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September-October 2017

How to provide a safe haven for those struggling with mental health challenges

Inside Percy Sacobie's Take a Break Lodge

Maverick Canterville@mavjaycee

“You have to stay here with me ’cause I don’t want you to be responsible for me,” insists a visitor to Percy Sacobie’s cabin in the woods behind his mother’s house. “You’re responsible for what you do to yourself,” Sacobie replies. He stops by the cabin every morning and every evening, but beyond that, its […]

The Two-Handed Cloud

New fiction by Rudrapriya Rathore

Rudrapriya Rathore@rrudrapriya

Dizzy lay in bed on Monday, grocery day, feeling like she’d reached the end. She said a silent goodbye to the creamy swirl of crown molding on her ceiling. It was one of the reasons she chose this apartment. The daily golden light in the bedroom was another. She had not been very pretty in […]

Why Canada’s friends abroad need to get over Justin Trudeau

He's not all that

RM Vaughan@rm_vaughan

Dear Europeans, Listen, we Canadians are fond of you. And sometimes you Europeans can even find our country on a map. We like the way you keep it post-colonial. But we have to have a chat about Prime Minister Trudeau. The new one, Justin. Not Disco Trudeau—that was Trudeau 2.0’s dad. I’m talking about Yoga […]

Trudeau performance review: Economy

Critics were skeptical of the PM's plans for a short-term deficit, but it's paying off

Amy van den Berg@vandenba

Trudeau’s majority win in 2015 promised many things, among them a strong economy and a happy middle class. Early on he revealed the party’s plans to run a “modest short-term” deficit of no more than $10 billion a year to achieve this, and hit the ground running with campaign promises of better infrastructure, innovation spending, […]

Trudeau performance review: Social issues

He sports socks to celebrate Eid and attends Pride—a step forward from his predecessor. But the PM still has work to do

Fatima Syed

Three women stand in the main reception area of Mississauga, Ont.’s city hall, desperately looking over a crowd holding their phones above their heads. They share a giddiness that’s palpable, even contagious. All three are visible minorities—women of colour with black hair and brown skin. One of them wears a bright blue hijab. All three […]

Trudeau performance review: Foreign affairs

How the PM has failed to tackle climate change, refugees, and more on the global stage

Tannara Yelland@tyelland

Since taking office, Trudeau has been astute at bringing the politics of personality and appearance to the fore, a smiling face making overtures toward progressivism as his party upholds many of the policies their voters were spurning. His approach since Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president has been one of conciliation, even on matters that an […]

Trudeau performance review: Indigenous rights

For a devastatingly poor national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and no action on drinking water crises, the PM earns a failing grade

Kyle Edwards

Just last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said: “No relationship is more important to our government and to Canada than the one with Indigenous peoples.” He promised a renewed nation-to-nation relationship—one that would uphold the treaties and constitutionally protected rights of Indigenous people while fixing the many socioeconomic crises that often plague Indigenous communities. He also […]

Inside Justin Trudeau’s first two years in power

In this performance report, we take stock of how the PM has fared at the halfway point of his term

This Magazine@thismagazine

Justin Trudeau has reached the midway point of his term as prime minister. But after two years in power, how much change has he truly made? In this special report, we grade Trudeau’s performance—and our PM has some serious work to do. TRUDEAU’S MEDIA PRESENCE: C- “When American news is dominated by a president with no […]

Trudeau performance review: Media presence

On photobombs and novelty socks

Hana Shafi@hanashafi

When American news is dominated by a president with no filter, it’s hard to not be enraptured by our self-proclaimed feminist hunk prime minister. Many Canadians have spent the last year or so consumed by a dizzying high of how lucky we are, how special we are, how unbelievably progressive we are. While the United States […]

Toronto artist shows off the soft side of Black masculinity

Inside James Michael Yeboah’s new show, When Black Boys Cry, on why it's okay to be emotional

Leah Lalich@LeahLalich

James Michael Yeboah isn’t shy about his feelings. “I’m really sensitive. I cry all the time,” he says. That was the inspiration behind his first solo show, When Black Boys Cry. The Toronto-based painter says a lot of the subject matter within his project is about what he saw within himself. “Those ideas of me being […]

What the NDP can learn from Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn

After the crash and burn of Tom Mulcair’s 2015 federal campaign, the NDP could stand to borrow ideas from its international socialist counterparts as the party elects its new leader

Christo Aivalis@christoaivalis

The 2015 federal election was a disheartening one for the New Democratic Party (NDP). There was a real sense, even weeks into the marathon election, that leader Tom Mulcair could become Canada’s first NDP prime minister. Of course, we know what came next: On October 19, 2015, Mulcair conceded, trying to put on a brave smile […]