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Nelson Wiseman

Nelson Wiseman is the director of the Canadian Studies Program at the University of Toronto.

A look back at Canada in the world of the 1950s

  • In 1951, together with troops from the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and India, Canadians participated in the Korean War as part of the UN force.
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | March 9, 2023
Louis St. Laurent, left, and William Lyon Mackenzie King. St. Laurent led Canada from 1948-1957, while King was prime minister from 1926-30 and 1935-1948. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

A look back at Canada in the world of the 1950s

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | March 9, 2023
  • In 1951, together with troops from the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and India, Canadians participated in the Korean War as part of the UN force.

A look back at Canada in the world of the 1950s

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | March 9, 2023
  • In 1951, together with troops from the U.K., Australia, New Zealand, and India, Canadians participated in the Korean War as part of the UN force.
Louis St. Laurent, left, and William Lyon Mackenzie King. St. Laurent led Canada from 1948-1957, while King was prime minister from 1926-30 and 1935-1948. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Is the ‘spy’ balloon a spy balloon?

  • It is now well over a month since the Chinese balloon was shot down over the Atlantic coast, yet there is no word from
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | March 1, 2023
First spotted over the U.S. on Jan. 28, 2023, the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon was photographed by Montana resident Chase Doak on Feb. 1, 2023, and the image circulated among news outlets. The U.S. Air Force shot down the balloon on Feb. 3.. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Is the ‘spy’ balloon a spy balloon?

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | March 1, 2023
  • It is now well over a month since the Chinese balloon was shot down over the Atlantic coast, yet there is no word from

Is the ‘spy’ balloon a spy balloon?

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | March 1, 2023
  • It is now well over a month since the Chinese balloon was shot down over the Atlantic coast, yet there is no word from
First spotted over the U.S. on Jan. 28, 2023, the alleged Chinese surveillance balloon was photographed by Montana resident Chase Doak on Feb. 1, 2023, and the image circulated among news outlets. The U.S. Air Force shot down the balloon on Feb. 3.. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Parliamentary facts from 1950s Canada

  • In 1953, in Moncton, then-external affairs minister Lester Pearson and Conservative MP John Diefenbaker each spoke at election rallies on the same night that
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | February 23, 2023
John Diefenbaker, seen here at the opening of Toronto's Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961, never acted without his cabinet. Asked how many cabinet meetings had been held, a deputy minister replied, 'Just one. It started on June 22, 1957, and it’s still going on—with occasional brief adjournments,' writes Nelson Wiseman. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Parliamentary facts from 1950s Canada

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | February 23, 2023
  • In 1953, in Moncton, then-external affairs minister Lester Pearson and Conservative MP John Diefenbaker each spoke at election rallies on the same night that

Parliamentary facts from 1950s Canada

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | February 23, 2023
  • In 1953, in Moncton, then-external affairs minister Lester Pearson and Conservative MP John Diefenbaker each spoke at election rallies on the same night that
John Diefenbaker, seen here at the opening of Toronto's Hockey Hall of Fame in 1961, never acted without his cabinet. Asked how many cabinet meetings had been held, a deputy minister replied, 'Just one. It started on June 22, 1957, and it’s still going on—with occasional brief adjournments,' writes Nelson Wiseman. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Federal parties have evolved their democratic processes—why won’t they do the same for the Canadian public?

  • If party leaders were selected by party caucuses, Pierre Poilievre would be the next Conservative leader. But that system of selecting leaders was discarded
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | May 12, 2022
If all Pierre Poilievre, pictured, needed to win the Conservative leadership was the support of caucus, he'd be a sure winner. But that's not how the Conservative Party elects its leaders anymore. The Hill Times Photograph by Sam Garcia

Federal parties have evolved their democratic processes—why won’t they do the same for the Canadian public?

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | May 12, 2022
  • If party leaders were selected by party caucuses, Pierre Poilievre would be the next Conservative leader. But that system of selecting leaders was discarded

Federal parties have evolved their democratic processes—why won’t they do the same for the Canadian public?

