Ht-Logo-gigapixel-icon
Ht-Logo-gigapixel-icon
Saturday, April 19, 2025

Canada’s Politics and Government News Source Since 1989

Latest Paper

Read the latest Election 2025 stories

Saturday, April 19, 2025 | Latest Paper
Subscribe Now

TRENDING:

Michael Harris

Michael Harris is a writer, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. He was awarded a doctor of laws for his “unceasing pursuit of justice for the less fortunate among us.” His nine books include Justice Denied, Unholy Orders, Rare Ambition, Lament for an Ocean and Con Game. His work has sparked four commissions of inquiry and three of his books have been made into movies. His book on the Harper majority government, Party of One, was a No. 1 bestseller. Follow Michael Harris on Twitter at @HarrisAuthor

Carney grasps a key point that Poilievre has missed in the trade war

  • It can never be politics as usual again with the United States. Mark Carney has talked about the political imperative that this new and
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 14, 2025
Liberal Leader Mark Carney, left, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Carney understands that Canada needs to reinvent itself as a self-sufficient country, allied to new trading partners who share our values, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Carney grasps a key point that Poilievre has missed in the trade war

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 14, 2025
  • It can never be politics as usual again with the United States. Mark Carney has talked about the political imperative that this new and

Carney grasps a key point that Poilievre has missed in the trade war

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 14, 2025
  • It can never be politics as usual again with the United States. Mark Carney has talked about the political imperative that this new and
Liberal Leader Mark Carney, left, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Carney understands that Canada needs to reinvent itself as a self-sufficient country, allied to new trading partners who share our values, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Carney is clearly the most qualified candidate to take on Trump  

  • Even if Trump is using tariffs to negotiate better deals with trading partners, that process could take up the rest of his presidency. After all,
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 7, 2025
The song remains the same: Prime Minister Mark Carney holds a press conference on the Hill on April 3, 2025, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement. So the ballot question remains the same in this election. Who is the best candidate to deal with Donald Trump? And the answer remains the same, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Carney is clearly the most qualified candidate to take on Trump  

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 7, 2025
  • Even if Trump is using tariffs to negotiate better deals with trading partners, that process could take up the rest of his presidency. After all,

Carney is clearly the most qualified candidate to take on Trump  

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | April 7, 2025
  • Even if Trump is using tariffs to negotiate better deals with trading partners, that process could take up the rest of his presidency. After all,
The song remains the same: Prime Minister Mark Carney holds a press conference on the Hill on April 3, 2025, in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement. So the ballot question remains the same in this election. Who is the best candidate to deal with Donald Trump? And the answer remains the same, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Carney is asking Canadians to give him a majority to deal with Trump

  • A few months ago, only people who were smoking the drapes would have thought a Liberal majority possible. Now, who knows?
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 31, 2025
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, and Prime Minister Mark Carney. Canadians have consistently answered the most pressing issue facing the country the same way: Carney is the better choice to deal with Trump’s tariffs, tantrums, and threats, than any other candidate on offer. Poilievre has made no headway here, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia

Carney is asking Canadians to give him a majority to deal with Trump

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 31, 2025
  • A few months ago, only people who were smoking the drapes would have thought a Liberal majority possible. Now, who knows?

Carney is asking Canadians to give him a majority to deal with Trump

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 31, 2025
  • A few months ago, only people who were smoking the drapes would have thought a Liberal majority possible. Now, who knows?
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, and Prime Minister Mark Carney. Canadians have consistently answered the most pressing issue facing the country the same way: Carney is the better choice to deal with Trump’s tariffs, tantrums, and threats, than any other candidate on offer. Poilievre has made no headway here, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia

April could be the cruelest month for Poilievre

  • Pierre Poilievre has been spinning his wheels in a feckless attempt to transfer the enmity he so successfully encouraged against Justin Trudeau to Mark
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 24, 2025
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, pictured March 4, 2025, on the Hill. Most Canadians want their politicians to deal with the current U.S. president, not play partisan politics while Donald Trump pursues our demise, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

April could be the cruelest month for Poilievre

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 24, 2025
  • Pierre Poilievre has been spinning his wheels in a feckless attempt to transfer the enmity he so successfully encouraged against Justin Trudeau to Mark

April could be the cruelest month for Poilievre

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 24, 2025
  • Pierre Poilievre has been spinning his wheels in a feckless attempt to transfer the enmity he so successfully encouraged against Justin Trudeau to Mark
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, pictured March 4, 2025, on the Hill. Most Canadians want their politicians to deal with the current U.S. president, not play partisan politics while Donald Trump pursues our demise, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

For Carney and Poilievre, it’s go time

  • Both leaders of the mainstream parties need to demonstrate their credentials for the top job, and their plan to rebuff Donald Trump. An election is
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 17, 2025
On paper, Mark Carney, left, has the clear advantage. His talents have been road-tested in the 2008 financial crisis in Canada, and in the turbulence of the post-Brexit period in the U.K. But does he have the retail political skills? Pierre Poilievre has clearly demonstrated his considerable retail political skills, writes Michale Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

For Carney and Poilievre, it’s go time

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 17, 2025
  • Both leaders of the mainstream parties need to demonstrate their credentials for the top job, and their plan to rebuff Donald Trump. An election is

For Carney and Poilievre, it’s go time

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 17, 2025
  • Both leaders of the mainstream parties need to demonstrate their credentials for the top job, and their plan to rebuff Donald Trump. An election is
On paper, Mark Carney, left, has the clear advantage. His talents have been road-tested in the 2008 financial crisis in Canada, and in the turbulence of the post-Brexit period in the U.K. But does he have the retail political skills? Pierre Poilievre has clearly demonstrated his considerable retail political skills, writes Michale Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Trump’s word = the square root of bugger all

  • How bad is U.S. President Donald Trump's crazed trade war? Just a day after imposing illegal and punishing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Captain
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 10, 2025
Justin Trudeau, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured at Mar-a-Lago, Nov. 29, 2024. Tough times may lie ahead for Canadians, but tough times are better than bending the knee to a mendacious con man who somehow lied his way back into the White House, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Justin Trudeau's X handle

