The damage and ultimate futility of hiding facts Today, a protest against teaching facts about sexuality in schools met with a counter-protest in cities across Canada, including on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. One of the anti-sex ed protesters actually said this: “Talking to kids about wieners and sex is inappropriate, and if you want to […]
—probably not Mark Twain War in Ukraine. Again. As someone who has written books about war in Ukraine, the past few weeks feel at once poignant, tragic, enraging and depressing. We knew Russia would invade Ukraine. The preparations were obvious. And leaders like President Biden did tell us the invasion of Ukraine was imminent. But […]
“Authoritarianism appeals, simply, to people who cannot tolerate complexity.” Authoritarianism is growing in popularity in many democracies, as we can see in places that were once seen as democratic success stories like Hungary and Poland. “Populist” parties and leaders in Italy, France and the U.K. Trump’s populist and authoritarian appeal is undeniable, and terrifying as […]
Of all the tools and techniques for writers that I have written or spoken about, the outline gets the most resistance. Students, bloggers, aspiring writers and tweetmates argue “I like to write by the seat of my pants” or “I can’t use an outline.” But I have yet to find a professional writer, one who […]
Every decision. Every announcement. Every move makes us worse off. Doug Ford and his Con-servatives campaigned on lowering hydro rates, gas prices and taxes for Ontario people, but never told us how he planned to pay for them. At the same time, he said he’d reduce government spending without cutting programs or public-sector jobs. Then […]
“Canada has been unfair to the United States.” “Canada charges a 295% tariff on American dairy imports.” “NAFTA has been bad for American workers.” “Canada has a trade surplus with the United States.” “Tax cuts for the rich create jobs.” “I am the best deal maker.” Every time I think Trump has reached his […]
It’s not because of hair or niqabs. I’m not afraid of refugees in my back yard. It’s partly because of the economy. The Conservative narrative, dictated almost entirely by Stephen Harper himself, says that the economy is so fragile, only the party that is the best economic manager can handle it. Well, the “Harper Government” has […]