Is #MeToo in danger of becoming the new McCarthyism?
OTTAWA—Is #MeToo in danger of becoming the new McCarthyism? The editor of The New York Review of Books exited last week after publishing an essay by Jian Ghomeshi entitled, “Reflections from a Hashtag.” It is unclear whether he quit or was fired, but editor Ian Buruma was widely attacked for his editorial decision to offer […]
Senators, opposition MPs await Liberal response to ‘common sense’ changes to anti-harassment bill
Opposition parties say they’re ready to accept changes the Senate made to a bill aimed at preventing and handling workplace violence and sexual harassment, calling them “common sense,” however the government is mum on its next steps. The Senate passed Bill C-65 on June 18 with seven amendments stemming from its Human Rights Committee, with […]
Political parties will need to do more to entice female candidates to run federally
OTTAWA—While Parliament did indeed rise for the summer, most federal MPs did not stop working. With a federal election just over a year away, MPs with the intention to run again were busy meeting their respective parties’ nomination requirements, and ensuring that their efforts as government or opposition MPs were well understood among constituents. The […]
Stepping back to look ahead: why this outspoken parliamentary secretary volunteered to be demoted
When Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes turned down the offer to serve another term as a parliamentary secretary, it wasn’t a decision made lightly, she says, nor was it solely based on the social media abuse to which she’s been subjected for being a woman, particularly a woman of colour, who speaks her mind. First elected […]
Sajjan says Canadian Armed Forces should reflect Canadian population and be gender balanced
Canada’s Minister of National Defence Harjit Sajjan says the Canadian Armed Forces is striving to reflect its population, and that means gender parity. The current goal is for the Forces to be composed of 25 per cent women by 2025, but Mr. Sajjan (Vancouver South, B.C.) said that is “just the start.” That includes making […]
Power and powerlessness: the McCain model
Among the themes emerging from this improbable political moment, in which the world is being not so much led as misled by an extraordinarily destructive American president, is abuse of power. It has been an obvious, hourly trope emanating from the White House as egregious, previously unimaginable offences are being committed against stability, sanity, taste, […]
‘This was his plan all along,’ Conservative politicos slam Bernier for leaving party
Current and former Conservatives were none too pleased last week with MP Maxime Bernier‘s decision to leave the Conservative Party—and excoriate it in a press conference on his way out—and many took to Twitter to hit back at the one-time party leadership favourite. Conservative MP Todd Doherty said in a series of Tweets that Mr. […]
‘Old stock’ politics is past its expiry date
OTTAWA—Maxime Bernier’s surprise resignation last week will not put an end to a raucous Tory debate on identity politics. Instead of buying peace in advance of the writ, the Conservative announcement of a Canada-wide immigration tour will serve to magnify internal differences of viewpoint. As for Bernier’s plan to start a new party, his reach […]
Ignore white nationalists at your own peril, Mr. Scheer
TORONTO—The short, stout woman bobs through the crowd like a hungry dog, jockeying for position at a dish of meat. She screams and yells, waving a plump finger in the air. Every so often, she looks back behind her, in the direction of the cameraman recording her every move. The cameraman encourages her to […]
Trimble’s ‘Ms. Prime Minister’ digs deep into media bias towards female PMs
There are many reasons why people enter, delay or avoid political life. Conservatives Rona Ambrose and Laureen Harper recently talked about the creation of the She Leads Foundation, a mentoring organization that strives to get more conservative women involved in politics. What they had to say is relevant to everyone who cares about a healthy, […]