Trump’s word = the square root of bugger all

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 10, 2025
  • How bad is U.S. President Donald Trump's crazed trade war? Just a day after imposing illegal and punishing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Captain

Trump’s word = the square root of bugger all

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 10, 2025
  • How bad is U.S. President Donald Trump's crazed trade war? Just a day after imposing illegal and punishing tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Captain
Justin Trudeau, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, pictured at Mar-a-Lago, Nov. 29, 2024. Tough times may lie ahead for Canadians, but tough times are better than bending the knee to a mendacious con man who somehow lied his way back into the White House, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Justin Trudeau's X handle

Trump sinks to new low with AI-generated Gaza video

  • Who in their right mind would put up with such a delusional buffoon?
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 3, 2025
Make it stop: Screenshots from an AI-generated video U.S. President Donald Trump posted about turning the Gaza Strip into a resort, something that Michael Harris says would be funny if it wasn’t such an abomination. Elon Musk, left, Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, a Trump hotel, and a talk gold statue of Trump. Screenshots via Bluesky

Trump sinks to new low with AI-generated Gaza video

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 3, 2025
  • Who in their right mind would put up with such a delusional buffoon?

Trump sinks to new low with AI-generated Gaza video

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | March 3, 2025
  • Who in their right mind would put up with such a delusional buffoon?
Make it stop: Screenshots from an AI-generated video U.S. President Donald Trump posted about turning the Gaza Strip into a resort, something that Michael Harris says would be funny if it wasn’t such an abomination. Elon Musk, left, Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, a Trump hotel, and a talk gold statue of Trump. Screenshots via Bluesky

Trump sides with Putin, a murderous dictator

  • It is usually the other way around, given that America styles itself as the leader of the Free World. Instead, we have a convicted
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 24, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, has taken the side of a brutal dictator, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, who invaded Ukraine, and he has left Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy swinging in the wind, centre. The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia, and courtesy Flickr/Gage Skidmore/World Economic Forum

Trump sides with Putin, a murderous dictator

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 24, 2025
  • It is usually the other way around, given that America styles itself as the leader of the Free World. Instead, we have a convicted

Trump sides with Putin, a murderous dictator

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 24, 2025
  • It is usually the other way around, given that America styles itself as the leader of the Free World. Instead, we have a convicted
U.S. President Donald Trump, left, has taken the side of a brutal dictator, Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, who invaded Ukraine, and he has left Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy swinging in the wind, centre. The Hill Times photographs by Sam Garcia, and courtesy Flickr/Gage Skidmore/World Economic Forum

Does Canada need a ripper, or someone who knows the ropes?

  • Mark Carney has helped two countries navigate through some serious white water. While Pierre Poilievre’s monetary experience is a babble about Bitcoin, Carney has been
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 17, 2025
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Grit leadership candidate Mark Carney. Trump’s insulting offer to make Canada America’s 51st state as a way of avoiding his punitive tariffs, supercharged the usually understated patriotism of Canadians. We don’t pick fights, but don’t piss us off, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade and courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore

Does Canada need a ripper, or someone who knows the ropes?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 17, 2025
  • Mark Carney has helped two countries navigate through some serious white water. While Pierre Poilievre’s monetary experience is a babble about Bitcoin, Carney has been

Does Canada need a ripper, or someone who knows the ropes?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 17, 2025
  • Mark Carney has helped two countries navigate through some serious white water. While Pierre Poilievre’s monetary experience is a babble about Bitcoin, Carney has been
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Grit leadership candidate Mark Carney. Trump’s insulting offer to make Canada America’s 51st state as a way of avoiding his punitive tariffs, supercharged the usually understated patriotism of Canadians. We don’t pick fights, but don’t piss us off, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade and courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore

We can no longer trust America

  • Canada can never again assume that America is our devoted friend who will look out for our interests or appreciate our friendship. It’s time
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 10, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Out of the blue, U.S. President Donald Trump launched a savage economic attack on both of his reliable allies and his biggest trading partners, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons

We can no longer trust America

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 10, 2025
  • Canada can never again assume that America is our devoted friend who will look out for our interests or appreciate our friendship. It’s time

We can no longer trust America

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 10, 2025
  • Canada can never again assume that America is our devoted friend who will look out for our interests or appreciate our friendship. It’s time
Donald Trump
Out of the blue, U.S. President Donald Trump launched a savage economic attack on both of his reliable allies and his biggest trading partners, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons

Maybe, just maybe, Canadians are getting tired of slogans and trash-talk

  • A return to reasoned debate, where leaders answer each other’s points, rather than trade insults, would do a lot to restore our tired democracy.
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 3, 2025
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. Canadians will soon be voting in a federal election, but will they get the chance to cast an informed vote, or merely support the party that most successfully denigrates its rival, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Maybe, just maybe, Canadians are getting tired of slogans and trash-talk

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 3, 2025
  • A return to reasoned debate, where leaders answer each other’s points, rather than trade insults, would do a lot to restore our tired democracy.

Maybe, just maybe, Canadians are getting tired of slogans and trash-talk

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | February 3, 2025
  • A return to reasoned debate, where leaders answer each other’s points, rather than trade insults, would do a lot to restore our tired democracy.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, left, Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney, and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. Canadians will soon be voting in a federal election, but will they get the chance to cast an informed vote, or merely support the party that most successfully denigrates its rival, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Even Jesus must be shaking his head

  • With Donald Trump’s accession to power, a fact-free zone paralyzed by ego and propaganda, the U.S. has entered liar’s heaven and democracy’s hell.  
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 27, 2025
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald Trump, pictured, claimed that he would be willing to wreck the economies of allies like Canada and Mexico ostensibly because their lax border policies were allowing illegal drugs like fentanyl to enter the U.S., writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Even Jesus must be shaking his head

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 27, 2025
  • With Donald Trump’s accession to power, a fact-free zone paralyzed by ego and propaganda, the U.S. has entered liar’s heaven and democracy’s hell.  

