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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
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Strange chessboard is developing for the federal election

  • HALIFAX—What a strange chessboard is developing for the federal election everyone suspects looms just ahead. The Conservatives are headed for nowhere-ville with Erin O’Toole
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 5, 2021
Former prime minister Stephen Harper, pictured in a 2019 Conservative Party fund-raising pitch. Some would argue that Harper’s return to elected politics as interim leader is a non-starter. Harper as interim leader would be a Hail Mary pass to be sure. But sometimes those passes find the end zone, writes Michael Harris. Image courtesy of YouTube/Conservative Party of Canada

Strange chessboard is developing for the federal election

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 5, 2021
  • HALIFAX—What a strange chessboard is developing for the federal election everyone suspects looms just ahead. The Conservatives are headed for nowhere-ville with Erin O’Toole

Strange chessboard is developing for the federal election

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 5, 2021
  • HALIFAX—What a strange chessboard is developing for the federal election everyone suspects looms just ahead. The Conservatives are headed for nowhere-ville with Erin O’Toole
Former prime minister Stephen Harper, pictured in a 2019 Conservative Party fund-raising pitch. Some would argue that Harper’s return to elected politics as interim leader is a non-starter. Harper as interim leader would be a Hail Mary pass to be sure. But sometimes those passes find the end zone, writes Michael Harris. Image courtesy of YouTube/Conservative Party of Canada

A tsunami of shame is building in this country over the discovery of yet another unmarked grave site

  • HALIFAX—I opened my iPad to a terse suggestion from a boyhood friend. “751 more graves in Saskatchewan. Cancel Canada Day.” A tsunami of shame
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 28, 2021
Two Métis children and an Inuit child, centre, pictured in 1930 at the All Saints Residential School in Shingle Point, Yukon. The grisly discoveries in Kamloops and at the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan are atrocious and important stories. But it shouldn’t take the discovery of unmarked graves holding God knows how many Indigenous children to jump-start a nation to face its shameful past and do something about it, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Library and Archives Canada

A tsunami of shame is building in this country over the discovery of yet another unmarked grave site

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 28, 2021
  • HALIFAX—I opened my iPad to a terse suggestion from a boyhood friend. “751 more graves in Saskatchewan. Cancel Canada Day.” A tsunami of shame

A tsunami of shame is building in this country over the discovery of yet another unmarked grave site

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 28, 2021
  • HALIFAX—I opened my iPad to a terse suggestion from a boyhood friend. “751 more graves in Saskatchewan. Cancel Canada Day.” A tsunami of shame
Two Métis children and an Inuit child, centre, pictured in 1930 at the All Saints Residential School in Shingle Point, Yukon. The grisly discoveries in Kamloops and at the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan are atrocious and important stories. But it shouldn’t take the discovery of unmarked graves holding God knows how many Indigenous children to jump-start a nation to face its shameful past and do something about it, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Library and Archives Canada

Green Party of Canada: is its current crisis growing pains, or shrinking pains?

  • HALIFAX—“Appalling anti-semitism and discrimination from a range of political actors, beginning with Jagmeet Singh and Dimitri Lascaris, and many Liberal, NDP, and sadly, Green
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 21, 2021
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul, pictured June 7, 2021, on the Hill. So far she has endorsed MPs Elizabeth May and Paul Manly, but is still mulling over what to do about the key request to publicly repudiate her former spokesperson and adviser.  The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Green Party of Canada: is its current crisis growing pains, or shrinking pains?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 21, 2021
  • HALIFAX—“Appalling anti-semitism and discrimination from a range of political actors, beginning with Jagmeet Singh and Dimitri Lascaris, and many Liberal, NDP, and sadly, Green

Green Party of Canada: is its current crisis growing pains, or shrinking pains?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 21, 2021
  • HALIFAX—“Appalling anti-semitism and discrimination from a range of political actors, beginning with Jagmeet Singh and Dimitri Lascaris, and many Liberal, NDP, and sadly, Green
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul, pictured June 7, 2021, on the Hill. So far she has endorsed MPs Elizabeth May and Paul Manly, but is still mulling over what to do about the key request to publicly repudiate her former spokesperson and adviser.  The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Trudeau: will he pull the plug or not?

