Writer at Large, The Globe and Mail. Editor: A Nation’s Paper. Author: The Duel, Empty Planet & Big Shift (with Darrell Bricker) Stephen Harper, The Landing.
The shack that protest organizers constructed in Confederation Park, across from city hall, is serving coffee and sandwiches. No charge. Donations gratefully received.
Boomers led the big fight for LGBTQ rights. But those who are younger may not realize how hard it was to come out. We were illegal, then mentally ill, then came the AIDS horror, then don't-ask-don’t tell. Each must take their own path. Welcome, Jim Watson.
In my opinion this requires a correction from the
@nytimes
. On what basis do they assert that people were arrested at gunpoint? Armed police is not “at gunpoint.” Unless weapons were drawn and pointed at protesters then this is both factually incorrect and dangerous to assert.
If a televised debate could move numbers, the Ontario Liberals’ numbers would move tomorrow. Kathleen Wynne’s performance is head and shoulders above Andrea Horvath’s. And Doug Ford does not belong on that stage.
22 Ontario communities are about to lose their local papers, as Postmedia shuts them down. Some of these towns will now have no journalistic oversight of council, police, school boards...This is how democratic accountability erodes.
#BREAKING
: Most Canadians side with Jody Wilson-Raybould over Trudeau, and one in four Liberal voters say Trudeau should step aside while the SNC-Lavalin affair is investigated, according to an Ipsos poll.
Bottom line for me:
Ford: an incoherent glop of policies he couldn’t convincingly explain. Appeared confused at times.
Horwath: Aggressive and argumentative, but got her message across.
Wynne: Proud of her legacy. No regrets. Master of every file. But people have already said no
Critics are being unduly harsh. The federal government is working tirelessly to reduce airport congestion by not issuing passports
Ottawa under pressure to cancel ArriveCan app, increase airport staffing as travel chaos continues
Justin Trudeau and the Old Boys at SNC-Lavalin will never understand...why those women over at the Justice Department fought them and defeated them.
But others...know what frustrated privilege looks like, what happens when powerful men don’t get their way
1/2 A lot of people on Twitter complain of its toxicity. I don’t find it toxic at all. One solution is not to follow toxic people, or people who retweet toxic people. Another is to refuse to get into arguments on Twitter. Ever. With anyone. Period.
I’ll bet you that people haven’t celebrated in American cities, in Toronto, in Paris and who knows where else all at the same time and for the same reason since the end of the Second World War.
From me on today's revelation that the government is blocking an RCMP inquiry into obstruction of justice: the time has come for Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott to speak their truth.
A few of our SK Caucus members went to show our appreciation for the hardworking, patriotic truckers who have kept our supply chains healthy & grocery shelves stocked for the past two years. It’s great to see Canadians championing freedom on Parliament Hill.
#freedomconvoy22
That headline isn’t fair.
@globalnews
, you should rewrite it. I thought he was waffling on conversion therapy itself. If I can be fooled, so can other readers.
Veteran journalists are breaking up on air as they read out this story. I couldn’t finish it. I ended up pacing around & swearing loudly. They are taking young children from their parents and placing them in new, jury-rigged orphanages. Monsters.
Canada is now officially arresting dissidents. A country that considers itself a democracy arresting people for the crime of organizing a mass grassroots nonviolent protest should horrify each and every one of you. Surely we can all agree on that, whatever side of this you're on.
Here’s the thing, if you have a legitimate complaint about my journalism: we have an obumdsman, complain formally. The rest of it is a waste of your time, and if it’s terrible and nasty, it will be used to educate future journalists.
An Ed Broadbent story:
Just before the 2004 election, I called my mom to ask how she planned to vote. “I don’t know,” she said. She liked her Liberal MP personally, but was angry with the Liberals over the sponsorship scandal. “I just wish I could vote for Ed Broadbent.” 1/6
This is a nonpartisan retweet, acknowledging—as I did in Empty Planet, Stephen Harper and Big Shift—that Canada’s bipartisan immigration policy is its greatest national asset.
There are always problems to fix with complex systems, but let’s keep perspective. Governments of all political stripes have built an immigration policy in 🇨🇦 that should be a model for the 🌎. It serves Canadians very, very well.
First, if we talked to our neighbours, driveway to driveway, there’d soon be a raging street party. Now City of Ottawa is banning standing outside closed windows to see loved ones in nursing homes. Not enough social distancing. For the love of God....
Some personal news: I’ve been working on a joint biography of Diefenbaker and Pearson for several years. I’m thrilled that McClelland & Stewart will be publishing The Duel in 2023. Also, this will be my fifth book with Doug Pepper. I couldn’t be in safer hands.
If a report comes out saying immigrants are struggling, some people shout: "They're living on welfare and creating ghettoes!" If a report comes out saying immigrants are doing well, some people shout: "They're stealing our jobs!”
