He’s become the Rodney Dangerfield of Canadian politics: no respect at all
Picture this imaginary scene. In a dark corner of dank Rideau Cottage sits Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He’s resting comfortably in an old armchair, thinking about his future – and what he might wear to his next costume party, one assumes. His political honeymoon ended what seems like several lifetimes ago. His role as a…
Very few people have ever had the freedoms Canadians enjoy today. May we always be mindful of this
Like many of my generation of German descent, I’ve had to grapple with an uncomfortable family history. Though I know he came to regret his decision, my grandfather was a member of the Nazi Party and was part of the populist movement that brought them to power. I could make excuses for his decision and…
Terms such as physician assisted dying or assisted suicide make lies sound truthful and murder respectable
Euphemisms have been around at least since biblical times when to uncover a man’s foot was an idiom for making sexual advances. Today, as in the 10th century, people “sleep together”, and everyone knows the intention behind an invitation for a “nightcap”. In classical times, “curled up”, “gone to sleep”, or “on a journey” were…
The recent federal election offered us a lesson on how the manipulation of a narrative can have dramatic impact on how we think and behave
Like many Canadians, I was amused and entertained (and appalled) by the recent Canadian election. But beyond the entertainment factor, there was a lesson here about human behaviour which we need to take to heart. The spate of scandals (#MeToo, political interference in the legal system, racism, lapses in ethical behaviour, the Norman Affair) surrounding…
To environmental warriors, “renewable” energy will just happen – like manna from Gaia or beamed down from the Starship Enterprise
CNN recently hosted a seven-hour climate bore-athon. That climate cataclysms are real and already devastating our planet was not open to discussion. So host Wolf Blitzer and 10 Democrat presidential contenders vied to make the most extravagant claims about how bad things are, and who would spend the most taxpayer money and impose the most…
The answers to some questions to help you assess whether there really is a climate emergency
With energy and the environment playing an important role in the fall election, Canadians face starkly different policy positions from political parties, together with a bewildering array of both information and disinformation. Here is my rather eclectic list of little-known facts, head-scratching paradoxes and utter hypocrisy. Climate Emergency On June 17, the House of Commons…
In the retail food business, customers have plenty of questions about how their food is produced. The answers often surprise them
By Jackie Fraser Small business owner “Are there any BMOs in this?” my dear customer asks. It takes me a moment to realize she's not asking about the bank. Sigh. Where do I start with this one? My husband and I own a fresh food retail store and catering company in Fergus, Ont. He’s the chef…
The proposal to give $595 million in federal funding over five years to Canadian media organizations comes with significant strings attached
Much has been written about the federal government’s proposal to give $595 million in funding over five years to Canadian media organizations. This political strategy has been called everything from a financial life saver to a Liberal takeover/buyout of our news industry. While it’s hard to blame anyone in the media who is starving economically…
Let’s not deal with the grim science of cynical political marketing and hyperbole. Instead, we should rigorously adjudicate all belief
Spotting headlines about the recent United Nations report prophesying imminent global extinction of a million species, I immediately wondered at the media response should Donald Trump ever claim to have eaten a million ice-cream cones. Instinct tells me swarms of media fact-checkers would have been at every Baskin-Robbins or Ben & Jerry’s in the United…
When youth take a political stand, it’s inspiring. History is full of such amazing and courageous young people
Nelson Mandela said, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children.” American news and social media were recently stirred up by a video of children meeting with Sen. Dianne Feinstein. The video went viral. The children represented a youth organization known as the Sunrise Movement, which…