Category: Values

A thumb on the scales

I'm told that the old expression about putting one's thumb on the scales originated with dishonest merchants who tried to add a little weight to their sales by doing just that. It has become a synonym for corrupt practices, especially for corrupt political practices ... ... so I am not surprised when I saw this, … Continue reading A thumb on the scales →

More on the Senate

I am returning to the subject of the Senate, after only a few days, because of a column that John Ibitson wrote for the Globe and Mail about two weeks ago. He said, and I agree, that, "For most of Canada’s history, the Senate has been an embarrassment, viewed by the public as an unelected … Continue reading More on the Senate →

More polls, but …

Éric Grenier, who does poll aggregations and analysis for CBC News, wrote, a few days ago, on the CBC News website, that "When this election year kicked off, Justin Trudeau's Liberals were on track for victory in the fall federal election. Now, as parliamentarians prepare to head home after this week's expected adjournment of the House … Continue reading More polls, but … →

He was right, so is she

Almost a week ago I said that I agreed with former ambassador to China David Mulroney's view that making Jean Chrétien a sort of "ordinary" ambassador (one with a limited, special mission ~ our permanent ambassadors are, officially, according to the Congress of Vienna (1815) ambassadeurs extraordinaire et plénipotentiaire) would be a mistake because, as … Continue reading He was right, so is she →

Monumentally stupid

Originally, when I first saw this story, a week or so ago, I wasn't going to comment ... I didn't want to rub salt in the wounds which I know some personal friends still feel. But then the media picked it up: both Murray Brewster, writing for CBC News, and Vassy Kapelos on CBC's Power … Continue reading Monumentally stupid →