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | May 12, 2022
  • If party leaders were selected by party caucuses, Pierre Poilievre would be the next Conservative leader. But that system of selecting leaders was discarded
If all Pierre Poilievre, pictured, needed to win the Conservative leadership was the support of caucus, he'd be a sure winner. But that's not how the Conservative Party elects its leaders anymore. The Hill Times Photograph by Sam Garcia

The meaning of the Liberal-NDP Agreement

  • TORONTO—There is both more and less to the Liberal-NDP confidence-and-supply deal than meets the eye. Referring to the deal as “NDP-Liberal government” as interim
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | April 21, 2022
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. There is both more and less to the Liberal-NDP confidence-and-supply deal than meets the eye, writes Nelson Wiseman. The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia

The meaning of the Liberal-NDP Agreement

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | April 21, 2022
  • TORONTO—There is both more and less to the Liberal-NDP confidence-and-supply deal than meets the eye. Referring to the deal as “NDP-Liberal government” as interim

The meaning of the Liberal-NDP Agreement

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | April 21, 2022
  • TORONTO—There is both more and less to the Liberal-NDP confidence-and-supply deal than meets the eye. Referring to the deal as “NDP-Liberal government” as interim
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. There is both more and less to the Liberal-NDP confidence-and-supply deal than meets the eye, writes Nelson Wiseman. The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia

Ideas, policy, and party leaders

  • TORONTO—The Conservatives and the NDP are poles apart on policy, but they share a common feature: ideological principles drive them. Both parties have internal
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | April 7, 2022
Pierre Poilievre and Jean Charest are the top-tier aspirants. Second-tier candidates include Leslyn Lewis and Patrick Brown. The others, if they can raise the money to stay in the race, will probably be also-rans; their public profile is low, too low to gather the momentum and sign up the new party members necessary to win, writes Nelson Wiseman. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade and Sam Garcia

Ideas, policy, and party leaders

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | April 7, 2022
  • TORONTO—The Conservatives and the NDP are poles apart on policy, but they share a common feature: ideological principles drive them. Both parties have internal

Ideas, policy, and party leaders

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | April 7, 2022
  • TORONTO—The Conservatives and the NDP are poles apart on policy, but they share a common feature: ideological principles drive them. Both parties have internal
Pierre Poilievre and Jean Charest are the top-tier aspirants. Second-tier candidates include Leslyn Lewis and Patrick Brown. The others, if they can raise the money to stay in the race, will probably be also-rans; their public profile is low, too low to gather the momentum and sign up the new party members necessary to win, writes Nelson Wiseman. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade and Sam Garcia

Alberta: problem child of Confederation

  • TORONTO—Unlike the founding provinces of Confederation, Alberta was created by the federal government. Although Ottawa granted Alberta control of its natural resources in 1930,
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | January 31, 2022
Alberta’s Fair Deal Panel recycled the suggestion for a provincial police service, to which the Jason Kenney government committed only to study further, which is a way of saying they will not act on the proposal. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Alberta: problem child of Confederation

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | January 31, 2022
  • TORONTO—Unlike the founding provinces of Confederation, Alberta was created by the federal government. Although Ottawa granted Alberta control of its natural resources in 1930,

Alberta: problem child of Confederation

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | January 31, 2022
  • TORONTO—Unlike the founding provinces of Confederation, Alberta was created by the federal government. Although Ottawa granted Alberta control of its natural resources in 1930,
Alberta’s Fair Deal Panel recycled the suggestion for a provincial police service, to which the Jason Kenney government committed only to study further, which is a way of saying they will not act on the proposal. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

The problem with the ballot

  • TORONTO—For decades the NDP, and before it the CCF, claimed that shielding information about election financing allowed corporations to exert undue influence in the
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | January 13, 2022
Deleting party names from the ballot would make party leaders more responsive to their caucus and their caucus would be less fearful of their leader. It would weaken the power of the unelected apparatchiks in the Prime Minister’s Office, pictured, and strengthen the power of elected officials, writes Nelson Wiseman. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

