2023-03-30 13:06
Susan Delacourt writes that buried in the Trudeau government's budget is something called "the right to repair." What does that mean?It is intended to give Canadians another alternative when… Read More
Blog Directory > Politics Blogs > Government Blogs > Northern Reflections government Blog >
Northern Reflections Blog
nor-re.blogspot.com
"There is no greatness where simplicity, goodness and truth
are absent."
Leo Tolstoy
2023-03-29 12:52
Marjorie Taylor Greene claims that Canada is helping Mexicans invade the United States. Alex Panetta reports:Here's an attention-grabbing charge: the idea that Canada might be assisting an i… Read More
2023-03-28 12:46
Today is budget day. Lots of people have tried to capture Chrystia Freeland's ear. But the young don't have any representation in the budget process. Max Fawcett writes:They are, after all… Read More
2023-03-27 13:03
The United States is not the only democracy where the rule of law is under attack. Michael Harris writes:In Israel, the government is run by a prime minister under indictment for bribery, fr… Read More
2023-03-26 13:34
Yesterday, we got a preview of what Donald Trump will be talking about for the next year. The New York Times reports that:Former President Donald J. Trump spent much of his first major polit… Read More
2023-03-25 13:18
Joe Biden's visit to Ottawa gave Justin Trudeau a boost -- precisely when he needed one. Susan Delacourt writes:The entire Biden visit, awash in cross-border warmth, doesn’t rescue the… Read More
2023-03-24 12:55
In Ottawa, politicians are working themselves into a lather over China. It's the kind of thing that's been going on in the United States for almost a decade. Glen Pearson writes:There are th… Read More
2023-03-23 12:58
Joe Biden will arrive in Ottawa this afternoon. He and Justin Trudeau will have a lot to talk about during his short visit. Linda McQuaig hopes that Biden will offer Justin some good advice… Read More
2023-03-22 13:03
Things are not going well for Canada's oil advocates. Max Fawcett writes:Timing, as they say, is everything. And the timing right now for opponents of the federal government’s much-mal… Read More
2023-03-21 13:01
There are lots of Canadians who have a viscerally negative reaction to the name Trudeau -- father and son. Susan Delacourt writes:Justin Trudeau has now said it twice — there are Canad… Read More
2023-03-20 12:56
Michael Harris writes that populism is destroying our politics:Opposition politics has always been the process of casting the appropriate lights and shadows over the other guy’s record… Read More
2023-03-19 13:19
Donald Trump is doing it again. He's summoning the mob. The Washington Post reports:Former president Donald Trump called for protests Saturday in response to what he claimed would be his imm… Read More
2023-03-18 13:48
I referred to a column by Paul Kershaw a while back. His subject was the financial burden we baby boomers are leaving on the young. He returns to that topic in today's Globe and Mail:Boomers… Read More
2023-03-17 13:10
Republicans have been threatening to default on the national debt. Developments this week underscore how insane that idea is. Catherine Rempel writes:Recent financial-market turmoil —… Read More
2023-03-16 13:27
David Johnston has been appointed special rapporteur to look into the question of whether or not China interfered in our elections. Susan Delacourt writes:His task now is to look at all that… Read More
2023-03-15 13:50
The oil industry is its own worst enemy. Max Fawcett writes:For as long as I’ve lived in Alberta and covered the oil and gas industry — more than a decade now — I’ve… Read More
2023-03-14 13:12
Republicans are hell-bent on investigating Hunter Biden's laptop. Jennifer Rubin writes:Right-wing House Republicans have left little doubt that they want to spend the bulk of their time and… Read More
2023-03-13 13:13
Democracy has been under persistent attack around the world. The man who began the trend -- Donald Trump -- is still leading the attack. Michael Harris writes:Trump . . . cozied up to… Read More
2023-03-12 14:48
Jagmeet Singh is not happy with Justin Trudeau. Althia Rag writes:NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh had tough words for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week.“It seems like the prime mi… Read More
2023-03-11 14:02