  • HALIFAX—With Parliament just two weeks away from summer recess, Canadians are in for a period of Shakespearean drama; to pull the plug, or not
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 14, 2021
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured on June 4, 2021, with his security detail on Wellington Street. Add everything up. A cabinet shuffle last January; Bill C-19 designed to equip Elections Canada to conduct a federal election safely in pandemic times; Trudeau’s approval numbers returning to 'honeymoon' levels; the opposition in disarray; a very progressive Green MP making a new home with the Liberals rather than the NDP; and that waiter coming with that gigantic bill. The PM doesn’t need the Roman poet Horace to translate carpe diem. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Trudeau: will he pull the plug or not?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 14, 2021
  • HALIFAX—With Parliament just two weeks away from summer recess, Canadians are in for a period of Shakespearean drama; to pull the plug, or not

Trudeau: will he pull the plug or not?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 14, 2021
  • HALIFAX—With Parliament just two weeks away from summer recess, Canadians are in for a period of Shakespearean drama; to pull the plug, or not
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured on June 4, 2021, with his security detail on Wellington Street. Add everything up. A cabinet shuffle last January; Bill C-19 designed to equip Elections Canada to conduct a federal election safely in pandemic times; Trudeau’s approval numbers returning to 'honeymoon' levels; the opposition in disarray; a very progressive Green MP making a new home with the Liberals rather than the NDP; and that waiter coming with that gigantic bill. The PM doesn’t need the Roman poet Horace to translate carpe diem. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Kamloops Indian Residential School mass grave is a crime scene

  • HALIFAX—No matter how else it can be described—hell on Earth comes to mind—the Kamloops Indian Residential School is a crime scene. Whether you call
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 7, 2021
Indigenous children, pictured in this undated photo, at Roman Catholic Indian Residential School in Fort Resolution, N.W.T. Instead of gesturing to First Nations, politicians of all stripes have a primary duty to identify who these children were before they disappeared into a brutal gulag that masqueraded as a school for decades. Of course it was not a school. It was a re-education camp to extinguish the unwanted identity of a hopelessly vulnerable group of child inmates, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Library and Archives Canada

Kamloops Indian Residential School mass grave is a crime scene

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 7, 2021
  • HALIFAX—No matter how else it can be described—hell on Earth comes to mind—the Kamloops Indian Residential School is a crime scene. Whether you call

Kamloops Indian Residential School mass grave is a crime scene

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | June 7, 2021
  • HALIFAX—No matter how else it can be described—hell on Earth comes to mind—the Kamloops Indian Residential School is a crime scene. Whether you call
Indigenous children, pictured in this undated photo, at Roman Catholic Indian Residential School in Fort Resolution, N.W.T. Instead of gesturing to First Nations, politicians of all stripes have a primary duty to identify who these children were before they disappeared into a brutal gulag that masqueraded as a school for decades. Of course it was not a school. It was a re-education camp to extinguish the unwanted identity of a hopelessly vulnerable group of child inmates, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Library and Archives Canada

Conservatives haven’t learned from Republican Party’s self-destruction

  • As the world watches in horror, the Republican Party is destroying itself, and maybe even the country, with its partisan embrace of the Big
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 31, 2021
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre traded barbs with former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney—whom many expect will explore a run for the federal Liberals—during a House of Commons committee meeting last week. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Conservatives haven’t learned from Republican Party’s self-destruction

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 31, 2021
  • As the world watches in horror, the Republican Party is destroying itself, and maybe even the country, with its partisan embrace of the Big

Conservatives haven’t learned from Republican Party’s self-destruction

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 31, 2021
  • As the world watches in horror, the Republican Party is destroying itself, and maybe even the country, with its partisan embrace of the Big
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre traded barbs with former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney—whom many expect will explore a run for the federal Liberals—during a House of Commons committee meeting last week. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Legault’s gambit with a provincial election in the offing could hurt Trudeau

  • HALIFAX—Justin Trudeau knew from the moment he ducked under the ropes and entered the political ring, he was going to have to learn how
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 24, 2021
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may come to regret his quick agreement with Quebec Premier François Legault that Quebec can unilaterally amend the Constitution without anyone’s permission. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Legault’s gambit with a provincial election in the offing could hurt Trudeau

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 24, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Justin Trudeau knew from the moment he ducked under the ropes and entered the political ring, he was going to have to learn how

Legault’s gambit with a provincial election in the offing could hurt Trudeau

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 24, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Justin Trudeau knew from the moment he ducked under the ropes and entered the political ring, he was going to have to learn how
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may come to regret his quick agreement with Quebec Premier François Legault that Quebec can unilaterally amend the Constitution without anyone’s permission. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Donald Trump is the gift that keeps on taking

