teeth. Screen shot of Patriot Act

We need something better than televised leadership debates, we need content

  • HALIFAX—When political spin machines meet the public’s legitimate need to know, the winner is usually confusion. That is especially true in an election cycle.
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 9, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer should both be answering serious questions substantively before Canadians go to the polls on Oct. 21, and the televised leaders' debates do not offer the best format for that to happen, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

We need something better than televised leadership debates, we need content

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 9, 2019
  • HALIFAX—When political spin machines meet the public’s legitimate need to know, the winner is usually confusion. That is especially true in an election cycle.

We need something better than televised leadership debates, we need content

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 9, 2019
  • HALIFAX—When political spin machines meet the public’s legitimate need to know, the winner is usually confusion. That is especially true in an election cycle.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer should both be answering serious questions substantively before Canadians go to the polls on Oct. 21, and the televised leaders' debates do not offer the best format for that to happen, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Time for Conservatives to swear off phony attacks on Trudeau

  • HALIFAX—Canada’s Hard Right understands that anger is the new mother’s milk of politics—well-financed anger. An angry person is a person you can enlist and
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 2, 2019
Hamish Marshall, left, a former Rebel Media director, has been tapped by Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer to head the party's 2019 election campaign efforts. Photograph courtesy of Andrew Scheer's leadership campaign, The Hill Times photography by Andrew Meade

Time for Conservatives to swear off phony attacks on Trudeau

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 2, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Canada’s Hard Right understands that anger is the new mother’s milk of politics—well-financed anger. An angry person is a person you can enlist and

Time for Conservatives to swear off phony attacks on Trudeau

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 2, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Canada’s Hard Right understands that anger is the new mother’s milk of politics—well-financed anger. An angry person is a person you can enlist and
Hamish Marshall, left, a former Rebel Media director, has been tapped by Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer to head the party's 2019 election campaign efforts. Photograph courtesy of Andrew Scheer's leadership campaign, The Hill Times photography by Andrew Meade

Trudeau’s ethical incoherence could be a stepping stool for May

  • HALIFAX—Perhaps Justin Trudeau is just whistling past the political graveyard—where his opponents have already reserved a plot for him. The PM is rolling the
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 26, 2019
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is best positioned to gain from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's ethical and environmental lapses, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Trudeau’s ethical incoherence could be a stepping stool for May

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 26, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Perhaps Justin Trudeau is just whistling past the political graveyard—where his opponents have already reserved a plot for him. The PM is rolling the

Trudeau’s ethical incoherence could be a stepping stool for May

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 26, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Perhaps Justin Trudeau is just whistling past the political graveyard—where his opponents have already reserved a plot for him. The PM is rolling the
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is best positioned to gain from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's ethical and environmental lapses, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Ethics report puts onus on Canadians to punish abuse of power

  • There is an old saying that great books read you, you don’t read them. So when someone says Finnegan’s Wake is a crummy book,
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 19, 2019
Former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, right, and former Treasury Board president Jane Philpott speak with reporters before Question Period on Apr. 3, 2019. Both are running to recapture their seats in Parliament as Independents after being expelled from the Liberal caucus.

Ethics report puts onus on Canadians to punish abuse of power

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 19, 2019
  • There is an old saying that great books read you, you don’t read them. So when someone says Finnegan’s Wake is a crummy book,

Ethics report puts onus on Canadians to punish abuse of power

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 19, 2019
  • There is an old saying that great books read you, you don’t read them. So when someone says Finnegan’s Wake is a crummy book,
Former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, right, and former Treasury Board president Jane Philpott speak with reporters before Question Period on Apr. 3, 2019. Both are running to recapture their seats in Parliament as Independents after being expelled from the Liberal caucus.

Downloading ideology works efficiently in banana republics, juntas, and dictatorships, but not so well in democracies, as the Conservatives should have learned in 2015

  • HALIFAX—Like death and taxes, I suppose it was inevitable. In not so subtle fashion, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) is trying its best
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 12, 2019
Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives have a lot in common with Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, from the parades they attend or don’t attend, to a dangerous myopia on issues like climate change. But one of the most telling similarities is that the party continues to confound marketing with communication. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Downloading ideology works efficiently in banana republics, juntas, and dictatorships, but not so well in democracies, as the Conservatives should have learned in 2015

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 12, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Like death and taxes, I suppose it was inevitable. In not so subtle fashion, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) is trying its best

Downloading ideology works efficiently in banana republics, juntas, and dictatorships, but not so well in democracies, as the Conservatives should have learned in 2015