Even Jesus must be shaking his head

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 27, 2025
  • With Donald Trump’s accession to power, a fact-free zone paralyzed by ego and propaganda, the U.S. has entered liar’s heaven and democracy’s hell.  
Donald Trump
Donald Trump, pictured, claimed that he would be willing to wreck the economies of allies like Canada and Mexico ostensibly because their lax border policies were allowing illegal drugs like fentanyl to enter the U.S., writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Danielle Smith puts oil and gas before country

  • HALIFAX—So, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has decided not to play for Team Canada. It doesn’t get tackier than that. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s 10-thumbed
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 20, 2025
Danielle Smith
Danielle Smith
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith refused to agree with the other premiers and the prime minister on retaliatory measures against the U.S. Deciding not play for Team Canada is one thing, but playing for Team Trump is quite another, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Danielle Smith puts oil and gas before country

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 20, 2025
  • HALIFAX—So, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has decided not to play for Team Canada. It doesn’t get tackier than that. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s 10-thumbed

Danielle Smith puts oil and gas before country

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 20, 2025
  • HALIFAX—So, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has decided not to play for Team Canada. It doesn’t get tackier than that. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s 10-thumbed
Danielle Smith
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith refused to agree with the other premiers and the prime minister on retaliatory measures against the U.S. Deciding not play for Team Canada is one thing, but playing for Team Trump is quite another, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trump overdoses on unlimited power

  • HALIFAX—When U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatened a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming into the United States from Canada, Ontario Premier Doug
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 13, 2025
Former President of the United States Donald Trump
Former President of the United States Donald Trump
Donald Trump is sounding more like Russian President Vladimir Putin than the incoming president of the United States, writes Michael Harris. Gage Skidmore photograph courtesy of Flickr

Trump overdoses on unlimited power

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 13, 2025
  • HALIFAX—When U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatened a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming into the United States from Canada, Ontario Premier Doug

Trump overdoses on unlimited power

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | January 13, 2025
  • HALIFAX—When U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatened a 25 per cent tariff on all goods coming into the United States from Canada, Ontario Premier Doug
Former President of the United States Donald Trump
Donald Trump is sounding more like Russian President Vladimir Putin than the incoming president of the United States, writes Michael Harris. Gage Skidmore photograph courtesy of Flickr

Like it or not, the die is cast

  • Justin Trudeau's graceless dithering in the face of the obvious that his time is up sets up two possibilities. The possibility of an ugly
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 19, 2024
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at the Liberal national caucus holiday party in Ottawa on Dec. 17, 2024. In politics, the only thing harder than winning power is making a graceful exit when the party is over, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Like it or not, the die is cast

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 19, 2024
  • Justin Trudeau's graceless dithering in the face of the obvious that his time is up sets up two possibilities. The possibility of an ugly

Like it or not, the die is cast

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 19, 2024
  • Justin Trudeau's graceless dithering in the face of the obvious that his time is up sets up two possibilities. The possibility of an ugly
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at the Liberal national caucus holiday party in Ottawa on Dec. 17, 2024. In politics, the only thing harder than winning power is making a graceful exit when the party is over, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Hey Trump, we shouldn’t be your 51st state, you should be our 11th province

  • No real leader sneers at another country’s sovereignty or its elected leader, poses on mountain tops with a Canadian flag with all that that
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 16, 2024
Walk this way: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and then-U.S. president Donald Trump, walk outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 13, 2017. Photograph courtesy of official White House photographer Shealah Craighead

Hey Trump, we shouldn’t be your 51st state, you should be our 11th province

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 16, 2024
  • No real leader sneers at another country’s sovereignty or its elected leader, poses on mountain tops with a Canadian flag with all that that

Hey Trump, we shouldn’t be your 51st state, you should be our 11th province

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 16, 2024
  • No real leader sneers at another country’s sovereignty or its elected leader, poses on mountain tops with a Canadian flag with all that that
Walk this way: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, left, and then-U.S. president Donald Trump, walk outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 13, 2017. Photograph courtesy of official White House photographer Shealah Craighead

In the last days of his lame-duck presidency, Joe Biden has become Trumpian

  • Biden is not the first politician to cut a family member a break, either with a job or a pardon. But what Biden did may
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 9, 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden, pictured in Ottawa on March 24, 2023. Like Trump, the aspersions Biden has cast against the U.S. Department of Justice are of a purely personal nature. They invite Americans to embrace the dangerous lie that the justice system and the rule of law it represents are corrupt and not to be trusted, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

In the last days of his lame-duck presidency, Joe Biden has become Trumpian

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 9, 2024
  • Biden is not the first politician to cut a family member a break, either with a job or a pardon. But what Biden did may

In the last days of his lame-duck presidency, Joe Biden has become Trumpian

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 9, 2024
  • Biden is not the first politician to cut a family member a break, either with a job or a pardon. But what Biden did may
U.S. President Joe Biden, pictured in Ottawa on March 24, 2023. Like Trump, the aspersions Biden has cast against the U.S. Department of Justice are of a purely personal nature. They invite Americans to embrace the dangerous lie that the justice system and the rule of law it represents are corrupt and not to be trusted, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trudeau stands up for the rule of law on Netanyahu

  • Donald Trump has all but crushed due process in the United States and Netanyahu tried to pass legislation in Israel that would have given
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 2, 2024
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Netanyahu denounced the court for bringing war crimes charges against him, claiming it was more about antisemitism than justice. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trudeau stands up for the rule of law on Netanyahu

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 2, 2024
  • Donald Trump has all but crushed due process in the United States and Netanyahu tried to pass legislation in Israel that would have given

Trudeau stands up for the rule of law on Netanyahu

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 2, 2024
  • Donald Trump has all but crushed due process in the United States and Netanyahu tried to pass legislation in Israel that would have given
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Netanyahu denounced the court for bringing war crimes charges against him, claiming it was more about antisemitism than justice. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trudeau’s reset options dwindle as government puts itself above Parliament

  • There is only one answer: Hand over the documents, if only to show that Pierre Poilievre is wrong when he says you're out to 'axe
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 25, 2024
Just when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would like to focus the public’s attention on the government’s upcoming fall economic statement, the Liberals lose a cabinet minister in true soap-opera fashion, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trudeau’s reset options dwindle as government puts itself above Parliament

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 25, 2024
  • There is only one answer: Hand over the documents, if only to show that Pierre Poilievre is wrong when he says you're out to 'axe