But this is how some in my generation did it. So: Read and read and read. Talk to people and talk to people and talk to people. See the world through the eyes of your readers. Don’t let yourself get into a rut as a writer or a thinker. And never, ever stop being a reporter. -30-
Having had the opportunity to work closely with
@DHSgov
as the US Ambassador to Canada w/ 5525 mile border, Having just listened to
@SecNielsen
I think she should be relieved of her responsibilities. She lacks the heart, humanity & competence to lead this important agency.
When I told him why, he roared with laughter. Every time I saw him after that the first thing he said was: “How’s that good NDP-loving mother of yours?” This delighted Mom. 6/6
I’m with
@acoyne
. The committee that decides who & what qualifies for funding will be composed of people Just Like Us, who will shape a journalism Just Like Ours. We aren’t a profession and shouldn’t try to be one. I grieve for every job lost. But market forces must decide this.
Can’t understand much of the objection to govt help for journalism. Advertising dollars and their pressure have always been around and most of us managed to ignore that. Don’t know any serious journo who would or could be bought by tax regulations or by ad pressure.
In Dec. 2011 I gave a speech for TVO in which I coined the term “Laurentian Consensus”—the elites in urban Ont./Quebec who had governed Canada for most of its history. That speech became The Big Shift with
@darrellbricker
. And today, Grant brought this home. A pleasant surprise.
So we can lament or we can act. One action: a Royal Commission on Justice in Canada. This could include jury selection rules, incarceration demographics, criminal penalties, parole, discipline in prisons, and more. Launch: tomorrow. Deadline: July 2020. Retweet if you agree.
A powerful, eloquent and, in this writer’s opinion, irrefutable argument from Rosalie Abella against accusations of Israel committing genocide in Gaza.
The genocide case against Israel is an abuse of the postwar legal order
Trade secret: I have roughed out three columns: Dems win House, GOP holds House, Still too close to call. That way, no matter what happens, Globe readers can be reassured I knew it all along.
Sheer cruelty. The PM has scheduled a press conference to discuss SNC-Lavalin for 8 am Thursday because he knows journalists are not morning people. The Globe will have complete, if bleary-eyed, coverage regardless.
I’m with those who (a) greatly admire Lisa’s journalism and (b) suspect ageism and sexism remain alive and well in our society.
Longtime CTV anchor Lisa LaFlamme ‘blindsided’ after Bell Media ends contract - The Globe and Mail
This rather long tweet answers a request from a friend—who, like all of us, is trying to make it through the lockdown—to put together a playlist that could serve as an introduction to classical music. Things got out of hand. 1/n
When my dad first came to Canada he had a hard time finding a job because he was turbaned Sikh and today
@theJagmeetSingh
became the leader of the NDP party
#ndpldr
#LoveAndCourage
Great sorrow in Canadian journalism, with the passing of Christie Blatchford. A beautiful writer and fearless critic, she was among the very finest who have practised the craft. We have lost the best we have.
The most important thing is never to forget that reporting is the core of all journalism. That includes column writing. Everybody has an opinion; nobody cares about yours or mine unless that opinion is anchored in knowledge, which means reading and talking to people. 2/n
As we gather to celebrate HM QEII, I was honoured to be invested into the Order of Canada by
@GGCanada
Mary Simon. Thank you to
@CanadianPM
Trudeau, former fellow Prime Ministers Martin, Chrétien, Campbell & former Governors General Johnston & Jean for attending the ceremony.
I’d say you’re describing what a good conservative political leader does: governs quietly and leaves the place a little better than they found it. But also don’t forget the impressive record on trade agreements, and best-in-G7 handling of the financial crisis.
Stephen Harper is the Canadian PM (who served 5+ years in the job) with the least notable historical record as PM, right?
No earth shattering scandal, no particularly huge legacy defining accomplishment, didn’t shift the political consensus longterm, left his party in fine shape
Anyone who hates DSL does not walk a dog or like to garden. They are too unloved to be invited over by friends for a post-dinner drink on the deck. They've never walked a dirt road smelling hay in the June twilight. They have no joy in their life, and would steal joy from others.
1000%
“If Jewish people cannot do something as everyday as celebrate their culture because of threats of violence, and political leaders fail to decry it loudly, then Canada is lost.”
Globe editorial: Canada’s dangerous slide into antisemitism
I’ve lived digital journalism for more than a decade and am quite confident of the medium’s future. But there is still something beautiful about a great front page that it will never quite capture.
Unpopular opinion: If there's a news story in the history of humanity that has gotten "too much coverage" relative to its importance, it's the fucking Chateau Laurier thing.
You’re not leaving Twitter. You’re using it properly. You follow interesting people, post when you think you have something to say, have friendly exchanges, but never ever get into acrimonious debates. Twitter works fine when you use it that way.