Ignorance is a curse. Willful ignorance is a fatal disease. Kevin McCarthy has succumbed to the disease. Dana Milbank writes:Not since the Know-Nothing Party disappeared in the 1850s has a p… Read More
2023-03-10 14:04
For the last two decades, we have watched American politics get dark and ugly. The ill wind that emanates from there has blown across our border. Susan Delacourt writes:The fight between Jus… Read More
2023-03-09 14:03
There are a lot of us aging baby boomers around. Unfortunately, the young are being left to pick up our tab. Paul Kershaw points to the recent healthcare deal between Ottawa and the province… Read More
2023-03-08 13:44
Justin Trudeau is looking for someone willing to do a very tough job. Susan Delacourt writes:A new job has opened up. Wanted: someone who can restore people’s faith in democracy agains… Read More
2023-03-06 13:45
A lot of ink has been spilled recently on the subject of potential Chinese interference in Canadian elections. Michael Harris writes:A lot of people are in a lather over alleged Chinese inte… Read More
2023-03-05 14:09
Glen W. Turner was an American con man. Helaine Olen writes in The Washington Post:Turner, the son of a sharecropper, told people they could all be rich and successful like him — if, t… Read More
2023-03-04 14:28
If you want to know how things work in Ontario, consider this piece from The Toronto Star:Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have quietly held the largest political fundrais… Read More
2023-03-03 14:29
Paul Krugman believes that Joe Biden's climate plan is a big deal -- for two reasons:The first reason to believe that Biden’s policy may be a big deal is that it comes at a crucial tec… Read More
2023-03-01 13:59
The premiers didn't like Justin Trudeau's offer on health-care. But they accepted it. Michael Harris writes:The chair of the premiers’ council, Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, note… Read More
2023-02-28 14:08
Judy Rebick wonders what has happened to democracy in Ontario:Last June we had an election where a Conservative government won a decisive majority of seats with 41 per cent of the popular vo… Read More
2023-02-27 13:49
It's now clear that the three big names at Fox News are liars. But, of the three, Tucker Carlson's story is actually kind of sad. Michael Harris writes:Back in his CNN days, he was a r… Read More
2023-02-26 14:39
At his rally last week, Vladimir Putin entered the culture war. E.J. Dionne writes:Vladimir Putin is sounding like someone who wants to enter the 2024 Republican presidential primaries.&ldqu&hell…Read More
2023-02-25 14:24
Pierre Poilievre thought he had marked out a path to victory. Max Fawcett writes:From the moment he announced his bid for leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada last February, Pierre… Read More
2023-02-24 13:58
Some people admire Vladimir Putin for what they believe is his manliness. Such was the case a year ago. Paul Krugman writes:Putin was their idea of what a powerful man should look like, and… Read More
2023-02-23 13:56
Pierre Poilievre's war on the media tells us who and what he is. Robin Sears writes:A universal tool of demagogues is to demonize and threaten journalists. It’s an effective tactic, es… Read More
2023-02-22 13:53
The were lots of problems behind the occupation of Ottawa a year ago. But the biggest problem, Les Whittington writes, was Doug Ford:Ontario Premier Doug Ford was missing in action when the… Read More
2023-02-21 13:51
You might hope that the federal infusion of money into our health care system would solve its problems. Martin Regg Cohn writes:Throwing more money at the system is a proven way to prop up p… Read More
2023-02-20 13:58
Patience with the American legal system is wearing thin. So far, Michael Harris writes, Donald Trump has held himself above the law:One of his tactics has simply been to lie his brains out… Read More
2023-02-19 14:50
Dominion Voting Systems -- whose roots are in Toronto -- is suing Fox News. The discovery process has revealed the deep rot at Fox. Erik Wemple writes:News organizations rarely look good whe… Read More
2023-02-18 14:32
Justice Paul Rouleau delivered his report yesterday. Susan Delacourt writes:“Freedom” became a highly charged political word in Canada one year ago, shouted from trucks blockadin… Read More
2023-02-17 14:16
The Republicans have organized a full-throated attack on higher education. Paul Krugman writes:Not that long ago most Americans in both parties believed that colleges had a positive effect o… Read More