  • HALIFAX—Donald Trump is the gift that keeps on taking. Last week, he added the Republican Party to a long list of individuals and institutions
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 17, 2021
Last week, Donald Trump added the Republican Party to a long list of individuals and institutions he has ruined when the GOP dumped Liz Cheney from the Republican leadership. Image courtesy of Pixabay

Donald Trump is the gift that keeps on taking

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 17, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Donald Trump is the gift that keeps on taking. Last week, he added the Republican Party to a long list of individuals and institutions

Donald Trump is the gift that keeps on taking

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 17, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Donald Trump is the gift that keeps on taking. Last week, he added the Republican Party to a long list of individuals and institutions
Last week, Donald Trump added the Republican Party to a long list of individuals and institutions he has ruined when the GOP dumped Liz Cheney from the Republican leadership. Image courtesy of Pixabay

It’s time for Canada to show it believes in Newfoundland and Labrador

  • HALIFAX—I remember the day I visited Joey Smallwood in his ramshackle bungalow on the Roaches Line, off the Trans-Canada Highway west of Conception Bay.
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 10, 2021
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador last week announced serious austerity measures to put the brakes on decades of bad habits, most of them stemming from over-borrowing. Photograph courtesy of Andrew Furey's Facebook page

It’s time for Canada to show it believes in Newfoundland and Labrador

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 10, 2021
  • HALIFAX—I remember the day I visited Joey Smallwood in his ramshackle bungalow on the Roaches Line, off the Trans-Canada Highway west of Conception Bay.

It’s time for Canada to show it believes in Newfoundland and Labrador

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 10, 2021
  • HALIFAX—I remember the day I visited Joey Smallwood in his ramshackle bungalow on the Roaches Line, off the Trans-Canada Highway west of Conception Bay.
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey. The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador last week announced serious austerity measures to put the brakes on decades of bad habits, most of them stemming from over-borrowing. Photograph courtesy of Andrew Furey's Facebook page

Has the wind finally gone out of the sails of conservative, populist politics?

  • HALIFAX—Has the wind finally gone out of the sails of conservative, populist politics? Here in Canada, Erin O’Toole’s leadership has taken the CPC backwards.
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 3, 2021
Here in Canada, Erin O’Toole’s leadership has taken the CPC backwards. Instead of making the tent bigger, as leadership candidate O’Toole promised, some of the existing members of the party are running for the exits. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Has the wind finally gone out of the sails of conservative, populist politics?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 3, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Has the wind finally gone out of the sails of conservative, populist politics? Here in Canada, Erin O’Toole’s leadership has taken the CPC backwards.

Has the wind finally gone out of the sails of conservative, populist politics?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | May 3, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Has the wind finally gone out of the sails of conservative, populist politics? Here in Canada, Erin O’Toole’s leadership has taken the CPC backwards.
Here in Canada, Erin O’Toole’s leadership has taken the CPC backwards. Instead of making the tent bigger, as leadership candidate O’Toole promised, some of the existing members of the party are running for the exits. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trudeau’s got to walk the talk on nuclear waste

  • HALIFAX—Holding the Tokyo Olympics during a pandemic was always a bad idea.  Sending a national team to compete in Japan, which has just declared
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 26, 2021
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured March 3, 2021, walking down Wellington Street in Ottawa to the Sir John A. Macdonald Building for that day's press conference. The government should have condemned Japan’s nuclear dump into the Pacific Ocean—as both bad practice, and dangerous precedent, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trudeau’s got to walk the talk on nuclear waste

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 26, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Holding the Tokyo Olympics during a pandemic was always a bad idea.  Sending a national team to compete in Japan, which has just declared

Trudeau’s got to walk the talk on nuclear waste

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 26, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Holding the Tokyo Olympics during a pandemic was always a bad idea.  Sending a national team to compete in Japan, which has just declared
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured March 3, 2021, walking down Wellington Street in Ottawa to the Sir John A. Macdonald Building for that day's press conference. The government should have condemned Japan’s nuclear dump into the Pacific Ocean—as both bad practice, and dangerous precedent, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

If the plan is to turn Labrador or some other part of the country into a nuclear dump, the public should know why 

  • HALIFAX—The world, and Canada with it, is inundated with emergencies. It is hard to know where to point the firehose. There is climate change,
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 19, 2021
The Government of Canada has signalled that nuclear power is part of the plan to get to net zero emissions by 2050. In fact, Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan thinks we can’t get there without a nuclear component. But O'Regan also told Enquete: 'Importing nuclear waste from other countries to Labrador—where I grew up—or any other part of Canada has never been on the table, nor is it now. When it comes to nuclear, the health and safety of Canadians and protection of the environment and local communities is our top priority.' The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

