By Richard Forbes. Featured image via Ben Nelms, CP. Parliament is back in session but you would hardly know summer was over from the top of the agenda: Finance Minister Bill Morneau's tax reform proposal was a hot topic among Canadians when it was first unveiled in August but the Tories - having sensed a … Continue reading In a rational world, tax avoidance would be a bipartisan issue
Trudeau’s record – success or failure – will be judged by his efforts at reconciliation
By Richard Forbes. Featured image via Radio Canada. Recent changes to the Indigenous Affairs ministry have engendered a response as complex as the development itself. By splitting the Indigenous Affairs into two departments - one headed by the former minister Carolyn Bennett now overseeing Crown-Indigenous relations and a new department, headed by former Health minister … Continue reading Trudeau’s record – success or failure – will be judged by his efforts at reconciliation
“Unite the Right,” sure, but grow up while you’re at it
By Richard Forbes. Featured Image via David Bloom, Postmedia. Dearly Beloved, we are gathered together here in the presence of God and this company to join Alberta's Progressive Conservatives and the Wildrose party in the holy bonds of matrimony. (We'll ignore the naughty implication of a same-sex marriage.) It was never a certainty even when … Continue reading “Unite the Right,” sure, but grow up while you’re at it
How I stopped worrying and learned to love the duck
By Richard Forbes. It was as if it was scripted, a mere scene in a film depicting life in Ontario. A middle aged man stands on the harbourfront in Owen Sound, his oversized Kodak camera slung over his polo shirt; he turns to the stranger beside him, seemingly compelled to make a remark as if … Continue reading How I stopped worrying and learned to love the duck
This Canada Day, we should have been singing “in all of us command”
By Richard Forbes. Featured image via CP. On making O Canada, 'gender-neutral,' someone once said, "Honourable senators, it is clear to me that we all have a stake in ensuring the equality of opportunity for future generations. We need to show Canadians that parliamentarians have the will to give real meaning to equality for all Canadians." … Continue reading This Canada Day, we should have been singing “in all of us command”
Wynne’s Liberals lay groundwork for re-election, Corbyn-style
By Richard Forbes. "In a surprise announcement today, the Wynne government has announced its intentions to raise the Ontario minimum wage to $15 an hour," says the voice on the radio with all the rolling cadence the reporter could muster. My co-worker turns the dial up, leaning in intently - her face coloured with disbelief. … Continue reading Wynne’s Liberals lay groundwork for re-election, Corbyn-style
A BC Green-NDP deal paves the way for democratic reform
Featured image via Chad Hipolito, CP. By Richard Forbes. Seated together at Westhills Stadium, the BC NDP's John Horgan and the BC Green's Andrew Weaver watched New Zealand beat Canada, 17-7, at the World Rugby Sevens Series this Sunday. The topic of the hour between Horgan and Weaver? Not politics, we were assured. An assurance that … Continue reading A BC Green-NDP deal paves the way for democratic reform
For the new CPC leader, campaign promises will soon become baggage
By Richard Forbes. Featured image via Justin Tang, CP. Hurrah. We've survived. The end is upon us, err - the end of the Conservative leadership race to replace Stephen Harper, this is - not the end of the world (notwithstanding a Trump-induced nuclear apocalypse.) Thought to be the frontrunner and the 'smart money' presumptive, Maxime Bernier's … Continue reading For the new CPC leader, campaign promises will soon become baggage
Federalism to make or break cannabis legalization
By Richard Forbes. Featured image via Justin Tang, CP. In a bid to meet one of his party's most controversial promises, the Trudeau government tabled its cannabis legislation last week. The Cannabis Act would restrict the sale of cannabis to those over the age of eighteen with limited allowances for possession and homegrown production. The plan … Continue reading Federalism to make or break cannabis legalization
For war-torn Syria, a diplomatic solution is the only solution
By Richard Forbes. It's fair to say despite political unrest in Syria, the UK and Sweden, a slow news week had crept passed us Canadians by hump day. We - exhausted with the antics of our southern neighbor's president - were resigned to enjoying the finer things in life beyond Donald Trump. Speaking of chutzpah: … Continue reading For war-torn Syria, a diplomatic solution is the only solution
The Ribbon 