2023-02-15 14:14
Robin Sears writes that John Tory is a relic of a bygone era:Toronto’s expected-to-retire mayor is, by contemporary political standards, a relic. Mostly that’s a good thing. Prom… Read More
2023-02-14 14:04
The premiers have accepted Ottawa's offer on health-care. They said it wasn't enough -- and it isn't -- but they took the money. Michael Harris writes:If Canada’s premiers are fe… Read More
2023-02-13 13:39
Pierre Poilievre is playing his victim card. He claims that the head of the CBC is picking on him. Michael Harris writes:Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is now slagging the president of… Read More
2023-02-12 14:19
They met and Justin offered the premiers more money. Chantal Hebert offers her take on the situation:A boost in health-care spending was always expected to be one of the main items of Financ… Read More
2023-02-11 14:23
It caught us all by surprise. The Toronto Star's Edward Keenan writes:Well, holy mackerel. Did anyone see this coming?But this is a shock. Mayor John “Bland Works” Tory, who has… Read More
2023-02-10 13:58
Michael Den Tandt writes in the Globe and Mail that democracy is in trouble:Simply put, democracy is losing. The reason: Western governments, led by the United States, have not come to… Read More
2023-02-09 14:02
Joe Biden gave quite a performance a couple of nights ago. Eugene Robinson writes:Biden came prepared for catcalls from far-right members of the new House majority. I wondered at times wheth… Read More
2023-02-08 13:59
Justin Trudeau and Danielle Smith shook hands yesterday. You could see the pain on Smith's face. Graham Thomson writes:If a picture is worth a thousand words, Tuesday’s video of Daniel… Read More
2023-02-07 13:45
Pressure is building on Joe Biden not to run for a second term. Michelle Goldberg writes:When President Biden gives his State of the Union address [tonight], he will have a lot to boast abou… Read More
2023-02-06 13:50
In professional sports, in politics, and in life in general, it's wise to know when to go. Michael Harris writes that some Canadian politicians knew when to leave the stage. Many others didn… Read More
2023-02-05 14:27
Justin Trudeau returns to Parliament this week having backtracked on a couple of issues. Althia Raj writes:For the Liberals, the return of Parliament this week was marked by a series of reve… Read More
2023-02-04 14:20
Recently, Tucker Carlson suggested that the United States should "liberate" Canada. Max Fawcett writes:Carlson may have been joking about the idea of "liberating" Canada, but he’s prob… Read More
2023-02-03 13:56
The Republicans plan to hold the Biden Administration hostage over the national debt. They tried this once before -- in 2011. This time around, Paul Krugman writes, things are differen… Read More
2023-02-02 13:52
Canadians have known economic pain for quite a while now. Glen Pearson writes:Canadians continue to feel that the ongoing impacts of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict are having detrimental eff… Read More
2023-02-01 13:55
Andrew Nikiforuk writes that we now face an army of COVID viruses:What began as an airborne pandemic driven by a single virus has become a viral cloud roiling around the globe thanks to publ… Read More
2023-01-31 13:47
If you want to know what's to come in Washington, take a look at John Durham's investigation. Michelle Goldberg writes:Trump’s circle insisted, falsely, that the Mueller inquiry was a… Read More
2023-01-30 13:57
Most Canadians don't think of Jagmeet Singh as a potential prime minister. And they have history on their side. Michael Harris writes:It is true that, despite a run of impressive leaders, th… Read More
2023-01-29 15:11
The healthcare system in Ontario is under severe strain. Doug Ford says that the way to fix the problem is to move procedures from hospitals to private for-profit clinics. Linda McQuaid writ… Read More
2023-01-28 14:20
In Florida, they're getting rid of lots of books. Marsha Lederman writes:Just when you thought things couldn’t get any weirder or more depressing on the U.S. book-ban front comes this… Read More
2023-01-27 13:50
Rural rage is a feature of American politics these days. But it's not limited to the United States. In Canada, we are experiencing the same phenomenon. Paul Krugman writes:The ostensible jus… Read More
