Canadian identity is… donut shaped?
In a country that has a lot of difficulty narrowing down a national food, the donut is one of a few that has shaped Canadian identity since its arrival in the Great White North more than 80 years ago. Commercial donuts as we now know them started in the United States when Adolf Levitt, owner […]
NDP leadership race: Julian takes early lead in caucus endorsements, but many MPs holding out, staying neutral
As NDP leadership contenders begin rolling out their roster of supporters, Peter Julian has emerged with an early lead, with six caucus endorsements, but insiders say it’s still too early to parse frontrunners from the pack. With the leadership voting process set to start Sept. 18, and with at least five debates under their belt, the […]
Off Script: Kamal Al-Solaylee
Curry and chemical skin peels. Bollywood and Islamophobia. Work visas, taxi drivers, and the tech geniuses of Silicon Valley. What do all of these elements have in common? Canadian author Kamal Al-Solaylee—the recent recipient of the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing—explains that these are some of the threads that weave the complex yet generalized […]
Raise a glass to Canadian wine
Sipping on a glass of wine, a pint of beer or a wee dram of scotch has been part of Canada’s culture for the past 150 years. During this time, the value-added production of beverage alcohol from farm to glass has evolved, but its linkages with gastronomy, history, tradition, origin, local quality products and social […]
House spent more than $600,000 and 200 hours on Electoral Reform Committee report, then the Liberals dismissed it
Parliamentarians spent more than $600,000 and 200-plus hours compiling a 333-page report recommending major changes to the country’s voting system that was largely rejected by the Trudeau government within hours of its release, new House of Commons statistics show. The Special Committee on Electoral Reform, convened by the House to study and consult on prospective changes […]
Canada: World leaders in rocket science
In the online video, rollicking waves bounce off the pool’s tall walls, forming even higher crests in the simulation test. A person bobs and struggles toward a life raft as intense music surges. Ottawa’s Jason Leuschen remembers watching the clip of an astronaut candidate’s struggle during the Canadian Space Agency’s 2009 call for its third-ever […]
Yes, Prime Minister: A spin-off
The author—who publishes this piece on condition of anonymity—expresses gratitude, and apologies, to Yes, Prime Minister. Scene: It’s morning, and the prime minister is at his desk, reading The Times when a trusted adviser, Anonymous Bureaucrat, enters. AB: Good morning, Prime Minister, how are we this morning? PM: Fine, thank you, Anonymous Bureaucrat. What can […]
NDP ‘naive’ to conduct online leadership vote, warns expert, but party says it’s ‘confident’ in voting safeguards
The New Democratic Party says it’s confident in its choice to use online voting for the upcoming selection of its new leader, despite several recent reports asserting the vulnerability of internet elections, and provinces pulling away after studying the option. A pair of specialists in the field told The Hill Times, no matter the scale […]
Visual CV: Susan Aglukark
Over the course of her career, three-time Juno award winning singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark has pushed the boundaries of contemporary pop, country, and traditional Inuit folk music, and at age 50, she’s not done yet. The first Inuk artist to win a Juno and a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime artistic achievement, she has […]
An emphasis on indigenous law could help shape a future that’s brighter than our past
For indigenous peoples, the 150th anniversary of Canada carries little cause for celebration. For us, the history of Canada is one of dispossession, disruption, and coercion. First Peoples have suffered greatly since Confederation, and it is worth asking whether the same will be true of the next 150 years. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission raises […]
