Anyone who has perused the primary sources for the Canada-US trade agreements of the past quarter century will not be surprised to discover that the separate documents released by the “Prime Minister of Canada” and the “White House” this past Friday, February 4, 2011 are identical, with one recurrent exception. The Canadian version of “Beyond […]

[UPDATED FEBRUARY 7, 23]. It is of course very difficult to know just what is going on in Egypt – or the Middle East at large –  right now.  Some three and a half years ago, however, our resident Ontario historian, Randall White, was contemplating the question “Machiavelli .. is he the prince of darkness […]

Is there really going to be a 2011 Canadian federal election that changes the  present arrangement of the musical chairs in Ottawa, in any significant way? Who knows? But if there is, it will probably be the result of a few wonky issues that, somewhat unexpectedly (in at least some quarters), hit we the Canadian […]

The obvious big question about the 40th Parliament of Canada that resumes today in Ottawa is how much longer it will last. John Ibbitson has reported “Corporate tax cuts may bring down government.” He cites in particular the opinions of “NDP finance critic Tom Mulcair” (who “told CTV Question Period Sunday that it was ‘highly […]

[UPDATED JANUARY 31]. Given all the growing turmoil and fixed-date electioneering in Canada’s provinces this year, Chantal Hébert has just suggested: “It may after all be the perfect time to get a federal election over with.” And then just yesterday we heard as well that “Tory tax cuts could trigger election,” and (the day before): […]

Like other boomer generation men (close enough for jazz at any rate), I sometimes think it has become a women’s world nowadays. And I’m not entirely certain that’s an altogether good thing. Two different newspaper columns by two Central Canadian women, published yesterday and today (tomorrow of course must for the time being remain unknown), […]

Yesterday, in a piece headed “Harper’s talent for turning,” John Geddes at Macleans.ca opined: “Anyone can look good when they’re right. More formidable is the ability to look strong when events have proven you wrong.” This seems to me nicely written, but untrue. Or, at the very least, looking strong, like beauty, must be in […]

I just want to (more or less) quickly  express my deep regret at the disappearance of Keith Olbermann and his path-breaking “Countdown” show on MSNBC – announced quite suddenly and unexpectedly Friday night in the penultimate moments of what will apparently be the last installment of one of the few genuinely interesting political programs on […]

This coming Sunday, January 23 will mark the fifth anniversary of the 2006 Canadian federal election that first brought the Harper Conservative minority government to office. And Mr. Harper himself apparently thinks there is a “50-50 chance of election this year” (nudge, nudge, wink, wink, as they used to say on Monty Python). If there […]

We reported just this past Sunday that the trial of Allan Wayne Powney for the murder of Dr. Henry Janssen, in Ontario’s idyllic Bruce Peninsula community of Jackson’s Cove, just after 9 PM on January 22, 2008, was at long last about to get under way, with jury selection this past Monday.  It was expected […]