2023-01-26 14:08
This week marks the first anniversary of the Truckers Convoy to Ottawa. Susan Delacourt writes:In many ways, Ottawa is facing the same kind of test this weekend as the vaccine mandates that… Read More
2023-01-25 14:10
Economists expect that the Bank of Canada will raise interest rates today. Craig Alexander writes:The Bank of Canada is struggling to get inflation back under control. Since it adopted infla… Read More
2023-01-24 14:08
The major auto manufacturers shifted their focus to SUVs more than a decade ago. Sedans and subcompact cars are not where they make their money. Zoe Long and Jonn Axsen write:When it comes t… Read More
2023-01-23 13:40
Paul Kahnert warns that Doug Ford's plan to move surgeries to private clinics is a new chapter in an old story:A successful heist requires careful planning and timing. Privatizing healthcare… Read More
2023-01-22 14:43
It's been a tough slog. But Chantal Hebert writes that the federal government and the provinces appear to be near a ten-year deal on healthcare:By all indications, peace — in the shape… Read More
2023-01-21 14:32
Rumors are circulating about Danielle Smith's future. David Cleminhaga writes:There’s a whiff of smoke in the air, as if a cow has kicked over a lantern in a stable somewhere, and flam… Read More
2023-01-20 13:53
The Saga of George Santos gets more and more outrageous. Dana Milbank writes:House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has just padded Santos’s résumé further with a seat o… Read More
2023-01-18 14:15
China has reported that its population is declining. Given the number of souls there, that may strike some people as a step in the right direction. But, Paul Krugman writes, a declining popu… Read More
2023-01-17 14:21
Doug Ford has announced that his government will move some surgeries out of hospitals into for-profit clinics. I was skeptical of the idea. But Martin Regg Cohn adds some context:The claim t… Read More
2023-01-16 14:10
As time passes, the contrast between Joe Biden and Donald Trump gets starker. Jennifer Rubin writes:In the first two weeks of the new Congress, MAGA extremists have neutered House Speaker Ke… Read More
2023-01-15 14:38
You might think that a French Canadian, fluently bilingual leader might improve the Conservatives' prospects in Quebec. Chantal Hebert writes that's not happening:The latest Conservative lea… Read More
2023-01-14 14:13
There is a huge battle brewing in the West. Gary Mason writes:In the 2019 federal election, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party announced that if elected, the government would introduce the… Read More
2023-01-13 14:26
The Republicans in the House have made it clear. They plan to cut Social Security and Medicare. Paul Krugman writes:CNN has obtained a screenshot of a slide presented at a closed-door Republ… Read More
2023-01-12 13:52
Every politician cultivates his or her base. Pierre Poilievre's base is dominated by angry young men. Linda McQuaig writes:An insightful article in The Walrus, co-written by prominent pollst… Read More
2023-01-11 14:23
Andrew Nikiforuk writes that we still haven't learned important lessons from COVID:The past tells us plagues generally end messily; conclude at different times for different classes and… Read More
2023-01-10 14:05
Now that Kevin McCarthy is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Republicans plan to paralyze the Biden administration by threatening to default on the nation's debt. But Jennifer… Read More
2023-01-09 13:54
The latest COVID variant has arrived. Some scientists are calling it "the Kraken." Andrew Nikiforiuk writes: It has arrived in British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada.The global spread… Read More
2023-01-08 14:37
For decades now, the Conservative Party of Canada has been taking its cue from Republicans south of the border. And the recent battle in the House of Representatives confirms that they are o… Read More
2023-01-07 14:35
Kevin McCarthy is now the speaker of the U. S, House of Representatives. Dana Milbank writes:This is insurrection by other means: Two years to the day since the Jan. 6 invasion of the Capito… Read More
2023-01-06 13:54
These days, our politics are driven by anger. Konrad Yakabuski writes:Former federal Conservative Party leader Erin O’Toole spoke for many Canadians distressed at the increasing nastin… Read More
