Category Politics
The Red Chamber
The ongoing renovations in Canada’s parliamentary precinct means there has been a certainly amount of shuffling as buildings close and reopen Canada’s Senate, for example, is now located in the government conference centre, moving there in 2018. The building was a railway station when I first was in it, about 1966. Then it sat empty […]
Taking Off – Maybe
The timing was fortuitous. When Canada’s Minister of National Defence announced that the government is buying 88 F-35 fighter jets, the announcement was timed for when the Prime Minister would be out the country. That way he didn’t have to take any questions. For him this is an especially embarrassing purchase, which explains why the […]
Picking A Speaker
As 2023 starts we are reminded of the popular definition of insanity wrongly attributed to Albert Einstein. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We’ve seen that at work in Washington this week. In many ways the American political system is broken, and constructive change is beyond the political will. Those […]
Don’t Vote For Me!
Municipal election day in Ontario is today, October 24. When I go to the local polling station I get to choose who I want to represnet me as mayor, councillor and school board trustee. One thing that I won'[t be doing is putting an X next to my own name. I was asked by several […]
The Big Ask
The phone rang and the question was: “Could you answer a couple of questions on provincial government policy?” I agreed. It wasn’t a pollster calling, but a fundraiser from Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party. Once he’d asked his two policy questions, he wanted more. Specifically a donation. To keep the governing party going in the right […]
True Leadership?
Now the real work begins. For Pierre Poilievre, winning the Conservative Party of Canada leadership on Saturday night is only the beginning. Now he has to unify a divided group, healing wounds of division – many of which he created. The past two Conservative leaders have been undermined by factions within the party. Some objected to […]
Decision Day
The announcement will be made this evening, naming a new leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and presumably the next Prime Minister, given that Justin Trudeau has supposedly told his caucus he will stay and fight another election. After six months of campaigning and almost 700,000 party memberships sold, all that is left is […]
The Home Stretch
I received an email from a reader asking why I hadn’t written more about the race for the Conservative Party of Canada leadership. Given that the winner may be the next Prime Minister, it is something that will affect a lot of Canadians. Tuesday is the deadline for the mail-in ballots to be submitted, with […]
We’re Number One!
I am a proud Canadian. I think I live in the best country in the world. I suspect many people feel that way about their homeland. That doesn’t mean I think Canada is perfect. There’s a lot of room for improvement. Too often, it seems, our leaders have no idea how to make things better. […]
Thoughts on America
Is it a failed state, as many seem to think these days? Or does it remain the best example of democracy and a hope for the world? It seems appropriate on July 4, as Americans celebrate Independence Day, to give some thought to the state of the United States in 2022. Are things as bad […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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