In the coulda-woulda-shoulda world of political speculation, it’s always been hard not to think of the late Leo Barry as a decent candidate for the premier’s office at Confederation Building in St. John’s. Barry, who… Read More
The good news for Donald Trump: he does not have to worry any more about the dubious achievement of recording the lowest approval rating in presidential polling history. He did that in September. The bad… Read More
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the… Read More
“I think that people in the field were magnificent. And they got the stories, and I put troops at risk to get their stories on every night. But the copy people and the editing people… Read More
Ten summers ago, case/lang/veirs was released — a one-off collaboration between the singers Neko Case, k.d. lang and Laura Veirs. It’s worthy, and it all happened fairly quickly. To mark the occasion, the trio and… Read More
“But to target Canada? I wouldn’t personally poke the eye of my best friend. Diplomacy doesn’t have to become insulting. Negotiations are only cranky if you make them cranky.”— Robert Restaino Robert Restaino is the… Read More
“I will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. I will not. And the government will not be lectured about sexism and misogyny by this man. Not now, not ever. The leader… Read More
“As we all understand, you can take a man’s show, you can’t take a man’s voice.” — David Letterman I expect to see a lot of Stephen Colbert in the headlines this week, as the… Read More
“The press can be surprisingly easy to co-opt. But remember the Woodward-Darman law, which dictates that a friendship between reporter and source lasts only until it is profitable for one to betray the other.”— Maureen… Read More
“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom, in the pursuit of truth as in the endeavor after a worthy… Read More
Polling data from the last few days speak to a few things. First, Canadians are getting increasingly anxious about economic matters. Second, none of that is hurting Mark Carney — at least, not yet. There’s… Read More
In early 1986, the British TV series Yes, Prime Minister aired a scene that remains stunningly relevant with its lessons about political manipulation, polling, media literacy and public policy. The series was a sequel to… Read More
Over the last decade, words like “inclusion” have become weaponized. It ought to mean making sure that people from various backgrounds — reflecting diversity, which has also become divisive — feel comfortable and welcome in… Read More
“Canada is a collection of 10 provinces with strong governments loosely connected by fear.” — Dave Broadfoot As a good Canadian kid in the Seventies, I grew up on Dave Broadfoot (not to mention Sgt…. Read More
About a dozen years ago, I went out one evening to buy a simple counter-top radio — and I wound up picking up a lesson in changing consumer tastes. The anecdote has been on my… Read More