If the plan is to turn Labrador or some other part of the country into a nuclear dump, the public should know why 

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 19, 2021
  • HALIFAX—The world, and Canada with it, is inundated with emergencies. It is hard to know where to point the firehose. There is climate change,

If the plan is to turn Labrador or some other part of the country into a nuclear dump, the public should know why 

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 19, 2021
  • HALIFAX—The world, and Canada with it, is inundated with emergencies. It is hard to know where to point the firehose. There is climate change,
The Government of Canada has signalled that nuclear power is part of the plan to get to net zero emissions by 2050. In fact, Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan thinks we can’t get there without a nuclear component. But O'Regan also told Enquete: 'Importing nuclear waste from other countries to Labrador—where I grew up—or any other part of Canada has never been on the table, nor is it now. When it comes to nuclear, the health and safety of Canadians and protection of the environment and local communities is our top priority.' The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Most dangerous time for a government is when opposition is weak

  • HALIFAX—The most dangerous time for a government is not struggling to preserve itself in a minority situation.  In fact, minority governments often produce the
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 12, 2021
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured recently on the Hill. It would be a grave mistake for the Trudeau government to use the current weakness in the opposition to indulge in the fantasy that because you have power now, you will always have it. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Most dangerous time for a government is when opposition is weak

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 12, 2021
  • HALIFAX—The most dangerous time for a government is not struggling to preserve itself in a minority situation.  In fact, minority governments often produce the

Most dangerous time for a government is when opposition is weak

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 12, 2021
  • HALIFAX—The most dangerous time for a government is not struggling to preserve itself in a minority situation.  In fact, minority governments often produce the
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured recently on the Hill. It would be a grave mistake for the Trudeau government to use the current weakness in the opposition to indulge in the fantasy that because you have power now, you will always have it. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Payette didn’t make the rules on her jammy pension and lifetime expense account, the government did 

  • HALIFAX—When it comes to former governor general Julie Payette, it is tempting to turn the problems of this office into full-on character assassination. For
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 5, 2021
When it comes to former governor general Julie Payette, it is tempting to turn the problems of this office into full-on character assassination. But a yellow cautionary light should be flashing here. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Payette didn’t make the rules on her jammy pension and lifetime expense account, the government did 

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 5, 2021
  • HALIFAX—When it comes to former governor general Julie Payette, it is tempting to turn the problems of this office into full-on character assassination. For

Payette didn’t make the rules on her jammy pension and lifetime expense account, the government did 

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 5, 2021
  • HALIFAX—When it comes to former governor general Julie Payette, it is tempting to turn the problems of this office into full-on character assassination. For
When it comes to former governor general Julie Payette, it is tempting to turn the problems of this office into full-on character assassination. But a yellow cautionary light should be flashing here. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Carney’s definitely a political player

  • HALIFAX—Mark Carney has made a surprise appearance in public life beyond the counting houses of capitalism. There was even something Wildean about his dramatic
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 29, 2021
Mark Carney, pictured on the Hill at a function in 2014. Carney had a big name amongst elites in this country by becoming governor of the Bank of Canada. But when he got the call to run the central bank across the pond, he became the Leonard Cohen of banking. If there is anything Canadians like more than ignoring talent when it lives here, it is lionizing it when it succeeds abroad, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times file photograph by Jake Wright

Carney’s definitely a political player

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 29, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Mark Carney has made a surprise appearance in public life beyond the counting houses of capitalism. There was even something Wildean about his dramatic

Carney’s definitely a political player

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 29, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Mark Carney has made a surprise appearance in public life beyond the counting houses of capitalism. There was even something Wildean about his dramatic
Mark Carney, pictured on the Hill at a function in 2014. Carney had a big name amongst elites in this country by becoming governor of the Bank of Canada. But when he got the call to run the central bank across the pond, he became the Leonard Cohen of banking. If there is anything Canadians like more than ignoring talent when it lives here, it is lionizing it when it succeeds abroad, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times file photograph by Jake Wright

If I were Peter MacKay, I’d hop a flight to St. Pierre and start brushing up on my French

  • HALIFAX—The Conservative Party of Canada has a problem that is harder to fix than picking cat fur out of Velcro. It can’t be fixed
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 22, 2021
Peter MacKay, pictured in 2014 on the Hill, was the better choice for leader simply because he had the reputation of being a progressive conservative, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times file photograph by Jake Wright