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 12, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Like death and taxes, I suppose it was inevitable. In not so subtle fashion, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) is trying its best
Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives have a lot in common with Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, from the parades they attend or don’t attend, to a dangerous myopia on issues like climate change. But one of the most telling similarities is that the party continues to confound marketing with communication. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trudeau once stood for values-based governance

  • HALIFAX—If Justin Trudeau loses the next election, it will not be about broken promises, a dubious trip to a billionaire’s island, or an international
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 5, 2019
If Justin Trudeau, pictured July 31, 2019, in Ottawa, loses the next election, it will not be about broken promises, a dubious trip to a billionaire’s island, or an international reputation that has occasionally led to guffaws. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trudeau once stood for values-based governance

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 5, 2019
  • HALIFAX—If Justin Trudeau loses the next election, it will not be about broken promises, a dubious trip to a billionaire’s island, or an international

Trudeau once stood for values-based governance

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 5, 2019
  • HALIFAX—If Justin Trudeau loses the next election, it will not be about broken promises, a dubious trip to a billionaire’s island, or an international
If Justin Trudeau, pictured July 31, 2019, in Ottawa, loses the next election, it will not be about broken promises, a dubious trip to a billionaire’s island, or an international reputation that has occasionally led to guffaws. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

This is an existential moment for a democracy in peril

  • HALIFAX—Is the United States caving to fascism, or merely getting fatally lazy about what it takes to live in a democracy? After watching former
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 29, 2019
Former special counsel Robert Mueller, pictured July 24, 2019, before Congress. If the truth matters anymore (and I am not sure that it does in the Kardashian Crazy House that America has become), there is no way to deny that Donald Trump is the Bernie Madoff of politics. He has turned the U.S. government into a giant Ponzi scheme. There’s a sucker born with every Fox newscast, writes Michael Harris. Screen capture image courtesy of The New Yorker

This is an existential moment for a democracy in peril

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 29, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Is the United States caving to fascism, or merely getting fatally lazy about what it takes to live in a democracy? After watching former

This is an existential moment for a democracy in peril

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 29, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Is the United States caving to fascism, or merely getting fatally lazy about what it takes to live in a democracy? After watching former
Former special counsel Robert Mueller, pictured July 24, 2019, before Congress. If the truth matters anymore (and I am not sure that it does in the Kardashian Crazy House that America has become), there is no way to deny that Donald Trump is the Bernie Madoff of politics. He has turned the U.S. government into a giant Ponzi scheme. There’s a sucker born with every Fox newscast, writes Michael Harris. Screen capture image courtesy of The New Yorker

If Scheer’s elected in October, it will be another sign politics has taken a radical turn, and not for the best

  • HALIFAX—According to some of the polling, Andrew Scheer may be the next prime minister of Canada after this October’s election. If that happens, it
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 22, 2019
According to some of the polling, federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer may be the next prime minister of Canada after this October’s election and that's not good for the country's future challenges, argues Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

If Scheer’s elected in October, it will be another sign politics has taken a radical turn, and not for the best

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 22, 2019
  • HALIFAX—According to some of the polling, Andrew Scheer may be the next prime minister of Canada after this October’s election. If that happens, it

If Scheer’s elected in October, it will be another sign politics has taken a radical turn, and not for the best

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 22, 2019
  • HALIFAX—According to some of the polling, Andrew Scheer may be the next prime minister of Canada after this October’s election. If that happens, it
According to some of the polling, federal Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer may be the next prime minister of Canada after this October’s election and that's not good for the country's future challenges, argues Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

So campaign 2019, the ‘Low Blows Election’ has begun

  • HALIFAX—So campaign 2019, the “Low Blows Election” has begun. Recently, a widely viewed news clip showed the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, rebuffing Justin
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 15, 2019
Recently, a widely viewed news clip showed the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, rebuffing Justin Trudeau’s proffered handshake at the G20. But when the full clip of the incident was played, a very different impression emerged. Mr. Bolsonaro was approached by another leader just as Mr. Trudeau offered his handshake. After dealing with the other man, the Brazilian president turned back to Mr. Trudeau and they shared a hearty handshake. Screen capture image courtesy Global News

So campaign 2019, the ‘Low Blows Election’ has begun

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 15, 2019
  • HALIFAX—So campaign 2019, the “Low Blows Election” has begun. Recently, a widely viewed news clip showed the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, rebuffing Justin

