There’s history, education and fun in this new book on the press gallery

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 10/22/2018 - 08:45

There was a time, following the Watergate scandal of 1972-74, when it seemed as though every young person in North America wanted to be a journalist.

Journalism promised excitement and glamour. Universities could not keep up with the demand for new journalism schools. A survey at the time found there were more students in J-schools in the United States than there were jobs on all the country’s daily newspapers.

That was then.

Is Doug Ford eying Justin Trudeau’s job?

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 10/15/2018 - 10:39

Now that he doesn’t have former premier Kathleen Wynne to kick around any more, Doug Ford – being the sort of politician who, like Donald Trump, needs an antagonist to vent about – has turned his sights to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

His attacks escalate by the week.  “We’ve taken Kathleen Wynne’s hand out of your pocket … and we’re going to take Justin Trudeau’s hand out of your pocket,” he told a cheering crowd of 600 that assembled last week to celebrate his first 100 days as premier.

Stormy weather lies ahead in federal-provincial affairs

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Tue, 10/09/2018 - 08:32

Doug Ford and Jason Kenney had a grand old time in Alberta the other night.

Appearing together before an overflow crowd of 1,500 true believers in Calgary, the two provincial leaders – one in power, the other in waiting -- pledged their mutual, undying opposition to carbon taxes, and they took turns swatting enthusiastically at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Ready or not ready – the answer is “not” – pot goes legal on Oct. 17

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 10/01/2018 - 08:34

Forget NAFTA. Forget Donald Trump. Forget the riveting battle over his Supreme Court nominee. Forget that astonishing encounter on a Capitol Hill elevator when two furious women shamed a Republican senator into doing the decent thing.

Put all that aside and consider this moment in Canadian history.

Cannabis – marijuana, pot, weed, call it what you will – will be legal across the country the week after next, on Oct. 17.

A little humour would help to lighten up politics

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 09/24/2018 - 14:36

Have you noticed there’s not a whole lot of fun in politics these days?

There is plenty of angst, but not much humour in Donald Trump’s Washington. In Canada, serious politicians make serious speeches about serious subjects – pipelines, climate change, immigration, border security, NAFTA, street crime, making pot legal, even the size of Toronto city council.

Aside from Doug Ford’s epic achievement – buck-a-beer for the “real” people of Ontario – there’s not much to laugh about.

Reflecting on good government in the Promised Land

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 09/17/2018 - 09:07

Hon. Doug Ford,

Premier of Ontario,

Queen’s Park, Toronto

My Dear Premier Ford,

You won’t remember me, but I’m the fellow who wrote to you back in July to congratulate you and your valiant crew of Ford Nationalists on leading Ontario back to the Promised Land of the 1950s.

My admiration has doubled – nay, trebled – in the intervening months. Not only have you overturned everything the radical Liberal, Kathleen Wynne, stood for, you have put that stuffed shirt, John Tory, in his place.

Trudeau’s Liberals are in for a grilling when Parliament resumes next week

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 09/10/2018 - 12:52

Summer is usually the best of times for the party in power in Ottawa. With Parliament in recess, ministers have the stage largely to themselves, free to announce whatever they wish with as much spin – and as little explanation – as they choose.

The opposition parties are left to whine about high-handed government while they count the days until the House resumes, and they can get their teeth into ministers in question period.

Two painful lessons for Prime Minister Trudeau

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Tue, 09/04/2018 - 08:17

Justin Trudeau and his government were handed two painful and costly lessons last week.

One lesson was not to take the courts for granted. Trudeau and his people were read that lesson in a Federal Court of Appeal decision that froze construction on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

We need more political leaders with the courage of John McCain

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Tue, 09/04/2018 - 08:16

The death on Saturday of United States Senator John McCain removed a unique player from the political stage.

War hero, patriot, presidential candidate (in 2008), and for 35 years the “lion of the Senate,” McCain embodied qualities of independence and courage that are prized, but are rarely found among politicians, in Canada as in the United States.

Trudeau and Scheer have things to prove, starting now

Submitted by Geoffrey Stevens on Mon, 08/20/2018 - 09:25

When we last saw our members of Parliament in action, in June as they were rushing off on their three-month summer recess, Opposition Leader Andrew Scheer was on his feet hectoring Justin Trudeau for allegedly spending $7,500 in public funds on a swing set for the Prime Minister’s official summer residence at Harrington Lake.

Scheer’s facts were wrong. The Trudeaus paid for the swing set; the National Capital Commission installed it, and the NCC will retain ownership when the family moves on.

Opinion-Policy Nexus is a forum of opinion and commentary on topics related to public opinion and public policy. Views expressed in any blog entry are those of the author and do not reflect LISPOP's positions.

Authors

  • Ailsa Henderson
  • Andre Perrella
  • Anna Esselment
  • Anthony Piscitelli
  • Barry Kay
  • Ben Margulies
  • Christopher Alcantara
  • Christopher Cochrane
  • Geoffrey Stevens
  • Jason Roy
  • Jorg Broschek
  • Loren King
  • Manuel Riemer
  • Nikolaos Liodakis
  • Robert Williams
  • Simon Kiss
  • Timothy Gravelle
  • Zachary Spicer

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