Trudeau’s reset options dwindle as government puts itself above Parliament

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 25, 2024
  • There is only one answer: Hand over the documents, if only to show that Pierre Poilievre is wrong when he says you're out to 'axe
Just when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would like to focus the public’s attention on the government’s upcoming fall economic statement, the Liberals lose a cabinet minister in true soap-opera fashion, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue

  • If anyone thought that Donald Trump’s outrageous promises on the campaign trail were mere rhetoric to give woodies to his frothing base, his staffing
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 18, 2024
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, left; Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff; Peter Hegseth, secretary of defense; and Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Hegseth wants to fire the head of the joint chiefs of staff, and purge all the generals who’ve brought in diversity. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore/Flickr

Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 18, 2024
  • If anyone thought that Donald Trump’s outrageous promises on the campaign trail were mere rhetoric to give woodies to his frothing base, his staffing

Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 18, 2024
  • If anyone thought that Donald Trump’s outrageous promises on the campaign trail were mere rhetoric to give woodies to his frothing base, his staffing
U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, left; Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff; Peter Hegseth, secretary of defense; and Elon Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Hegseth wants to fire the head of the joint chiefs of staff, and purge all the generals who’ve brought in diversity. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Gage Skidmore/Flickr

No process replaces due process in the United States

  • Vile excesses that would once have carried consequences are now accepted as just part of the political noise.
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 11, 2024
Donald Trump will never be judged by a jury of his peers for triggering a coup attempt on Jan. 6, 2021, that would have overthrown the free and fair election of Joe Biden as president in 2020. Wikimedia Commons photograph

No process replaces due process in the United States

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 11, 2024
  • Vile excesses that would once have carried consequences are now accepted as just part of the political noise.

No process replaces due process in the United States

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 11, 2024
  • Vile excesses that would once have carried consequences are now accepted as just part of the political noise.
Donald Trump will never be judged by a jury of his peers for triggering a coup attempt on Jan. 6, 2021, that would have overthrown the free and fair election of Joe Biden as president in 2020. Wikimedia Commons photograph

U.S. presidential election may reveal if the clock strikes 13

  • Ultimately, this election is not about either Harris or Trump. It's about Americans, and whether they still believe their country is a shining light on
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 4, 2024
Donald Trump, left, and Kamala Harris. Things have moved well beyond bizarre in the lunatic villa of U.S. politics, writes Michael Harris. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Flickr

U.S. presidential election may reveal if the clock strikes 13

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 4, 2024
  • Ultimately, this election is not about either Harris or Trump. It's about Americans, and whether they still believe their country is a shining light on

U.S. presidential election may reveal if the clock strikes 13

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 4, 2024
  • Ultimately, this election is not about either Harris or Trump. It's about Americans, and whether they still believe their country is a shining light on
Donald Trump, left, and Kamala Harris. Things have moved well beyond bizarre in the lunatic villa of U.S. politics, writes Michael Harris. Photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Flickr

Gang of 24 comes up a dollar short and a day late

  • The cardinal rule of politics and governance is presenting a united front to the public. Rubbing their noses in the party’s dirty laundry is
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 28, 2024
Justin Trudeau
Justin Trudeau
From the Liberal Party's point of view, the only thing worse than Justin Trudeau, pictured, remaining as prime minister is his leaving, writes Michael Harris. And the Liberals are giving Pierre Poilievre a free pass on the details of his policy by presenting Canadians with a Jerry Springer-type distraction—their internal destructive psycho-drama. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Gang of 24 comes up a dollar short and a day late

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 28, 2024
  • The cardinal rule of politics and governance is presenting a united front to the public. Rubbing their noses in the party’s dirty laundry is

Gang of 24 comes up a dollar short and a day late

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 28, 2024
  • The cardinal rule of politics and governance is presenting a united front to the public. Rubbing their noses in the party’s dirty laundry is
Justin Trudeau
From the Liberal Party's point of view, the only thing worse than Justin Trudeau, pictured, remaining as prime minister is his leaving, writes Michael Harris. And the Liberals are giving Pierre Poilievre a free pass on the details of his policy by presenting Canadians with a Jerry Springer-type distraction—their internal destructive psycho-drama. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trump told 30,573 lies during his four years in office, but it just doesn’t matter in today’s low-road politics

  • When did the low road become the busiest thoroughfare in politics? When did notoriety eclipse character in public life? And how did psychopathic lying so
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 21, 2024
If the polls have it right, former Republic president Donald Trump, left, and U.S. Democratic Vice-President Harris are in a dead heat. If true, that is astonishing, writes Michale Harris. Photographs courtesy of Wikipedia/Flickr

Trump told 30,573 lies during his four years in office, but it just doesn’t matter in today’s low-road politics

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 21, 2024
  • When did the low road become the busiest thoroughfare in politics? When did notoriety eclipse character in public life? And how did psychopathic lying so

Trump told 30,573 lies during his four years in office, but it just doesn’t matter in today’s low-road politics

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 21, 2024
  • When did the low road become the busiest thoroughfare in politics? When did notoriety eclipse character in public life? And how did psychopathic lying so
If the polls have it right, former Republic president Donald Trump, left, and U.S. Democratic Vice-President Harris are in a dead heat. If true, that is astonishing, writes Michale Harris. Photographs courtesy of Wikipedia/Flickr

We all live in Tampa now, and we all need to find higher intellectual ground than indifference

  • There is, of course, a deeply human dimension to the issue at play in places like Florida and California. It is plainly traumatizing to force
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 14, 2024
Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton
While orbiting 257 miles above the Gulf of Mexico, an external camera on the International Space Station captured this image of Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm packing winds of 175 miles an hour at the time of this photograph, and its well-defined eye. Satellite image courtesy of NASA

We all live in Tampa now, and we all need to find higher intellectual ground than indifference

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 14, 2024
  • There is, of course, a deeply human dimension to the issue at play in places like Florida and California. It is plainly traumatizing to force

We all live in Tampa now, and we all need to find higher intellectual ground than indifference

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 14, 2024
  • There is, of course, a deeply human dimension to the issue at play in places like Florida and California. It is plainly traumatizing to force
Hurricane Milton
While orbiting 257 miles above the Gulf of Mexico, an external camera on the International Space Station captured this image of Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm packing winds of 175 miles an hour at the time of this photograph, and its well-defined eye. Satellite image courtesy of NASA

Trump is off his rocker, and GOP politics is off the rails

  • The scariest word on the horizon should Trump win the White House is 'water'. Let’s call this one Trump’s 'Very Large Faucet' whopper.
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 30, 2024
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
You can't make up the stuff that's coming out of Donald Trump’s mouth with zero pushback from the gaggle of sycophants trying to ride his crazy coattails to power. He talks like a guy who is always writing a sidebar story for the National Enquirer, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Trump is off his rocker, and GOP politics is off the rails

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 30, 2024
  • The scariest word on the horizon should Trump win the White House is 'water'. Let’s call this one Trump’s 'Very Large Faucet' whopper.

