Progressives everywhere have long been astonished by the apparent inability of the religious right to see the internal contradictions in their deeply held views. How, for example, to explain their insistence that abortion, (which they…
Posts By Brooke Jeffrey
Doug Ford, the Greenbelt Fiasco and Ministerial Accountability in the 21st Century
By now almost everyone in Ontario, and probably all of Canada, has heard of the ongoing Greenbelt scandal that has engulfed the Ford government. But the concept of ministerial accountability, which is at the heart…
The Silly Season and Populist Pettiness, Poilievre Style
Thank heavens the silly season is almost over. In the dying days of summer, it seems that even some of the most ridiculous comments by Pierre Poilievre and his motley crew of Trump-light followers are…
Reading the Tea Leaves on the Liberals’ Cabinet Shuffle
By now it should be blindingly obvious to anyone who followed the Trudeau Liberals’ recent cabinet shuffle that there were three important considerations OTHER than competence that drove the prime minister’s decisions in this game…
The Electoral System is not the Problem, and Proportional Representation is not the Answer
Now we know what Andrew Coyne was really up to in his first full page article on the “threat” of another Liberal government propped up by the NDP after the next federal election, even if…
Former PM Harper’s Shocking Support for Leaders of Hungary and Italy: What Next?
Victor Orban is the pariah of Europe. If his autocratic control of Hungary continues for much longer his country may be expelled from the European Union, an unprecedented and devastating move. Why would the EU…
With Six Parties, No One is Getting Half the Popular Vote.
In a full page opinion piece in the Globe and Mail of July 9, 2023, (“Rule by the Second Place: The Coming Crisis of Legitimacy in Canadian Politics”) columnist Andrew Coyne raises the ‘spectre’ of…
The EV “Solution”: Not a Silver Bullet
Most of the time this space focuses on the steady stream of misconceptions, errors and deliberate untruths promoted by right wing conservatives and populists. (Hello Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Pierre Poilievre and Danielle Smith). However…
Ode to the Canoe: Symbol of Canadian Unity
This is a re-print of last year’s blog, returning in honour of Canada Day. As summer comes to a close, and this writer returns from a week of paddling on the French River, it seems…
Whither the Poilievre Party? Polls vs. Byelections
Anyone with only a passing interest in Canadian politics might be inclined to think the Poilievre Conservatives are in good shape and poised to win the next federal election. Most public opinion polls, after all,…
