When the US was putting together its Coalition of the Willing to invade Iraq, many countries declined to send their military, but offered their full political support. Unique among nations, Canada sent the military, but declined to offer political support. The main reason for this upside-down policy was, of course, Quebec. Jean Charest was in […] More »

She is proposing a Canada/USA women’s hockey tournament to decide the winner of the 2005 Stanley Cup. Gary Bettman does an income analysis on such a scheme, sees the potential for a huge good-will dividend and broadcasting profits for the NHL, so decides against it. More »

We don’t need commissions of inquiry: they don’t change anything. The best tool for democratic change is a good, old-fashioned general election. Always has been, always will be. That’s from WK’s blog today. I completely agree. Which is why the top of today’s Globe and Mail freaks me out: PM gets pre-budget poll boost 47% […] More »

“I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they’ve always worked for me.” New York Times obit (requires registration) Read Thompson’s final column for ESPN.com’s Page 2. More »

The Hollywoodization of the global market in fiction writing continues apace. The good people who run the booker have announced a new, Nobel-ish sort of prize. It will be given every two years, based on an author’s entire body of work. It is worth something like $150k Canadian. Among the people on the first list: […] More »

Former terrorism-czar Richard A. Clarke’s very scary speculative fiction in the February issue of The Atlantic has been gnawing its way into my brain of late —paranoia r us — and no more so than during my recent travels to and from Ottawa. Hearing Anna Maria Tremonte’s (host of CBC Radio’s The Current) account of […] More »

Ok, so Steve Moore has finally decided that he’s going to sue Todd Bertuzzi. Let’s debate. Be it resolved that Steve Moore is a big whiner who though he could dish it out against Markus Naslund and not receive the standard beating as payback. He broke the code of the game once, and by suing, […] More »

Come out and meet the next generation of journalists next week at a party in support of the Ryerson Review of Journalism. Students at Ryerson’s j-school produce two issues of the magazine each year, both due out in April. Stories this year include a look at the relationship between journalists and the cops, and a […] More »

Paul Martin has acquired a number of unfortunate nicknames over the past year — The Jellyfish, Blinky, The Headwaiter — but it appears that one of them will stick: Mr. Dithers. Canadian papers are falling all over themselves reporting on The Economist’s new piece, ‘Mr Dithers’ and his distracting ‘fiscal cafeteria’ “Fiscal cafeteria” doesn’t have […] More »

Just got back from two icy days in Ottawa where I was privileged to be a block away from Parliament for the historic first defeat of the minority Liberal government’s legislazzzzzzzz, oh sorry, I drifted off for a second there. Anyway, I was presenting at “Creating Canada,” a symposium sponsored by the Canadian magazine industry […] More »

It has been less than a week, but I’m in love with the National Post, under new editor Douglas Kelly. Their coverage of the NHL cancellation today is outstanding, and overall the Post is absolutely destroying the Globe and Mail in every area, except Arts coverage. (The Post’s Arts section remains iredeemably trashy.) It can’t […] More »