May 20 2022 — Jen Gerson — The Line — The first time I had a proper conversation with Jason Kenney was about six years ago. The NDP were in power in Alberta; the federal Conservatives had cast about for a successor to Stephen Harper and, it was decided by silent consensus, said successor would not be Jason Kenney. So the former federal cabinet minister […]
Apr 13 2022 — Jen Gerson — The Line — Hello fellow home-owning millennials, and the Gen-Z plebians desperate to join us. I understand house lust. I do. You want an okay spot in the city free of the oppression of the landlord. Or, if you’re at that certain time of life, maybe you want a detached house in a decent neighbourhood. Nothing too fancy, […]
Mar 11 2022 — Jen Gerson — The Line — If you happen to be seeking a slice of optimistic post-Cold War nostalgia, may I recommend the following clip from the CBC’s archives. Dated 1990, and featuring a young-ish Peter Mansbridge, it features the opening of the first McDonald’s in Moscow, a cultural milestone, and the beginning of the end of the Soviet era and […]
Mar 2 2022 — Jen Gerson — The Line — Perhaps it’s simply the inevitable consequence of protracted news overload, but the war in Ukraine feels surreal. Pulling up the news, following Twitter, none of it feels like reality, but rather like we’re all collectively remembering an event that was always destined to happen. Perhaps I’m the only one suffering from this dissociative state? Or […]
Feb 15 2022 — Jen Gerson — The Line — It’s difficult to describe how remote a place Coutts, Alberta really is. To those of us who live in the province, the vast expanse of dun-coloured land and grass, the pump jacks and cattle and dust, the subtle shift of blue and gray sky, the rolling foothills and distant mountains all become so normal after […]
Feb 8 2022 — Jen Gerson — The Line — Everyone is a hypocrite. Perhaps this is just a feature of human nature, and I should learn to be more compassionate toward hypocrisy — including my own. No one is consistent all the time, and we all go a little cross-eyed when we’re angry. But, Jesus. In the last few weeks, I’ve watched lefties who […]
Feb 3 2022 — Jen Gerson — Maclean's — Well, it looks like the Conservative caucus has decided to do the stupid thing. Shortly after the election, I wrote here at Maclean’s that dumping leader Erin O’Toole would be short-sighted—regardless of how angry anyone was over the disappointing results or their leader’s performance. Very few nail it on their first time out, and there […]
Nov 19 2021 — Jen Gerson — The Line — Poring over news reports of the damage caused by catastrophic flooding in British Columbia this week, one in particular stood out: a wash out of the TransCanada highway just outside Lytton. The town of 250, you may recall, became internationally infamous over the summer; first for breaking global heat records, and then for burning to […]
Oct 22 2021 — Jen Gerson — The Line — “We have a right to be mad, we have a right to be outraged,” said Alberta energy minister Sonya Savage on Thursday after releasing the long-awaited Allan inquiry into the foreign-funding of the anti-oilsands campaigns. Well, we in Alberta have the right to a lot of things. We have a right to dance as if […]
Oct 19 2021 — Jen Gerson — The Line — No doubt a few “Have-Not” provinces will be eyeing the informal results of Alberta’s equalization referendum darkly. The final tally is not expected until next week. It does appear as if the “yes” side will carry the day, although not by as wide a margin as one might have expected given just how unpopular the […]
Sep 22 2021 — Jen Gerson — Maclean's — It’s come to my understanding that there is some considerable consternation about the future of Erin O’Toole, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, on the grounds that he underperformed in this week’s election. I cannot help but wonder whether those now implacably resolved to booting the man for being inadequately conservative might, perhaps, consider […]
Sep 17 2021 — Jen Gerson — The Line — Throughout this election campaign, I have written weekly round ups on Fridays at The Line. I’m not on the campaign trail, mind, and what I’ve tried to offer here are not daily gaffes or horserace analysis, but rather a sense of the overall themes of the election. This Friday’s blast will be the final summation […]
Sep 16 2021 — Jen Gerson — Substack — We all hoped it would work. I did, certainly. Only a sadist would want Alberta’s Open for Summer plan to fail. In this I will offer some defence of premier Jason Kenney and, by extension, myself — it wasn’t crazy to announce the lifting COVID-19 restrictions back in May, back when all of the comparative […]
Aug 27 2021 — Jen Gerson — The Line — What would have happened in the election of 2021 if Afghanistan hadn’t fallen? If the writ had been drawn up just a few weeks before, or a few weeks after August 15, the day Kabul fell to the Taliban? This is the sort of question political science nerds will debate over weak beer for decades […]
May 20 2021 — Jen Gerson — The Line — This week, Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole chatted with Line columnist Jen Gerson to discuss a range of issues, from C-10, to climate change and COVID-19. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. On revisiting the Netflix tax, anti-trust legislation, COVID-19 rapid testing, and the carbon price that isn’t a tax.