Columns by our columnists
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National Column: The dying elephant at a happy Liberal gathering
by Tim Harper Wendy Robbins called it the elephant in the room and she was not going to give up […]
Columns
Columns
National Column: Tories poisoned own well in B.C.
The federal Conservatives are gathering in Vancouver this weekend to praise Stephen Harper today and – if they are smart – to start burying some of his signature policies over the rest of their national convention.
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Columns
National Column: Ottawa has fumbled assisted-dying bill from start
This country’s highest court ultimately gave Parliamentarians 16 months to craft legislation on assisted dying. That apparently wasn’t enough.
Missing the court-imposed June 6 deadline will not plunge this nation into some type of chaotic constitutional abyss, but the past 16 months leading to that deadline have taught us a lot about our political system and the men and women who represent us. It tells us a lot about the perils of fixed election dates, a move to remove partisanship from the Senate, the management of the legislative agenda by a rookie government – but most of all it tells us a lot about the timidity of our elected representatives. […]
Columns
National Column: Nothing but grief for Liberals
Looking back on the debacle that attended the latest episode in the assisted-death debate in the House of Commons this week, it is easy to forget that Justin Trudeau’s government had a parliamentary consensus within its grasp when it set out to draft its now-contentious bill. […]
Columns
National Column: Grits were elbows-up before PM got physical
Strip away the contrition, the high dudgeon and the blinkered Liberal apologists suggesting we should just get past the sorry spectacle in the House of Commons this week and you are left with an unassailable truth. […]
Columns
National Column: Burning bridges with the electoral reform file
In parliamentary politics, little is more self-defeating than a minister who consistently insults the intelligence of his or her critics. Sooner or later the approach inevitably backfires.
For a case in point one only needs to look at the last Parliament.
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Columns
National Column: Don’t discount Chong, Lisée bids for leadership
As Stephane Dion demonstrated by snatching the Liberal crown from under the noses of Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae a decade ago, it is poor form as well as potentially short-sighted to dismiss the possibility of an eleventh-hour leadership upset out of hand. […]
Columns
National Column: A tribute to equality and dignity
It was a day rightly celebrated by the transgender community in this country, but it was also a day to remember the human rights pioneers who went before and the ghosts who defeated them. […]
Columns
National Column: Deadlines undermine Liberal legislation
Deadlines can focus the mind and sharpen our work. For some, however, the ticking of the deadline clock can overwhelm the substance of our work.
This week, the Liberal government is expected to hand in its homework on two pieces of legislation that were expedited by deadlines imposed by the Supreme Court of Canada. […]
Columns
National Column: Electoral reform a sideshow to most
When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau argues – as he did this week – that he has been invested by
Canadians with a mission to introduce a different voting system in time for the 2019 election he is both
overstating the strength of his mandate (39.5 per cent) and misrepresenting its scope. The last federal
campaign was anything but a debate over electoral reform. The result did not hinge on the parties’
various positions on the issue. […]
Columns
Editorial: Pulling together in a time of need
The overwhelming support shown to Fort McMurray evacuees by the residents of Morinville and area is heartwarming.
Help has always been freely offered when emergencies arise – Slave Lake, the floods, a neighbourhood home burning down. […]
Columns
National Column: Electoral reform appears destined to fail
Among Justin Trudeau’s commitments, few are as time-sensitive as his promise to have a new voting system in place for the 2019 federal election.
And so, as the weeks turned into months and eventually into more than half a year without any action from the new government, questions arose as to how committed the Liberals were to a promise they had made when they were twice-removed from power. […]
Columns
National Column: Conservatives learning a new game
It’s apparent that all the world’s a Justin Trudeau stage and all the (other) men and women merely players.
He’s essentially kicking the ball on the pitch by himself, with no goalkeepers to stop him.
It is key, then, to watch how those other players have taken to their roles in the first six months of this Liberal majority world. […]
Columns
Talk of the Town
A bird of another colour – Barbara MacArthur sent us this photo of a female Evening Grosbeak that she snapped in her backyard bird feeder. […]
Columns
National Column: Historic debate on death is silenced
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould was telling a Senate committee this week that her government’s assisted-dying legislation was a “transformational shift” in this country. But she had to excuse herself.
She was needed down the hall in the House of Commons to explain why debate had to be cut off on this transformational shift. […]
Columns
Public Notice: Town of Morinville Offering Support through Alberta Provincial Operation Center for the Wildfire Evacuees
On behalf of Morinville Town Council and Town Administration, our thoughts and prayers are going out to all of those who are being affected by the devastating fires burning in Alberta. As a community, and as Albertans, we are here to help support those that have been affected by these tragic events. Morinville is here to help support immediate needs as well will be looking at ways that we can provide assistance as the rebuilding begins. To ensure important efforts are supportive and do not hamper the activities that are already underway, we encourage those that wish to help to read the information provided below. […]