Trump is off his rocker, and GOP politics is off the rails

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 30, 2024
  • The scariest word on the horizon should Trump win the White House is 'water'. Let’s call this one Trump’s 'Very Large Faucet' whopper.
Donald Trump
You can't make up the stuff that's coming out of Donald Trump’s mouth with zero pushback from the gaggle of sycophants trying to ride his crazy coattails to power. He talks like a guy who is always writing a sidebar story for the National Enquirer, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

All signs point to a stampede towards Pierre Poilievre

  • The grinding noise coming out of Ottawa these days is the sound of change.  
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 23, 2024
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, pictured on the Hill on Sept. 17, 2024. 'It’s that swing of the historical pendulum that has so far allowed the Conservatives to wage a campaign for power largely devoid of policy, and full of the sound and fury of name-calling,' writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

All signs point to a stampede towards Pierre Poilievre

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 23, 2024
  • The grinding noise coming out of Ottawa these days is the sound of change.  

All signs point to a stampede towards Pierre Poilievre

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 23, 2024
  • The grinding noise coming out of Ottawa these days is the sound of change.  
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, pictured on the Hill on Sept. 17, 2024. 'It’s that swing of the historical pendulum that has so far allowed the Conservatives to wage a campaign for power largely devoid of policy, and full of the sound and fury of name-calling,' writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
More Stories

What do Texas and Saudi Arabia know that Jason Kenney doesn’t?

  • HALIFAX—It is time someone looked under Jason Kenney’s cowboy hat to see if anyone’s home. His tenure as premier has been like a ride
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 9, 2019
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage, pictured in Ottawa on May 2, 2019, after speaking to the Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources about Bill C-69. Alberta has already made one momentous blunder in its stewardship of its oil and gas reserves. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund from oil and gas development stands at over a trillion dollars; Alberta has $18.1-billion. Shame on its politicians, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

What do Texas and Saudi Arabia know that Jason Kenney doesn’t?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 9, 2019
  • HALIFAX—It is time someone looked under Jason Kenney’s cowboy hat to see if anyone’s home. His tenure as premier has been like a ride

What do Texas and Saudi Arabia know that Jason Kenney doesn’t?

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 9, 2019
  • HALIFAX—It is time someone looked under Jason Kenney’s cowboy hat to see if anyone’s home. His tenure as premier has been like a ride
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Alberta Energy Minister Sonya Savage, pictured in Ottawa on May 2, 2019, after speaking to the Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources about Bill C-69. Alberta has already made one momentous blunder in its stewardship of its oil and gas reserves. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund from oil and gas development stands at over a trillion dollars; Alberta has $18.1-billion. Shame on its politicians, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

The last one to smell blood in the water is the guy who’s bleeding

  • HALIFAX—Andrew Scheer is like an anti-social Walmart greeter—a misfit whose dubious smile has the customers abandoning their shopping carts and running for the parking
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 2, 2019
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, pictured Nov. 28, 2019, on the Hill along with his newly-appointed deputy leader Leona Alleslev. That happy band of party activists calling itself Conservative Victory is already rolling toward him with a nationwide social media pounding, designed to do just that before a formal leadership review can put Mr. Scheer on the rack, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

The last one to smell blood in the water is the guy who’s bleeding

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 2, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Andrew Scheer is like an anti-social Walmart greeter—a misfit whose dubious smile has the customers abandoning their shopping carts and running for the parking

The last one to smell blood in the water is the guy who’s bleeding

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | December 2, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Andrew Scheer is like an anti-social Walmart greeter—a misfit whose dubious smile has the customers abandoning their shopping carts and running for the parking
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, pictured Nov. 28, 2019, on the Hill along with his newly-appointed deputy leader Leona Alleslev. That happy band of party activists calling itself Conservative Victory is already rolling toward him with a nationwide social media pounding, designed to do just that before a formal leadership review can put Mr. Scheer on the rack, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Champagne entering the territory of a narcissistic megalomaniac’s America, hopefully in its twilight

  • HALIFAX—None of Justin Trudeau’s 36 cabinet ministers will inherit a bed of roses. But one of the more daunting tasks has fallen to François-Philippe
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 25, 2019
One of the more daunting tasks has fallen to François-Philippe Champagne, pictured. That’s because Canada’s new foreign affairs minister has to deal with the Mad King of Queens, U.S. President Donald J. Trump. The Hill Times photograhs by Andrew Meade

Champagne entering the territory of a narcissistic megalomaniac’s America, hopefully in its twilight

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 25, 2019
  • HALIFAX—None of Justin Trudeau’s 36 cabinet ministers will inherit a bed of roses. But one of the more daunting tasks has fallen to François-Philippe

Champagne entering the territory of a narcissistic megalomaniac’s America, hopefully in its twilight

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 25, 2019
  • HALIFAX—None of Justin Trudeau’s 36 cabinet ministers will inherit a bed of roses. But one of the more daunting tasks has fallen to François-Philippe
One of the more daunting tasks has fallen to François-Philippe Champagne, pictured. That’s because Canada’s new foreign affairs minister has to deal with the Mad King of Queens, U.S. President Donald J. Trump. The Hill Times photograhs by Andrew Meade

She stepped down as party leader, but May’s revved up to lead the Greens in the House

