Abridging the freedom: Trump and the media
As cockeyed as the organizational chart of Washington’s power distribution is these days, perhaps the most altered relationship is the one between the president and the press. While Donald Trump’s relentless lies, belligerence and intractability have skewed the conventional dynamic between this Oval Office and Congress, those same factors, exacerbated by his status as an […]
Confessions of a former digital utopian
Consider this a confession of a former digital utopian. When I was first elected as an MP, I believed that Parliamentarians needed to protect the “open” internet and embrace what we thought of as the digital commons. I swallowed the Silicon Valley line that government regulation would impede innovation. What was at stake was the […]
Soldiers carrying assault rifles in Khalsa Day Parade in ragged formation on a civilian street, not good
Re: “‘Inappropriate’ or not, disregard for the rules shouldn’t be put on parade,” (The Hill Times, May 8, p. 10). Scott Taylor is correct in stating that what upset people about the soldiers marching in the Khalsa Day Parade was the image of Canadian soldiers casually displaying lethal weapons in ragged formation on a civilian […]
Populist forces have not found home to roost in Canada, report says
Canadians may not be immune from being swayed by populist rhetoric, but the level of political discontent isn’t high enough to suggest a revolt is afoot in Canada, according to a new report. In a study titled, “Don’t Blame the People,” released Tuesday, Samara Canada found that, while an overwhelming number of Canadians surveyed are […]
Tom Courchene wins Donner Prize, best public policy book of the year
Thomas Courchene won the Donner Prize for the best public policy book of the year last week. His book, Indigenous Nationals/Canadian Citizens: From First Contact to Canada 150 and Beyond, won the prestigious $50,000 award last Wednesday night at the Carlu event in Toronto hosted by broadcaster Amanda Lang. Donner Prize jury chair David Dodge […]
Advocating for a free press
The latest reports on freedom of the press are worrisome. This freedom has declined over the past decade, and in 2018 alone, 54 journalists were killed on the job. Several factors explain the level of press freedom of a given country: the nature of the political system, its level of development, or the presence of […]
Local MPs pitch in to help combat flooding as water levels continue to rise
As the National Capital Region braces amid flooding, MPs joined volunteers, officials, and the Canadian Armed Forces in sandbagging in hopes more costly water damage can be avoided. Some areas on the Ottawa River have water levels higher than during the 2017 flood, and the region is preparing for another potential 25 millimetres of rain […]
If businesses want to stop being seen as the enemy, they need to up their advocacy game
OTTAWA—Last week, The Globe and Mail brought to life the story of a number of oil industry leaders who had met in Alberta with Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and senior Conservative activists. According to the reportage, the purpose of the meeting was to discuss how the Conservatives and some in the oil sector might go […]
Stursberg issues rallying cry to protect Canadian media amid encroaching U.S. tech giants
Canadians are increasingly at risk of checking out of the national conversation with the decline of the news industry and the arrival of American streaming services, argues Richard Stursberg, a former CBC executive, in his new book. In The Tangled Garden: A Canadian Cultural Manifesto for the Digital Age, Richard Stursberg, the former head of […]
For sure, not everyone is happy with the slow pace of reconciliation
OTTAWA—There has always been a love-hate relationship between politicians and the media. As a young reporter for The Hamilton Spectator, I was accused of going over to the dark side when I resigned to run for office. Reporters and politicians need each other, but there is a chasm of skepticism that separates the two. I […]
