Mar 28 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — Buried deep in the 250-plus pages of the newest federal budget plan is something called “the right to repair.” It is intended to give Canadians another alternative when faced with broken appliances, electronics or machinery. Too often, the government says, people “are pushed to buy new products rather than repairing the ones they have.” This […]
Mar 25 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — Joe Biden presented Justin Trudeau with a gift on Friday: the best day the prime minister has had in Parliament since 2016, when another president — Barack Obama — showered praise on the Canada-U.S. relationship. It is unquestionably true that U.S. presidents have given Trudeau a shot in the arm throughout his years in power. […]
Mar 20 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — Justin Trudeau has now said it twice — there are Canadians, he admits, who won’t believe him, no matter what he says. Who are these Canadians? They are obviously not Liberal supporters, the prime minister says. “No matter what I say, people are going to wonder — if they didn’t vote for me — whether […]
Mar 19 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — Last weekend, the phone lines were buzzing between the governing Liberals and the New Democratic Party. The two parties were talking about how to grapple with the currently red-hot topic of foreign interference in Canadian elections. Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh spoke, leader to leader. Other senior advisers from both parties were discussing how to […]
Mar 15 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — Former governor general David Johnston probably didn’t know he was filling out a job application when he wrote the introduction to his 2018 book, “Trust.” But now that Johnston has been handed the task of nothing less than protecting the integrity of Canada’s democracy — that is exactly the job description for this “special rapporteur” […]
Mar 9 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — The fight between Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre was never going to be pretty, but this week both politicians fired off some words that could define not just their own fates, but the state of future Canadian political debate. Poilievre, the Conservative leader, has gone where few, if any, opposition leaders have gone before, accusing […]
Mar 7 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — Somewhere in Canada this very minute, an “eminent Canadian” may be letting all calls go to voice mail. A new job has opened up. Wanted: someone who can restore people’s faith in democracy against a surge of partisan cynicism rarely seen before in this country. Justin Trudeau has handed out hard tasks before, but whatever […]
Mar 2 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — The best argument so far for an independent inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada has come from the least independent voices in this escalating furor — politicians and members of Parliament. A hearing at a Commons committee on Wednesday vividly proved the point. National security discussions should come with a warning label — don’t […]
Feb 25 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — It may surprise some Canadians to learn that the future of this country’s health-care system hinges on — wait for it — journalism. OK, that’s not exactly how Justin Trudeau put it this week when he was fielding questions on how the new health-care spending with the provinces would work.
Feb 22 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — When Donald Trump moved into the White House six years ago, Justin Trudeau hit the road in Canada, holding town-hall meetings with rank-and-file Canadians in a bid to keep Trump-style populism at bay in this country. Trump’s out of power, but Trudeau’s back on the road this month, carrying warnings that the former president haunts […]
Feb 17 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — “Freedom” became a highly charged political word in Canada one year ago, shouted from trucks blockading border points, bouncing off the walls of buildings in an occupied capital city. In his official commission report on that so-called “Freedom Convoy” protest last February, Justice Paul Rouleau has done something politically significant — he has said what […]
Feb 14 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — One year ago, the federal government marked Valentine’s Day with a declaration of emergency. This year, Canada stands on guard against unidentified flying objects.
Feb 7 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — Canadians have become accustomed to long waiting times for medical treatment in this country. So perhaps it isn’t a surprise that when Canada’s first ministers showed up for a meeting in Ottawa to treat the ailments of the health-care system, the immediate result was: “Just wait.”
Feb 3 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — Two prominent, respectable people landed in the crosshairs of this often toxic Parliament on Wednesday, and they didn’t stand a chance, Susan Delacourt writes. Contempt of Parliament is a serious thing. Contempt by Parliament is what emerged this week as federal politicians decided that thorny controversies over Islamophobia and government contracting were best tackled by […]
Jan 31 2023 — Susan Delacourt — Toronto Star — Trouble for Justin Trudeau’s government has often landed in the early weeks of a new year — Donald Trump, an unfortunate trip to India, a fateful cabinet shuffle, ministerial resignations and of course, three years ago, a global pandemic. The first few weeks of 2023 finds the Trudeau government not in a crisis, but a […]