Aug 17 2023 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — Does the Ford government have a hidden agenda? As a former politician I usually hate this question. Although governments may have secrets, in my experience they rarely involve implementing secret policies — trying simply to keep the ship of state afloat is challenging enough. I must admit, however, that the recent auditor general’s report on […]
Aug 4 2023 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — A former Conservative cabinet minister shared an observation with me about cabinet shuffles. Having once experienced a humiliating demotion, he noted that the phone always rang when you were on the way up but was silent on the way down — the time you most needed support. I thought of his words during last week’s […]
Jun 29 2023 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — There’s a joke about a snooty university professor objecting to the way a particular problem was solved: “It might work in practice,” he snorts, “but does it work in theory?” That is my reaction to the House of Commons’ recent decision to give MPs the option to continue participating in parliamentary business via Zoom, even […]
Jan 31 2023 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — I admit it. I joined dozens of other Ontario Liberals and signed an open letter to Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner asking him to join our party’s upcoming leadership race. No, I haven’t had a horrible lapse of judgment or suddenly become disloyal to the party that I represented for 11 years. On the contrary, […]
Jan 18 2023 — John Milloy — Hamilton Spectator — With the passing of former Ontario Lt.-Gov. David Onley, Ontario has lost a visionary, a champion for people with disabilities, and a remarkable individual. As a former Ontario cabinet minister, I had the pleasure of interacting with Onley during his time in office. Although ministers tended not to spend much time with the Queen’s representative, […]
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 […]