  • HALIFAX—So the woman who was Greta Thunberg before Greta Thunberg is gone as leader of the Green Party. The country has not just lost
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 18, 2019
Elizabeth May, pictured in her Hill office on August 29, 2016. Though the party gained a seat and 6.5 per cent of the popular vote, the Green Wave did not materialize. Although she has stepped down as leader, don’t look for her energy levels to drop. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

She stepped down as party leader, but May’s revved up to lead the Greens in the House

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 18, 2019
  • HALIFAX—So the woman who was Greta Thunberg before Greta Thunberg is gone as leader of the Green Party. The country has not just lost

She stepped down as party leader, but May’s revved up to lead the Greens in the House

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 18, 2019
  • HALIFAX—So the woman who was Greta Thunberg before Greta Thunberg is gone as leader of the Green Party. The country has not just lost
Elizabeth May, pictured in her Hill office on August 29, 2016. Though the party gained a seat and 6.5 per cent of the popular vote, the Green Wave did not materialize. Although she has stepped down as leader, don’t look for her energy levels to drop. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Senate hierarchy has been hiding serious allegations of sexual harassment of Senate staffers behind casuistical interpretations of parliamentary privilege

  • HALIFAX—I have some news for the Senate of Canada: parliamentary privilege was never meant to shield alleged sex abusers from being outed, or to
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 11, 2019
Former Senator Don Meredith, pictured speaking at the Economic Club in 2014, resigned in 2017 before the Senate was prepared to expel him for his inappropriate sexual relationship with a teenage girl. The Hill Times file photograph

Senate hierarchy has been hiding serious allegations of sexual harassment of Senate staffers behind casuistical interpretations of parliamentary privilege

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 11, 2019
  • HALIFAX—I have some news for the Senate of Canada: parliamentary privilege was never meant to shield alleged sex abusers from being outed, or to

Senate hierarchy has been hiding serious allegations of sexual harassment of Senate staffers behind casuistical interpretations of parliamentary privilege

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 11, 2019
  • HALIFAX—I have some news for the Senate of Canada: parliamentary privilege was never meant to shield alleged sex abusers from being outed, or to
Former Senator Don Meredith, pictured speaking at the Economic Club in 2014, resigned in 2017 before the Senate was prepared to expel him for his inappropriate sexual relationship with a teenage girl. The Hill Times file photograph

As crazy as it seems, this weird government will likely prove durable

  • HALIFAX—It was the upside-down election.   The ones who gained seats lost, and the ones who lost seats won.   And as crazy as
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 4, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured Oct. 23, 2019, walking back to his office after holding his first press conference since winning the election on Oct. 21. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

As crazy as it seems, this weird government will likely prove durable

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 4, 2019
  • HALIFAX—It was the upside-down election.   The ones who gained seats lost, and the ones who lost seats won.   And as crazy as

As crazy as it seems, this weird government will likely prove durable

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | November 4, 2019
  • HALIFAX—It was the upside-down election.   The ones who gained seats lost, and the ones who lost seats won.   And as crazy as
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured Oct. 23, 2019, walking back to his office after holding his first press conference since winning the election on Oct. 21. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Prime Minister Trudeau gets a second chance

  • HALIFAX—Dear Mr. Prime Minister, Congratulations on your election result; you still rule the roost. I would have said “election victory” except you didn’t have
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 28, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured Oct. 23, 2019, after holding his first press conference since winning a minority government in Monday's election. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Prime Minister Trudeau gets a second chance

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 28, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Dear Mr. Prime Minister, Congratulations on your election result; you still rule the roost. I would have said “election victory” except you didn’t have

Prime Minister Trudeau gets a second chance

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 28, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Dear Mr. Prime Minister, Congratulations on your election result; you still rule the roost. I would have said “election victory” except you didn’t have
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured Oct. 23, 2019, after holding his first press conference since winning a minority government in Monday's election. The Hill Times photograph by Sam Garcia

Would-be PMs offer radical change, regression, or have-it-both-ways comfort

  • HALIFAX—So E-Day is here at last. Five people want to be prime minister, however long the odds. Here are my impressions of what each
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 21, 2019
Four of the six national party leaders are running candidates across Canada and polling with broad public support: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. Maxime Bernier's People's Party is also running candidates across Canada, and Yves-François Blanchet's Bloc Québécois is expected to win a sizable chunk of seats in Quebec. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Would-be PMs offer radical change, regression, or have-it-both-ways comfort

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 21, 2019
  • HALIFAX—So E-Day is here at last. Five people want to be prime minister, however long the odds. Here are my impressions of what each

Would-be PMs offer radical change, regression, or have-it-both-ways comfort

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 21, 2019
  • HALIFAX—So E-Day is here at last. Five people want to be prime minister, however long the odds. Here are my impressions of what each
Four of the six national party leaders are running candidates across Canada and polling with broad public support: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May. Maxime Bernier's People's Party is also running candidates across Canada, and Yves-François Blanchet's Bloc Québécois is expected to win a sizable chunk of seats in Quebec. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Good thing this isn’t the integrity election

  • HALIFAX—There was a time when Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer probably hoped that October’s vote would be remembered as the Integrity Election. And why not?
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 14, 2019
There was a time when Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, pictured with his wife Jill Scheer, probably hoped that October’s vote would be remembered as the Integrity Election, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Twitter/Andrew Scheer

Good thing this isn’t the integrity election

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 14, 2019
  • HALIFAX—There was a time when Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer probably hoped that October’s vote would be remembered as the Integrity Election. And why not?