2023-01-05 14:04
Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus is the classic tale of what happens to a man who sells his soul to the devil. It's a classic because it keeps being replayed throughout human history… Read More
2023-01-04 14:11
As we witness the clown show presently unfolding in Washington, Murray Brewster writes that the same insanity is showing up in Canada:A U.S.-based research group that specializes in gauging… Read More
2023-01-03 13:54
Today, as Republicans take control of the House of Representatives, a new day is dawning. That doesn't mean it's a good day. Paul Krugman writes:As late as 2015, or so I and many others thou… Read More
2023-01-02 14:10
My assessment of 2022 has been pretty dark. But E.J. Dionne writes that last year wasn't all doom and gloom:We have become so accustomed to bad news, crisis and dysfunction that it’s h… Read More
2022-12-30 14:02
The talk in Washington these days is all about George Santos. Eugene Robinson writes:After initial reporting by the New York Times, journalists have discovered that, basically, Santos’… Read More
2022-12-29 14:01
What has the pandemic taught us? Andre Picard writes:For the longest time, we didn’t take viruses (and other pathogens that cause infectious disease outbreaks) all that seriously. Inde… Read More
2022-12-28 14:19
Danielle Smith is arguing that Alberta is a nation. That's an argument Quebec has been making for a long time. But there are differences between the two provinces. Max Fawcett writes:While A… Read More
2022-12-24 13:59
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hannukah -- or just being alive -- may there be fellowship at your table and warmth at your hearth -- as we all try our best to deal with this snowstorm.Happ… Read More
2022-12-23 14:06
It was interesting to watch Kevin McCarthy's reaction to Volodymyr Zelinsky's address to Congress. Dana Milbank writes:He stood at the floor leader’s desk, restlessly playing with the… Read More
2022-12-22 14:23
Andrew Nikiforuk has chronicled our failure to deal with COVID. The consequences have been disastrous:As the pandemic evolves, the failure of current public health policies now shines cleare… Read More
2022-12-21 14:08
Elon Musk's meltdown reminds us -- yet again -- that we live in the Age of the Petulant Oligarch. Paul Krugman writes:As The Times’s Kevin Roose recently pointed out, Musk still has ma… Read More
2022-12-20 14:11
Yesterday, the January 6th Committee referred Donald Trump to the justice department on four charges. Of the four, Eugene Robinson writes, Trump's attempt to "defraud the United States"… Read More
2022-12-19 14:07
During the recent by-election in Mississauga-Lakeshore, Pierre Poilievre was nowhere to be seen. Michael Harris asks:Where was Pierre Poilievre when his candidate needed him?Perhaps he was o… Read More
2022-12-18 14:37
Unions are on the rise. And, Linda McQuaig writes, we need to remember what unions have given us:The public doesn’t usually warm to the notion of labour militancy — until reminde… Read More
2022-12-17 14:28
Elon Musk has suspended several journalists from Twitter. Paul Farhi writes:Many of the journalists suspended Thursday, including Washington Post technology reporter Drew Harwell, had been c… Read More
2022-12-16 14:02
Polls suggest that Donald Trump's popularity is waning and that Ron DeSantis' star is on the rise. Paul Krugman writes:Anyone imagining DeSantis as a more sensible, saner figure than Trump … Read More
2022-12-15 14:48
When it comes to the American economy, things are going Joe Biden's way. Jennifer Rubin writes:The Post reports: “Prices cooled again in November, rising 7.1 percent compared with last… Read More
2022-12-14 16:39
How is Pierre Poilievre doing? If the recent byelection in suburban Toronto is a signal, you'd have to say, "Not well." Max Fawcett writes:Mississauga-Lakeshore is a suburban Ontario riding… Read More
2022-12-13 14:12
There are several myths floating in the ether these days. One of them is the notion that the amount of wealth one accumulates is a reliable measure of intelligence. Elon Musk puts the lie to… Read More
2022-12-12 14:03
Danielle Smith believes that the federal government should be -- in Pierre Trudeau's words -- the "headwaiter to the provinces" She claims that:“The way our country works is that we ar… Read More
Subscribe to Northern Reflections
Get updates delivered right to your inbox!