If I were Peter MacKay, I’d hop a flight to St. Pierre and start brushing up on my French

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 22, 2021
  • HALIFAX—The Conservative Party of Canada has a problem that is harder to fix than picking cat fur out of Velcro. It can’t be fixed

If I were Peter MacKay, I’d hop a flight to St. Pierre and start brushing up on my French

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 22, 2021
  • HALIFAX—The Conservative Party of Canada has a problem that is harder to fix than picking cat fur out of Velcro. It can’t be fixed
Peter MacKay, pictured in 2014 on the Hill, was the better choice for leader simply because he had the reputation of being a progressive conservative, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times file photograph by Jake Wright

What exactly are we saving when we stand up for the Queen? It’s Canada, right?

  • HALIFAX—When I was in Grade 4, I was sent to the office for asking why we had to stand up for God Save the
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 15, 2021
Meghan and Harry on their wedding day on April 26, 2018. When royals marry, it is plugged for weeks and televised to the world on the Big Day. Millions of pounds are spent on the extravaganza. Thousands of wedding presents arrive for the happy couple, but No Joe Blows make it to the private reception, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

What exactly are we saving when we stand up for the Queen? It’s Canada, right?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 15, 2021
  • HALIFAX—When I was in Grade 4, I was sent to the office for asking why we had to stand up for God Save the

What exactly are we saving when we stand up for the Queen? It’s Canada, right?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 15, 2021
  • HALIFAX—When I was in Grade 4, I was sent to the office for asking why we had to stand up for God Save the
Meghan and Harry on their wedding day on April 26, 2018. When royals marry, it is plugged for weeks and televised to the world on the Big Day. Millions of pounds are spent on the extravaganza. Thousands of wedding presents arrive for the happy couple, but No Joe Blows make it to the private reception, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Commons Wikimedia

Mohammed bin Salman has gotten away with murder under a second U.S. president

  • HALIFAX—Needles in arms is the story of the day—and tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. But daggers in democracy need some telling too. In this
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 8, 2021
After publicly providing damning evidence that MBS himself was behind Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, U.S. President Joe Biden did the full Neville Chamberlain. He choked. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Adam Schultz

Mohammed bin Salman has gotten away with murder under a second U.S. president

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 8, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Needles in arms is the story of the day—and tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. But daggers in democracy need some telling too. In this

Mohammed bin Salman has gotten away with murder under a second U.S. president

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 8, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Needles in arms is the story of the day—and tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. But daggers in democracy need some telling too. In this
After publicly providing damning evidence that MBS himself was behind Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, U.S. President Joe Biden did the full Neville Chamberlain. He choked. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Adam Schultz

Mohammed bin Salman is no prince

  • HALIFAX—With an election only months away, Justin Trudeau will get a second chance to put right one of the worst human rights atrocities in
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 1, 2021
And why sell weapons to a country where the allegation is that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman dispatched a hit squad to Canada to kill a former Saudi intelligence officer, a mission that allegedly took place shortly after Khashoggi was slaughtered, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

Mohammed bin Salman is no prince

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 1, 2021
  • HALIFAX—With an election only months away, Justin Trudeau will get a second chance to put right one of the worst human rights atrocities in

Mohammed bin Salman is no prince

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 1, 2021
  • HALIFAX—With an election only months away, Justin Trudeau will get a second chance to put right one of the worst human rights atrocities in
And why sell weapons to a country where the allegation is that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman dispatched a hit squad to Canada to kill a former Saudi intelligence officer, a mission that allegedly took place shortly after Khashoggi was slaughtered, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Flickr

At home and down south, conservatism is in an identity crisis

  • HALIFAX—Rush Limbaugh, radio icon of the Right, has died at exactly the moment that conservatism in both Canada and the United States is facing
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 22, 2021
Conservative Party Leader Erin O'Toole is facing a challenge from social conservatives within his party, while he tries to attract support from Canadians closer to the centre of the political spectrum. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

At home and down south, conservatism is in an identity crisis

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 22, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Rush Limbaugh, radio icon of the Right, has died at exactly the moment that conservatism in both Canada and the United States is facing

At home and down south, conservatism is in an identity crisis

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 22, 2021
  • HALIFAX—Rush Limbaugh, radio icon of the Right, has died at exactly the moment that conservatism in both Canada and the United States is facing
Conservative Party Leader Erin O'Toole is facing a challenge from social conservatives within his party, while he tries to attract support from Canadians closer to the centre of the political spectrum. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

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