Good thing this isn’t the integrity election

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 14, 2019
  • HALIFAX—There was a time when Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer probably hoped that October’s vote would be remembered as the Integrity Election. And why not?
There was a time when Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, pictured with his wife Jill Scheer, probably hoped that October’s vote would be remembered as the Integrity Election, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Twitter/Andrew Scheer

It’s the smear election

  • HALIFAX—What an absurd election campaign this has been. For a week, the game was how many nominated candidates could be picked off for undisclosed
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 7, 2019
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, top left, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May have all been put under the spotlight by dirt dug up, on them or their candidates, by their opponent's campaign staff and volunteers. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade, photograph courtesy of Justin Trudeau's Twitter

It’s the smear election

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 7, 2019
  • HALIFAX—What an absurd election campaign this has been. For a week, the game was how many nominated candidates could be picked off for undisclosed

It’s the smear election

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | October 7, 2019
  • HALIFAX—What an absurd election campaign this has been. For a week, the game was how many nominated candidates could be picked off for undisclosed
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, top left, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May have all been put under the spotlight by dirt dug up, on them or their candidates, by their opponent's campaign staff and volunteers. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade, photograph courtesy of Justin Trudeau's Twitter

Canada’s in a mess up to its ears, and all we’re talking about is blackface and a reusable cup

  • HALIFAX—As Donald Trump dangles by the thread of his latest impeachable offence, what one historian has called his “historical merit” is on full display
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 30, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured on Sept. 20, 2019, campaigning in Toronto with Liberal MPs Nate Erskine-Smith and Julie Dabrusin. Much more consequential questions surround this blackface story. Given that Justin Trudeau has governed for a full term as PM, how can it be that his biggest electoral challenge, if the pollsters have it right, is to successfully apologize for events that took place in high school and early adulthood?How can this be a bigger challenge to his electability than the SNC-Lavalin affair, his foreign policy, and his broken promises? My guess? Blackface instantly inflames the emotions, while weighty policy matters are a drug on the market in the click-bait era. Photograph courtesy of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Twitter

Canada’s in a mess up to its ears, and all we’re talking about is blackface and a reusable cup

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 30, 2019
  • HALIFAX—As Donald Trump dangles by the thread of his latest impeachable offence, what one historian has called his “historical merit” is on full display

Canada’s in a mess up to its ears, and all we’re talking about is blackface and a reusable cup

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 30, 2019
  • HALIFAX—As Donald Trump dangles by the thread of his latest impeachable offence, what one historian has called his “historical merit” is on full display
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured on Sept. 20, 2019, campaigning in Toronto with Liberal MPs Nate Erskine-Smith and Julie Dabrusin. Much more consequential questions surround this blackface story. Given that Justin Trudeau has governed for a full term as PM, how can it be that his biggest electoral challenge, if the pollsters have it right, is to successfully apologize for events that took place in high school and early adulthood?How can this be a bigger challenge to his electability than the SNC-Lavalin affair, his foreign policy, and his broken promises? My guess? Blackface instantly inflames the emotions, while weighty policy matters are a drug on the market in the click-bait era. Photograph courtesy of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Twitter

Trudeau, the Mr. Dressup of Canadian politics

  • HALIFAX—A long time ago, a Liberal MP told me he was not supporting Justin Trudeau for the leadership of the party. At that time,
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 23, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured Sept. 17, 2019, in Cardigan, P.E.I. The proof that most people, aided and abetted by a candy-floss mainstream media, don’t give much of a hoot about complex policy matters. But they love a good gotcha moment. Justin Trudeau’s brownface, blackface, redface fiasco is perfect for the new news. Don’t get me wrong. There is much for the Mr. Dress Up of Canadian politics to be ashamed of here, but this is not it, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Justin Trudeau's Twitter

Trudeau, the Mr. Dressup of Canadian politics

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 23, 2019
  • HALIFAX—A long time ago, a Liberal MP told me he was not supporting Justin Trudeau for the leadership of the party. At that time,

Trudeau, the Mr. Dressup of Canadian politics

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 23, 2019
  • HALIFAX—A long time ago, a Liberal MP told me he was not supporting Justin Trudeau for the leadership of the party. At that time,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured Sept. 17, 2019, in Cardigan, P.E.I. The proof that most people, aided and abetted by a candy-floss mainstream media, don’t give much of a hoot about complex policy matters. But they love a good gotcha moment. Justin Trudeau’s brownface, blackface, redface fiasco is perfect for the new news. Don’t get me wrong. There is much for the Mr. Dress Up of Canadian politics to be ashamed of here, but this is not it, writes Michael Harris. Photograph courtesy of Justin Trudeau's Twitter

Trudeau may be starring in his own peek-a-boo campaign

  • HALIFAX—I don’t know if Justin Trudeau is going to win this October’s election or not, but his imitation of Baghdad Bob to begin the
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 16, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured on Patriot Act hosted by comedian Hasan Minaj on Netflix aired on Sept. 2. As Mr. Minhaj put it during this hilarious interview with the PM, buying a pipeline to save the planet was like using red wine to whiten your teeth. Screen shot of Patriot Act

Trudeau may be starring in his own peek-a-boo campaign

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 16, 2019
  • HALIFAX—I don’t know if Justin Trudeau is going to win this October’s election or not, but his imitation of Baghdad Bob to begin the

Trudeau may be starring in his own peek-a-boo campaign

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 16, 2019
  • HALIFAX—I don’t know if Justin Trudeau is going to win this October’s election or not, but his imitation of Baghdad Bob to begin the
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured on Patriot Act hosted by comedian Hasan Minaj on Netflix aired on Sept. 2. As Mr. Minhaj put it during this hilarious interview with the PM, buying a pipeline to save the planet was like using red wine to whiten your teeth. Screen shot of Patriot Act

We need something better than televised leadership debates, we need content

  • HALIFAX—When political spin machines meet the public’s legitimate need to know, the winner is usually confusion. That is especially true in an election cycle.
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 9, 2019
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer should both be answering serious questions substantively before Canadians go to the polls on Oct. 21, and the televised leaders' debates do not offer the best format for that to happen, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

We need something better than televised leadership debates, we need content

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 9, 2019
  • HALIFAX—When political spin machines meet the public’s legitimate need to know, the winner is usually confusion. That is especially true in an election cycle.

