Brian Mulroney (1939-2024) was the Prime Minister of my earliest political memories. Through the hazy lens of childhood recollection, I remember the acrimonious election of 1988 as I struggled to understand what on earth “free trade” might be and what it might mean, if only for the price of cheese. I can still feel the…
Born and raised in Baie Commeau, Québec, a mill town five hours northeast of Quebec City, former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney seemed to embody the diversity of Canada in his own person. His parents were Irish Canadians but he grew up speaking both French and English. In his youth he was inspired to work within…
“It all depends,” we say when we take context into consideration as we assess a situation. Reality rarely offers black-and-white certainty. While we learn to live with ambiguity in our daily lives, there is a growing demand for black-and-white answers on public ethical issues. There is tension between these two approaches to living a good…
Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17)“For all things are your servants.” (Psalm 119: 91b) Jesus’ response when he was being tested by the Pharisees about his ultimate allegiance is enigmatic to say the least. However, it is hard not to infer…
This October, Edmonton City Council passed a renewed Zoning Bylaw that would – amongst other things – permit the construction of three-story apartment buildings, townhouses/rowhouses and duplexes in any residential zone in the city. In so doing it ended decades of restrictive zoning that made it very difficult to build anything other than detached single-family…
In church we talk about global and local missions. In justice circles a common slogan is “think global; act local.” In Canada these days the global is local in new ways that may prompt Christians to rethink our roles as Christians, as Canadians and as global citizens. Climate change and the pandemic bring the global…
I am grateful that divisive Canadian topics appear in these pages. Just to name a few flashpoints: Jordan Peterson (2016), Medical Assistance in Dying (2018), and the Ottawa truck convoy (2021). In my own discussions with fellow Canadians, the question I often hear is, “What’s happening to Canadian society?” Bruce Clemenger addresses this question in…
I am old enough to remember two general Middle Eastern wars, the second of which started right after I had begun my undergraduate studies in Minnesota. With Israel’s victory in these wars, the Jewish state had acquired an aura of invincibility, despite the enmity of its numerous and much larger Arab neighbours. On October 7,…
The 2023 Summer of Storms has reduced the number of climate change deniers in Canada. But support for the necessary changes to address the problem still often stops when the bill arrives. Why is it so difficult to move from words to action in Canada? Might faith communities have a unique role to play? Public…
When I moved from Edmonton to Ottawa in 1993 I made a promise that, whatever else I would do in Ottawa, I would try to help “Easterners” better understand the real Alberta – the one beyond the stereotypes of cowboys, large pick-ups and anti-Ottawa slogans. I promoted the can-do, community spirit of Edmonton, the rich…
Federal-provincial relations are testy even in the best of times, but these are not the best of times. Pandemic, war, inflation and global supply-chain disruptions have affected us all, and it is scarcely surprising that they would also affect Canada’s federal system, as a new threat to national unity has recently demonstrated. In early 1830s…
Federal Budget 2022 turned out to be a sober document, contrary to media hype about New Democrats hijacking the agenda, fears of reckless spending and Corporate Canada’s push to return to 1990s-era budgeting. Instead, this budget charts a middle-of-the-road approach, bending over backwards, it seems, to dispel fears that the Liberals have become socialists. It…
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