The problem with the ballot

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | January 13, 2022
  • TORONTO—For decades the NDP, and before it the CCF, claimed that shielding information about election financing allowed corporations to exert undue influence in the

The problem with the ballot

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | January 13, 2022
  • TORONTO—For decades the NDP, and before it the CCF, claimed that shielding information about election financing allowed corporations to exert undue influence in the
Deleting party names from the ballot would make party leaders more responsive to their caucus and their caucus would be less fearful of their leader. It would weaken the power of the unelected apparatchiks in the Prime Minister’s Office, pictured, and strengthen the power of elected officials, writes Nelson Wiseman. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Redistributing seats in the House of Commons

  • TORONTO—When governments redistribute seats in the House of Commons, they often claim they are doing what the public wants or acting in the interests
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | December 13, 2021
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves François Blanchet, pictured on Oct. 22, 2021, whose BQ rejected the 1992 Charlottetown Accord which guaranteed Quebec 25 per cent of Commons seats in perpetuity, is outraged at the prospect of his province losing a seat. He has promised to unleash the 'fires of hell' if it does, writes Nelson Wiseman. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Redistributing seats in the House of Commons

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | December 13, 2021
  • TORONTO—When governments redistribute seats in the House of Commons, they often claim they are doing what the public wants or acting in the interests

Redistributing seats in the House of Commons

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | December 13, 2021
  • TORONTO—When governments redistribute seats in the House of Commons, they often claim they are doing what the public wants or acting in the interests
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves François Blanchet, pictured on Oct. 22, 2021, whose BQ rejected the 1992 Charlottetown Accord which guaranteed Quebec 25 per cent of Commons seats in perpetuity, is outraged at the prospect of his province losing a seat. He has promised to unleash the 'fires of hell' if it does, writes Nelson Wiseman. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Are voter identification and expatriate voting problems?

  • TORONTO—Most of the public attention devoted to the Trudeau government’s proposed Elections Modernization Act has focused on the proposals to limit the length of
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | June 11, 2018
Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould, pictured May 25 on the Hill, is the minister responsible for the Elections Modernization Act. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Are voter identification and expatriate voting problems?

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | June 11, 2018
  • TORONTO—Most of the public attention devoted to the Trudeau government’s proposed Elections Modernization Act has focused on the proposals to limit the length of

Are voter identification and expatriate voting problems?

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | June 11, 2018
  • TORONTO—Most of the public attention devoted to the Trudeau government’s proposed Elections Modernization Act has focused on the proposals to limit the length of
Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould, pictured May 25 on the Hill, is the minister responsible for the Elections Modernization Act. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trump won’t squander political capital fighting with Canada over NAFTA

  • TORONTO—For Canadians, the most revealing exchange in the recently leaked transcript of Donald Trump’s conversation with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto was Trump’s response
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | August 14, 2017
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump pictured at the White House on Feb. 13, 2017. Photograph courtesy of Donald Trump's Twitter

Trump won’t squander political capital fighting with Canada over NAFTA

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | August 14, 2017
  • TORONTO—For Canadians, the most revealing exchange in the recently leaked transcript of Donald Trump’s conversation with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto was Trump’s response

Trump won’t squander political capital fighting with Canada over NAFTA

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | August 14, 2017
  • TORONTO—For Canadians, the most revealing exchange in the recently leaked transcript of Donald Trump’s conversation with Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto was Trump’s response
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump pictured at the White House on Feb. 13, 2017. Photograph courtesy of Donald Trump's Twitter

Donald Trump as an entertaining paper tiger

  • TORONTO—Much fear and loathing preceded Donald Trump’s election as president. Dread and repugnance continue. Critics cite much of the poppycock he spouts. Fear not
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | February 27, 2017
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured Feb. 13, 2017, at the White House. Photograph courtesy of Donald Trump's Twitter

Donald Trump as an entertaining paper tiger

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | February 27, 2017
  • TORONTO—Much fear and loathing preceded Donald Trump’s election as president. Dread and repugnance continue. Critics cite much of the poppycock he spouts. Fear not