We need something better than televised leadership debates, we need content

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 9, 2019
  • HALIFAX—When political spin machines meet the public’s legitimate need to know, the winner is usually confusion. That is especially true in an election cycle.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer should both be answering serious questions substantively before Canadians go to the polls on Oct. 21, and the televised leaders' debates do not offer the best format for that to happen, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Time for Conservatives to swear off phony attacks on Trudeau

  • HALIFAX—Canada’s Hard Right understands that anger is the new mother’s milk of politics—well-financed anger. An angry person is a person you can enlist and
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 2, 2019
Hamish Marshall, left, a former Rebel Media director, has been tapped by Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer to head the party's 2019 election campaign efforts. Photograph courtesy of Andrew Scheer's leadership campaign, The Hill Times photography by Andrew Meade

Time for Conservatives to swear off phony attacks on Trudeau

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 2, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Canada’s Hard Right understands that anger is the new mother’s milk of politics—well-financed anger. An angry person is a person you can enlist and

Time for Conservatives to swear off phony attacks on Trudeau

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | September 2, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Canada’s Hard Right understands that anger is the new mother’s milk of politics—well-financed anger. An angry person is a person you can enlist and
Hamish Marshall, left, a former Rebel Media director, has been tapped by Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer to head the party's 2019 election campaign efforts. Photograph courtesy of Andrew Scheer's leadership campaign, The Hill Times photography by Andrew Meade

Trudeau’s ethical incoherence could be a stepping stool for May

  • HALIFAX—Perhaps Justin Trudeau is just whistling past the political graveyard—where his opponents have already reserved a plot for him. The PM is rolling the
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 26, 2019
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is best positioned to gain from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's ethical and environmental lapses, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Trudeau’s ethical incoherence could be a stepping stool for May

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 26, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Perhaps Justin Trudeau is just whistling past the political graveyard—where his opponents have already reserved a plot for him. The PM is rolling the

Trudeau’s ethical incoherence could be a stepping stool for May

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 26, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Perhaps Justin Trudeau is just whistling past the political graveyard—where his opponents have already reserved a plot for him. The PM is rolling the
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is best positioned to gain from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's ethical and environmental lapses, writes Michael Harris. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Ethics report puts onus on Canadians to punish abuse of power

  • There is an old saying that great books read you, you don’t read them. So when someone says Finnegan’s Wake is a crummy book,
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 19, 2019
Former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, right, and former Treasury Board president Jane Philpott speak with reporters before Question Period on Apr. 3, 2019. Both are running to recapture their seats in Parliament as Independents after being expelled from the Liberal caucus.

Ethics report puts onus on Canadians to punish abuse of power

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 19, 2019
  • There is an old saying that great books read you, you don’t read them. So when someone says Finnegan’s Wake is a crummy book,

Ethics report puts onus on Canadians to punish abuse of power

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 19, 2019
  • There is an old saying that great books read you, you don’t read them. So when someone says Finnegan’s Wake is a crummy book,
Former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, right, and former Treasury Board president Jane Philpott speak with reporters before Question Period on Apr. 3, 2019. Both are running to recapture their seats in Parliament as Independents after being expelled from the Liberal caucus.

Downloading ideology works efficiently in banana republics, juntas, and dictatorships, but not so well in democracies, as the Conservatives should have learned in 2015

  • HALIFAX—Like death and taxes, I suppose it was inevitable. In not so subtle fashion, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) is trying its best
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 12, 2019
Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives have a lot in common with Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, from the parades they attend or don’t attend, to a dangerous myopia on issues like climate change. But one of the most telling similarities is that the party continues to confound marketing with communication. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Downloading ideology works efficiently in banana republics, juntas, and dictatorships, but not so well in democracies, as the Conservatives should have learned in 2015

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 12, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Like death and taxes, I suppose it was inevitable. In not so subtle fashion, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) is trying its best

Downloading ideology works efficiently in banana republics, juntas, and dictatorships, but not so well in democracies, as the Conservatives should have learned in 2015

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 12, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Like death and taxes, I suppose it was inevitable. In not so subtle fashion, the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) is trying its best
Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives have a lot in common with Stephen Harper’s Conservatives, from the parades they attend or don’t attend, to a dangerous myopia on issues like climate change. But one of the most telling similarities is that the party continues to confound marketing with communication. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trudeau once stood for values-based governance

  • HALIFAX—If Justin Trudeau loses the next election, it will not be about broken promises, a dubious trip to a billionaire’s island, or an international
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 5, 2019
If Justin Trudeau, pictured July 31, 2019, in Ottawa, loses the next election, it will not be about broken promises, a dubious trip to a billionaire’s island, or an international reputation that has occasionally led to guffaws. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Trudeau once stood for values-based governance

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 5, 2019
  • HALIFAX—If Justin Trudeau loses the next election, it will not be about broken promises, a dubious trip to a billionaire’s island, or an international

Trudeau once stood for values-based governance

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | August 5, 2019
  • HALIFAX—If Justin Trudeau loses the next election, it will not be about broken promises, a dubious trip to a billionaire’s island, or an international
If Justin Trudeau, pictured July 31, 2019, in Ottawa, loses the next election, it will not be about broken promises, a dubious trip to a billionaire’s island, or an international reputation that has occasionally led to guffaws. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

This is an existential moment for a democracy in peril

  • HALIFAX—Is the United States caving to fascism, or merely getting fatally lazy about what it takes to live in a democracy? After watching former
Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 29, 2019
Former special counsel Robert Mueller, pictured July 24, 2019, before Congress. If the truth matters anymore (and I am not sure that it does in the Kardashian Crazy House that America has become), there is no way to deny that Donald Trump is the Bernie Madoff of politics. He has turned the U.S. government into a giant Ponzi scheme. There’s a sucker born with every Fox newscast, writes Michael Harris. Screen capture image courtesy of The New Yorker

This is an existential moment for a democracy in peril

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 29, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Is the United States caving to fascism, or merely getting fatally lazy about what it takes to live in a democracy? After watching former

This is an existential moment for a democracy in peril

Opinion | BY MICHAEL HARRIS | July 29, 2019
  • HALIFAX—Is the United States caving to fascism, or merely getting fatally lazy about what it takes to live in a democracy? After watching former
Former special counsel Robert Mueller, pictured July 24, 2019, before Congress. If the truth matters anymore (and I am not sure that it does in the Kardashian Crazy House that America has become), there is no way to deny that Donald Trump is the Bernie Madoff of politics. He has turned the U.S. government into a giant Ponzi scheme. There’s a sucker born with every Fox newscast, writes Michael Harris. Screen capture image courtesy of The New Yorker

News

Get free news updates

Opinion

Submit a guest opinion article

resources

Follow us

Advertise

get help

Subscribe
CloseMenu