So campaign 2019, the ‘Low Blows Election’ has begun

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 15, 2019
  • HALIFAX—So campaign 2019, the “Low Blows Election” has begun. Recently, a widely viewed news clip showed the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, rebuffing Justin
Recently, a widely viewed news clip showed the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, rebuffing Justin Trudeau’s proffered handshake at the G20. But when the full clip of the incident was played, a very different impression emerged. Mr. Bolsonaro was approached by another leader just as Mr. Trudeau offered his handshake. After dealing with the other man, the Brazilian president turned back to Mr. Trudeau and they shared a hearty handshake. Screen capture image courtesy Global News

Despite obligatory show of disapproval, Canada’s now a bystander when it comes to Saudi Arabia

  • HALIFAX—So Canada is back, eh Justin? You would never know it from the Trudeau government’s tepid stand on one of the worst human rights
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 8, 2019
Faced with audio recordings of Jamal Khashoggi’s gruesome murder and dismemberment obtained by Turkish authorities, Riyadh next claimed that the dissident journalist died accidentally in a physical confrontation. You know, the usual fatal beating a citizen gets at his consulate when he goes to pick up his marriage papers. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Despite obligatory show of disapproval, Canada’s now a bystander when it comes to Saudi Arabia

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 8, 2019
  • HALIFAX—So Canada is back, eh Justin? You would never know it from the Trudeau government’s tepid stand on one of the worst human rights

Despite obligatory show of disapproval, Canada’s now a bystander when it comes to Saudi Arabia

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 8, 2019
  • HALIFAX—So Canada is back, eh Justin? You would never know it from the Trudeau government’s tepid stand on one of the worst human rights
Faced with audio recordings of Jamal Khashoggi’s gruesome murder and dismemberment obtained by Turkish authorities, Riyadh next claimed that the dissident journalist died accidentally in a physical confrontation. You know, the usual fatal beating a citizen gets at his consulate when he goes to pick up his marriage papers. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Don’t be surprised if Canadians try something different this time around

  • HALIFAX—And so it begins, that traditional steeple chase towards nothing called a federal election. Some pundits see a horse race developing—two big parties in
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 1, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, and People's Party Leader Maxime Bernier. With the perennial power parties looking like twins separated at birth, both flogging 'plans' to fight climate change with one arm around the oil industry and their heads buried firmly in the ground on real action to fight climate change, would it be so surprising if Canadians try something different this time around, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade and photo editing by Marie-Louise Meunier

Don’t be surprised if Canadians try something different this time around

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 1, 2019
  • HALIFAX—And so it begins, that traditional steeple chase towards nothing called a federal election. Some pundits see a horse race developing—two big parties in

Don’t be surprised if Canadians try something different this time around

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 1, 2019
  • HALIFAX—And so it begins, that traditional steeple chase towards nothing called a federal election. Some pundits see a horse race developing—two big parties in
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, and People's Party Leader Maxime Bernier. With the perennial power parties looking like twins separated at birth, both flogging 'plans' to fight climate change with one arm around the oil industry and their heads buried firmly in the ground on real action to fight climate change, would it be so surprising if Canadians try something different this time around, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade and photo editing by Marie-Louise Meunier

Politicians should keep their promises to fight climate change, or face lawsuits

  • HALIFAX—A few weeks ago, David Suzuki made what to me was a stunning statement. “Environmentalists can’t save the environment.” After all, if they couldn’t,
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 24, 2019
A few weeks ago, David Suzuki, pictured on June 14, 2019, on the Hill, made what to me was a stunning statement. 'Environmentalists can’t save the environment.' After all, if they couldn't who could? The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Politicians should keep their promises to fight climate change, or face lawsuits

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 24, 2019
  • HALIFAX—A few weeks ago, David Suzuki made what to me was a stunning statement. “Environmentalists can’t save the environment.” After all, if they couldn’t,

Politicians should keep their promises to fight climate change, or face lawsuits

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 24, 2019
  • HALIFAX—A few weeks ago, David Suzuki made what to me was a stunning statement. “Environmentalists can’t save the environment.” After all, if they couldn’t,
A few weeks ago, David Suzuki, pictured on June 14, 2019, on the Hill, made what to me was a stunning statement. 'Environmentalists can’t save the environment.' After all, if they couldn't who could? The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Liberals’ cheeky fan dance over F-35 fighter jets getting a little tiresome

  • HALIFAX—The Liberals’ cheeky fan dance over the F-35 fighter jet is getting a little tiresome. It is also playing with political fire. One upon
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 17, 2019
The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Liberals’ cheeky fan dance over F-35 fighter jets getting a little tiresome

