Category Archives: Canada

Blog Update

So I haven’t been blogging much, clearly; the job really doesn’t leave much time for it. But I’ve set myself a target of one column-length piece of writing a week. I’ve been submitting to The Mark, which I really recommend as a general matter—they have a really interesting mix of contributors, and you’ll [...]

For an Elected Governor General

No, not me – Michael Bliss.

American Diplomacy

Monday, March 29:
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a rare public rebuke to close ally Canada on Monday, criticizing it for excluding key nations from a meeting to discuss the resource-rich Arctic. . . .
“Significant international discussions on Arctic issues should include those who have legitimate interests in the region,” Clinton said in a [...]

For, and Against, an Elected GG

In light of my brief post calling for an elected governor general, Catelli over at Not Quite Unhinged asked if I’d be interested in expanding on my idea in the context of a debate with ‘Sir Francis’ of Dred Tory. Never one to shy from a debate, I agreed; the first round is now [...]

Want to Re-Empower Parliament?

Return executive power to the Governor General, and elect her.

Harper on Honduras

At the Three Amigos conference in Guadalajara, Stephen Harper gave Jake Tapper of ABC News a broad-ranging interview that touched on trade, health-care, H1N1, and Afghanistan. The interview also contained the first reported public statements by Harper on Honduras (at least that I’ve seen); I reproduce them here in full:
Tapper: There has been [...]

Eat Your Heart Out, Sarah Palin

Get it?
THE CANADIAN PRESS – RANKIN INLET, Nunavut — Governor General Michaëlle Jean, on the first day of her trip to the Arctic, gutted a freshly slaughtered seal, pulled out its raw heart — and ate it.
And yes, there’s a picture.

On Citizenship and Identity

[Note: This article first appeared at The Mark, Canada's daily online forum for news and opinion.]
The big news in the expatriate community is a recent change to the Citizenship Act under which children born to Canadians abroad are only entitled to citizenship if at least one of the parents was born inside Canada. In [...]

Why Not Intra-Riding STV?

I’m swamped with work at the moment and haven’t had a chance to do any real (non-work) writing, but yesterday’s BC election–and particularly the rejectiond of a single-transferable vote system of quasi-proportional representation–has me thinking. I must confess to not having followed the BC (or earlier BC and Ontario) PR debates closely with respect [...]

That’s Not the Final Answer

Jason Kenney:
Mr. Galloway received a preliminary notice of determination by the Canadian Border Services Agency that he might be inadmissible to Canada, I gather based in large part on his public admission that he provided funds to Hamas, a banned illegal terrorist organization, which would seem–on the face of it–to constitute grounds for inadmissibility under [...]