Culture
The Spring of 2024 Decline-of-the-French-Language Crisis having abated somewhat since its dramatic height of (checks notes) nearly ten days ago, now seems like a good time to open a few crusty windows and air out this debate some. You can always tell when a Quebec government is in political trouble
Politics
This is an excellent if severe op-ed in the New York Times by Stephen Marche that is very much worth your while. For those hitting the paywall, this the most important paragraph: But an era has passed since the start of that halcyon time, when Mr. Trudeau stood in front
Politics
Those who know me well are aware that I never half-ass anything. So when I decide to do the unexpected and come to the defence of a mayor whose performance I am at best quite tepid about, it only makes sense that I should bump into his predecessor at breakfast,
Politics
A good amount of fuss was made earlier today when videos emerged showing Pierre Poilievre by the side of the road at the border between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. He stopped by to say hello and shoot the breeze with members of a group protesting the carbon tax. At
Culture
I went to see Civil War with Beloved last night. We were both super keen on it. And we were both very disappointed. It’s like blood porn without any pleasure at the end. First of all, too many of the scenes are way too long when not altogether unnecessary.
Politics
It was with shock and sadness that I learned of the sudden death of Benoît Pelletier. He was way too young and had so much more to contribute. The family did not reveal the cause of death but we know he nearly died of COVID in 2021. For those who
Urbanism
My Citizen column this week asks the sempiternal Ottawa question: Why can't we be chill about shit? Toronto, of all places, now allows adults to drink in public parks. And here in Ottawa we're like, oh, look. A new, fresh, fun idea to allow people to
Politics
For the Ottawa Citizen this week I wrote about making commencement ceremonies more inclusive and you can read that column here. Mais là j'ai besoin de péter une coche. Jeudi la ministre québécoise de l'Habitation, l'inénarrable France-Élaine Duranceau, s'est plainte de ce
Politics
The other day, whilst criticizing Justin Trudeau, Pierre Poilievre used the term "Jewish ridings" in a sentence without, apparently, pausing to worry about it one bit. Trudeau “paused” UNRWA funding because of ties to terrorists and revelations that their employees took part in the October 7th attacks. A
Gender
Special days have a special way of being irritating. I never liked International Women's Day, in particular, because since women represent roughly half the species they shouldn't need special recognition. Yet there's no denying they do. Hence my frustration. In recent months there have
Gender
There are half-baked ideas, and then there are ideas that are so stupid they deserve to go back to the oven to die of 16th degree burns. Somehow today Pierre Poilievre managed to produce not one but two such clunkers. The first one concerns a private member's bill,
Politics
Before we start, you should know that I have nothing against lobster even though it is a giant bug. Except for poached eggs I also don't like boiling my food. So the odds of catching me luxuriating in some exotic locale enjoying sea-bug meat with butter sauce are