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 17, 2019
  • HALIFAX—The Liberals’ cheeky fan dance over the F-35 fighter jet is getting a little tiresome. It is also playing with political fire. One upon

Liberals’ cheeky fan dance over F-35 fighter jets getting a little tiresome

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 17, 2019
  • HALIFAX—The Liberals’ cheeky fan dance over the F-35 fighter jet is getting a little tiresome. It is also playing with political fire. One upon
The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Study as a form of action is no longer marketable on this immense and shameful problem

  • HALIFAX—When it comes to the federal government, the lesson for Indigenous peoples in Canada is surely this: the more heated the rhetoric, the more
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 10, 2019
Though Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured June 3, 2019, at the release of the final report on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls, has rhetorically bested the Conservatives on the Indigenous file, his actions have belied his claim that there is 'no relationship more important' to Canada than this one, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Study as a form of action is no longer marketable on this immense and shameful problem

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 10, 2019
  • HALIFAX—When it comes to the federal government, the lesson for Indigenous peoples in Canada is surely this: the more heated the rhetoric, the more

Study as a form of action is no longer marketable on this immense and shameful problem

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 10, 2019
  • HALIFAX—When it comes to the federal government, the lesson for Indigenous peoples in Canada is surely this: the more heated the rhetoric, the more
Though Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured June 3, 2019, at the release of the final report on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls, has rhetorically bested the Conservatives on the Indigenous file, his actions have belied his claim that there is 'no relationship more important' to Canada than this one, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Mandatory minimum sentences are about politics, not justice

  • HALIFAX—On the face of it, it is political eye candy. Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer says that if he becomes prime minister, he will
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 3, 2019
Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer pledged on May 23 to impose new mandatory minimum sentences of five years for anyone convicted of abusing children if he becomes prime minister after the fall election. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Mandatory minimum sentences are about politics, not justice

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 3, 2019
  • HALIFAX—On the face of it, it is political eye candy. Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer says that if he becomes prime minister, he will

Mandatory minimum sentences are about politics, not justice

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 3, 2019
  • HALIFAX—On the face of it, it is political eye candy. Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer says that if he becomes prime minister, he will
Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer pledged on May 23 to impose new mandatory minimum sentences of five years for anyone convicted of abusing children if he becomes prime minister after the fall election. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Kenney, Ford to spend $60-million on PR war against Trudeau’s carbon tax, and that ain’t right

  • HALIFAX—So now premiers Jason Kenney and Doug Ford plan to actively campaign in the 2019 federal election. Kenney, whose head has gone up several
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 27, 2019
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage, pictured on May 2, 2019, scrumming after the Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources on Bill C-69. Mr. Kenney, whose head has gone up several hat sizes since crushing Rachel Notley in the recent Alberta election, will be travelling to Ontario to woo immigrant voters back to the Tory fold on Andrew Scheer’s behalf, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Kenney, Ford to spend $60-million on PR war against Trudeau’s carbon tax, and that ain’t right

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 27, 2019
  • HALIFAX—So now premiers Jason Kenney and Doug Ford plan to actively campaign in the 2019 federal election. Kenney, whose head has gone up several

Kenney, Ford to spend $60-million on PR war against Trudeau’s carbon tax, and that ain’t right

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 27, 2019
  • HALIFAX—So now premiers Jason Kenney and Doug Ford plan to actively campaign in the 2019 federal election. Kenney, whose head has gone up several
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage, pictured on May 2, 2019, scrumming after the Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources on Bill C-69. Mr. Kenney, whose head has gone up several hat sizes since crushing Rachel Notley in the recent Alberta election, will be travelling to Ontario to woo immigrant voters back to the Tory fold on Andrew Scheer’s behalf, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Whales are calling, but no one’s answering, including the federal government

  • HALIFAX—The whales are calling but no one has answered—including the federal government. In a small theatre in the Nova Scotia Art Gallery in downtown
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 20, 2019
Ethan Hawke, is the narrator of The Vanishing Call of the Right Whale. Image courtesy of The Vanishing Call of the Right Whale

Whales are calling, but no one’s answering, including the federal government

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 20, 2019
  • HALIFAX—The whales are calling but no one has answered—including the federal government. In a small theatre in the Nova Scotia Art Gallery in downtown

Whales are calling, but no one’s answering, including the federal government

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 20, 2019
  • HALIFAX—The whales are calling but no one has answered—including the federal government. In a small theatre in the Nova Scotia Art Gallery in downtown
Ethan Hawke, is the narrator of The Vanishing Call of the Right Whale. Image courtesy of The Vanishing Call of the Right Whale

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