Donald Trump as an entertaining paper tiger

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | February 27, 2017
  • TORONTO—Much fear and loathing preceded Donald Trump’s election as president. Dread and repugnance continue. Critics cite much of the poppycock he spouts. Fear not
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured Feb. 13, 2017, at the White House. Photograph courtesy of Donald Trump's Twitter

Say ‘no’ to a referendum on electoral reform

  • TORONTO—If Parliament decides on a referendum to determine the fate of electoral reform, it will prove to be an expensive and unnecessary flop. Past
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | August 15, 2016
Conservative MP Scott Reid has dismissed the cost of a referendum: 'If we’re worried about the cost of democracy, then we should suspend having any future elections, shouldn’t we?' The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Say ‘no’ to a referendum on electoral reform

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | August 15, 2016
  • TORONTO—If Parliament decides on a referendum to determine the fate of electoral reform, it will prove to be an expensive and unnecessary flop. Past

Say ‘no’ to a referendum on electoral reform

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | August 15, 2016
  • TORONTO—If Parliament decides on a referendum to determine the fate of electoral reform, it will prove to be an expensive and unnecessary flop. Past
Conservative MP Scott Reid has dismissed the cost of a referendum: 'If we’re worried about the cost of democracy, then we should suspend having any future elections, shouldn’t we?' The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Trumpery on both sides of the border

  • TORONTO—In January, long before the first primary was held and when 17 candidates were still vying for the Republican nomination, a Virginian in South
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | June 27, 2016
Trump is a master at trumpery: Donald Trump is as unlikely to win the presidency as was Ford when he declared his candidacy for mayor. Trump may win if there is a terrorist attack on the eve of the election or if there are some more serious revelations about Clinton’s misuse of her personal email server. Photograph courtesy of YouTube

Trumpery on both sides of the border

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | June 27, 2016
  • TORONTO—In January, long before the first primary was held and when 17 candidates were still vying for the Republican nomination, a Virginian in South

Trumpery on both sides of the border

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | June 27, 2016
  • TORONTO—In January, long before the first primary was held and when 17 candidates were still vying for the Republican nomination, a Virginian in South
Trump is a master at trumpery: Donald Trump is as unlikely to win the presidency as was Ford when he declared his candidacy for mayor. Trump may win if there is a terrorist attack on the eve of the election or if there are some more serious revelations about Clinton’s misuse of her personal email server. Photograph courtesy of YouTube

What is Canada doing in Iraq?

  • TORONTO—Few Canadians vote on the basis of foreign and defence policies so those policies generally receive very little mention in party platforms and relatively
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | June 20, 2016
Canadian Forces pictured in Iraq on March 16, 2015. In Iraq as in Afghanistan, the military efforts of Canada and the West are alas doomed to fail. Canada’s military leaders know this but their obligatory submission to civilian control prevents them from saying so publicly. Photograph courtesy of DND/Canadian Forces

What is Canada doing in Iraq?

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | June 20, 2016
  • TORONTO—Few Canadians vote on the basis of foreign and defence policies so those policies generally receive very little mention in party platforms and relatively

What is Canada doing in Iraq?

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | June 20, 2016
  • TORONTO—Few Canadians vote on the basis of foreign and defence policies so those policies generally receive very little mention in party platforms and relatively
Canadian Forces pictured in Iraq on March 16, 2015. In Iraq as in Afghanistan, the military efforts of Canada and the West are alas doomed to fail. Canada’s military leaders know this but their obligatory submission to civilian control prevents them from saying so publicly. Photograph courtesy of DND/Canadian Forces

What is Canada doing in Iraq?

  • TORONTO—Few Canadians vote on the basis of foreign and defence policies so those policies generally receive very little mention in party platforms and relatively
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | May 30, 2016
Royal Canadian Air Force members of Air Task Force-Iraq pictured in a training area in Kuwait on March 16, 2015. Photograph courtesy of Op Impact, DND

What is Canada doing in Iraq?

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | May 30, 2016
  • TORONTO—Few Canadians vote on the basis of foreign and defence policies so those policies generally receive very little mention in party platforms and relatively

What is Canada doing in Iraq?

