Nov 29 2022 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — The Ford government is messing with the Greenbelt and Ontarians should be furious. I say this as someone who was part of the McGuinty government that brought the Greenbelt to life in 2005 — one of the most important accomplishments of my time in office. The idea was simple — take two million acres of […]
Aug 30 2022 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — As the world burns, the federal Green Party leadership race officially opens this week. According to one media report, party members have made many suggestions about how to showcase candidates. Beyond the usual debates, some want those vying for the top job to participate in an open mic night or engage in on-line game competitions. […]
Aug 24 2022 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — Something that became apparent during Pope Francis’ recent visit to Canada is that when it comes to difficult issues, we sometimes talk past each other. Take the criticism of the Pope for not rescinding the “Doctrine of Discovery”. This subject dominated media coverage throughout the visit. Critics explained that several hundred years ago the Catholic […]
Jun 27 2022 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — I can finally admit it: during my 20 years as a political staffer and elected politician I was involved in many political coverups. Don’t get too excited, they weren’t the type of coverups that you see in movies or read about in political thrillers — no Canadian versions of Watergate, Irangate or any other gate. […]
Jun 16 2022 — John Milloy — National Newswatch — Hey Ontario, you just set a record! The June 2 provincial election saw the lowest voter turnout in the history of the province. A whopping 57% of you chose not to cast a ballot. No, you shouldn’t be proud of this achievement. In fact, many people are really upset about it — so upset that there […]
Jun 6 2022 — John Milloy — Toronto Star — Should the Ontario Liberals and the NDP merge? As both parties lick their wounds after a devastating election defeat, having them join forces seems like a logical next step. A united left could have theoretically beaten Doug Ford. Progressive values would have reigned in Ontario and all would be well. It sure is tempting for […]
Jun 4 2022 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — Although the size of Doug Ford’s election victory was surprising, the fact that he won was hardly shocking. Voters often reward first-term governments with another mandate. Now for the tricky part — the second term. Second-term governments are strange animals. On the one hand, those in power better understand the intricacies of governing. At the […]
Jun 2 2022 — John Milloy — National Newswatch — As a member of the lefty chattering class, I am not sure what concerns me more — the rise of Pierre Poilievre or the inability of his progressive critics to develop a positive counter-narrative to his message. The main criticism of Poilievre from those on the left seems to be that he is an angry […]
May 20 2022 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — Why do we have leaders’ debates? I suspect those Ontarians who bothered to watch the most-recent election debate are probably asking themselves that very question — I know that I am. It’s not that there was anything particularly wrong with the evening and kudos to both the moderators and party leaders for all trying their […]
May 18 2022 — John Milloy — National Newswatch — Don’t blame me. With all that is going on in the world, it wasn’t I who decided that the House of Commons should spend a full day last week discussing whether to continue opening their daily session with a prayer. Nevertheless, for those interested in the intersection between faith and politics, the debate on the […]
May 7 2022 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — Could we all take a deep breath? A leaked draft decision from the U.S. Supreme Court about abortion has created a bizarre political firestorm here in Canada. The most dangerous place to be these days is between a live microphone and a Canadian politician wanting to tell us how they will fight until their dying […]
Apr 5 2022 — John Milloy — The Record — Premier Doug Ford doesn’t want you to see his ministerial mandate letters. In fact, he is so determined that you never see them that he is taking his case to the Supreme Court of Canada — all on the taxpayer’s dime. With so many other things to worry about — high gas prices, rising COVID-19 […]
Mar 1 2022 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — The end of the “freedom convoy” in Ottawa has already led to much soul searching — how could it have happened? One of the topics certain to be discussed is the role that the Christian faith played in the protest. There were a lot of Christians up in Ottawa — you could see it in […]
Feb 9 2022 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — How should we react to calls for both sides of the COVID-19 debate to try to find common ground? Many federal Conservatives as well as a collection of commentators are urging dialogue on vaccine mandates and public health restrictions. The new Conservative leader, Candice Bergen, has talked of the need to extend “an olive branch.” […]
Sep 10 2021 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — It has become almost accepted wisdom in Canada that religion and politics should never mix. That doesn’t mean that politicians don’t like to talk about religion. On the contrary, many seem to enjoy talking about it as long as they can cast it in the most-damning light possible. The current federal campaign is no exception. […]