So, Ontario, how’s electing unqualified, anti-government populists working out for you?
OTTAWA—Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s handling of COVID-19 and the public response are reminiscent of the way things went with former U.S. president Donald Trump’s bumbling, deceitful tenure. On the life-and-death issue of paid sick days, Ford and his cabinet have taken such an outrageous, indefensible position that everyone is struggling to find ways to talk […]
Power maintains power in politicians’ reticence to overhaul policing
OTTAWA—The Derek Chauvin conviction may not be the victory it’s purported to be, given that within 24 hours of the verdict, police in America gunned down six Black people as a show of dominance. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s response to the verdict was exceptionally mealy-mouthed (he essentially said that systemic racism is bad, which is […]
Partisan pile-ons won’t get us through this pandemic
OTTAWA—April and the third wave of the pandemic here in Ontario have been the most brutal of this 14-month journey. Provincewide, of course, intensive-care-unit admissions and case numbers have set records. Thankfully, vaccine distribution and administration are catching up. There most certainly is hope ahead, but it is hard not to feel like we are […]
‘Moral’ obligation to guide country out of pandemic trumps cynicism over governments’ ill-advised decisions, say experts
The pandemic has left some experts advising governments “jaded” about the political decision-making process, but that’s not necessarily going to deter others from serving in similar roles in the future. Alison Thompson, a public health ethicist with the University of Toronto who sits on Ontario’s advisory bioethics table, said experts like her have likely been […]
No partisan politics in vaccine rollout, please
Like much of the rest of the world, Canada is dealing with a deadly third wave of COVID-19. The pandemic is, hopefully, a once in a lifetime crisis, and has taken centre stage around the world since early last year. Canada’s vaccine rollout is expected to curb the spread of the virus in the coming […]
Tip for belly-aching politicians: mute yourselves!
CHELSEA, QUE.—If there is anything guaranteed to bring on a COVID-related headache these days, it is politicians squabbling about who is responsible for the latest pandemic setback. Many Canadians are feeling fragile as this interminable struggle continues and the last thing they want to hear is grousing and snarling—on every newscast, at every hour. What […]
Toronto ‘getting shortchanged’ on vaccine distribution, say some Toronto Grit MPs
Toronto Liberal MPs are accusing Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative provincial government of playing politics with the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, demanding more detail about the allocation process of vaccines and suggesting that areas represented by the Conservatives are getting an adequate supply while the ones represented by the Liberals are not. “The rollout certainly has some […]
‘It’s getting worse, we’re going backwards’: Ontario MPs say constituents confused, frustrated, angry with vaccine supply issues, and partisan ‘finger-pointing’ as COVID cases skyrocket
Canada’s most populous province is facing an increasingly uphill battle in reining in the pandemic with new cases of COVID-19 hitting all-time highs last week, intensive-care units stretched to capacity, and what a number of Ontario MPs describe as confusion, frustration, and anger with the vaccine rollout among their constituents. Ontario recorded 4,250 new COVID-19 […]
The ‘natural order of things’ is ruining it for the rest of us
OTTAWA—Who put white men in charge? Oh yes, patriarchy (by way of white supremacy). White men are screwing up and their responses to the pandemic are examples of how Canada’s socioeconomic, patriarchal framework ensures that white men end up in leadership positions without the requisite merit the rest of us are subject to. The illusion […]
This time, can we skip the fear-mongering?
I have worked in First Nations government and leadership for more than three decades. In that time, I have heard countless predictions of economic catastrophe at even a hint of progress toward recognizing and upholding First Nations’ rights. The fact that these predications never come true doesn’t prevent them from being recycled on a regular […]