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | May 30, 2016
  • TORONTO—Few Canadians vote on the basis of foreign and defence policies so those policies generally receive very little mention in party platforms and relatively
Royal Canadian Air Force members of Air Task Force-Iraq pictured in a training area in Kuwait on March 16, 2015. Photograph courtesy of Op Impact, DND

The rise and fall of Tom Mulcair

  • TORONTO—The possibility that Tom Mulcair might be undone as the NDP leader at the party’s Edmonton convention was a journalist’s dream, making for much
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | April 18, 2016
With Tom Mulcair a lame duck interim leader and low polling numbers, the federal NDP is in danger of becoming even more marginalized. It may revisit the lost 1990s when, in three consecutive elections, it garnered between seven and 11 per cent of the vote. The Hill Times photograph by Laura Ryckewaert

The rise and fall of Tom Mulcair

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | April 18, 2016
  • TORONTO—The possibility that Tom Mulcair might be undone as the NDP leader at the party’s Edmonton convention was a journalist’s dream, making for much

The rise and fall of Tom Mulcair

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | April 18, 2016
  • TORONTO—The possibility that Tom Mulcair might be undone as the NDP leader at the party’s Edmonton convention was a journalist’s dream, making for much
With Tom Mulcair a lame duck interim leader and low polling numbers, the federal NDP is in danger of becoming even more marginalized. It may revisit the lost 1990s when, in three consecutive elections, it garnered between seven and 11 per cent of the vote. The Hill Times photograph by Laura Ryckewaert

Why Canada’s permanent election campaign is here to stay

  • TORONTO—When Parliament was dissolved last August and the writ issued for the October election, the media reported that the election campaign would be 11 weeks,
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | March 21, 2016

Why Canada’s permanent election campaign is here to stay

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | March 21, 2016
  • TORONTO—When Parliament was dissolved last August and the writ issued for the October election, the media reported that the election campaign would be 11 weeks,

Why Canada’s permanent election campaign is here to stay

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | March 21, 2016
  • TORONTO—When Parliament was dissolved last August and the writ issued for the October election, the media reported that the election campaign would be 11 weeks,

Stephen Harper’s disputed late-term appointments all about politics

  • TORONTO—Relatively few Canadians know what an order-in-council is. Few may realize that an O-in-C, proclaimed by the Cabinet, has the same force in law
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | February 22, 2016
The new government’s commitment to an 'open, merit-based appointments system' is laudable, but the government’s action inappropriately shames the appointees, many of whom clearly merited the positions to which they had been appointed. Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc’s, pictured, letter was not consistent with the 'sunny ways' Justin Trudeau has been preaching. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Stephen Harper’s disputed late-term appointments all about politics

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | February 22, 2016
  • TORONTO—Relatively few Canadians know what an order-in-council is. Few may realize that an O-in-C, proclaimed by the Cabinet, has the same force in law

Stephen Harper’s disputed late-term appointments all about politics

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | February 22, 2016
  • TORONTO—Relatively few Canadians know what an order-in-council is. Few may realize that an O-in-C, proclaimed by the Cabinet, has the same force in law
The new government’s commitment to an 'open, merit-based appointments system' is laudable, but the government’s action inappropriately shames the appointees, many of whom clearly merited the positions to which they had been appointed. Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc’s, pictured, letter was not consistent with the 'sunny ways' Justin Trudeau has been preaching. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Electoral reform? Don’t count on it

  • TORONTO—There has been much talk and little action in recent years about changing the method by which Canadians elect their MPs. The Liberals have
Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | January 25, 2016

Electoral reform? Don’t count on it

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | January 25, 2016
  • TORONTO—There has been much talk and little action in recent years about changing the method by which Canadians elect their MPs. The Liberals have

Electoral reform? Don’t count on it

Opinion | BY NELSON WISEMAN | January 25, 2016
  • TORONTO—There has been much talk and little action in recent years about changing the method by which Canadians elect their MPs. The Liberals have
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