Issues, ethics, memory
Medicare was born amid controversy in Saskatchewan in 1962, when most of the province's doctors went on strike rather than cooperate with a new government plan. Now, I have discovered that the RCMP believed it was all a communist plot and so they spied upon Medicare's proponents. Talking about being on the wrong side of history.
I sat beside my six-year-old grandson as he endured online classes in grade one during the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2021. It was not a pleasant experience for him. Nor was it a picnic for me, hovering just off screen. But I was pleased to accompany him.
This is a list of my favourite books from 2021, broken down by month.
Ottawa's Rob Samulack attended the COP 26 UN Climate conference held in Glasgow in late 2021 as an official observer with the Christian Climate Observers Program. The experience changed him.
In 2021, the New Democratic Party celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of its founding. This is my retrospective view of Canada's social democratic party.
Canadian expatriate David Frum defends John A Macdonald against his detractors. I analyze Frum's case.
Former Truth and Reconciliation commissioners addressed a webinar attended by 1,000 settler allies on Bill C-15 and residential schools. I was a participant.
It is difficult to be in leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some politicians, including B.C.’s John Horgan, have high approval ratings. Others, notably, Alberta premier Jason Kenney and Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe have failed dismally in their tasks, and Kenney especially is paying for it in sinking popularity. Which brings us to Ontario’s premier Doug Ford.... Continue Reading →
At this time of year people who I know often share their reading list for the 12 months just past. I always find that interesting and have decided to mention some of the books that I read in 2020. I would appreciate your comments on any of them, or on your favourites. Here goes: January... Continue Reading →
St Peter's Basilica, Rome Christmas in our culture has both a religious and a secular appeal, and many of us have stories about Christmases past. Here is one. Gap Year When I was 20 years old, a friend Gary and I took a year out from university and travelled in Europe. A lot of students... Continue Reading →
Pulpit and Politics 