Allegations of a groping incident 18 years ago won't go away. The prime minister needs to be more definitive in his response
Is Justin Trudeau telling the truth about an alleged groping incident with a female reporter 18 years ago, or is the prime minister lying through his teeth? Yes, that’s a harsh way of laying it out. But there’s no point in sugarcoating this unusual story any longer, as some media organizations were doing up until…
It’s possible to favour conservative ideas without being depicted as bigoted, racist, intolerant, elitist and out-of-touch with reality
There’s long been a sense (or, in some camps, understanding) that the progressive movement suffers from continual bouts of smugness. Liberals have often dismissed this criticism as something akin to conservative kvetching. Nevertheless, they were forced to look in the proverbial mirror once more in, of all places, one of America’s foremost liberal publications. Gerard…
Energy Futures Network seeks to help navigate Canada’s challenges through open sharing of perspectives and processes
(This is the fourth in an occasional series profiling organizations committed to more productive energy talk.) Monologue versus dialogue. Anyone trapped by the former truly appreciates the latter. In Canada's energy sector, we have a general penchant for monologue; that is, for more telling than listening. True dialogue is more the exception than the rule. That…
As movie stars rush to denounce gun violence, their industry has perpetuated the mythology that such carnage is as American as apple pie
Ever since actor John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., in 1865, there has been an uneasy relationship between the worlds of entertainment and politics. Of course, no one would equate a political murder with the kind of everyday protesting that usually marks the spot where actors and politicians…
When we consider the source of electricity, the invasive nature of copper mining for batteries and components, and other factors, the jury is out
In the push to normalize electric vehicles, many forget it’s not the end of the road as far as environmental impact is concerned. Presumably, those using electric vehicles or hybrids are motivated by a desire to improve the environment, especially by reducing carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Many owners of these vehicles derive satisfaction and…
No mass shootings, no racial tension, no workplace harassment and all Americans lived in peace and prosperity
It’s been just over a year since the 2016 U.S. election or, as I like to call it, the election that will not die. Thanks to my near supernatural skills at reading a room, I’ve reached the conclusion that a smattering of journalists are irked at Donald Trump and his aggressive style of leadership. Maybe…
Righteous indignation and claims to victimhood are instant and valuable weapons in a world driven by social media
Once they were big. Really big. Kings of Hollywood, producers of movies that were nominated for more than 300 Oscars. But when their founder was outed as the captain of the American freestyle groping team, The Weinstein Company’s name became toxic: board members resigned, industry players rushed to disassociate themselves from the firm, and the…
Why did Anthony Rapp not reach out to Kevin Spacey in private and reveal the hurt, confusion and anger this incident engendered?
How guilty are we when our past deeds come back to haunt us? Something done yesterday and revealed today means we must answer for our actions in short order. Certainly, the longer the time between act and revelation doesn’t lessen the scorn heaped upon the perpetrator. But how far do we stretch that window of…
Fundamental to human rights in Canada is access to a public education system that offers choice and quality to the taxpayers who pay for it
Choice and opportunity should be fundamental to public education, but sometimes the argument gets muddied by peculiar personal perspectives. We’ve seen an unprecedented movement in Canadian publicly-supported schools to accommodate the needs and rights of minority groups such as LGBTQ, with the introduction of gender-neutral bathrooms and curriculum updates. Social justice issues have taken up…
For the CBC and others, a joke about cultural appropriation is more important than, you know, things like real racism
All novelists are liars. Thieves, too. So said the late Mordecai Richler. My friend and I were in the dark at the back at the Bovine Sex Club on Queen West, waiting to see the Minneapolis punk band Off With Their Heads. My friend had just told me the story of how, years ago, he…