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 […]
Jul 14 2023 — Hamilton Spectator — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s controversial photo posing with a man wearing a “straight pride” shirt drew ire from Canadian singer Jann Arden on Thursday. Smith was photographed with the man at a Calgary Stampede event last weekend as did federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre. In the photos, the man is wearing a green T-shirt with […]
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 […]
Jun 15 2023 — Hamilton Spectator — As Canadians watch the brouhaha surrounding David Johnston’s report and subsequent resignation, many may be asking themselves how we went from discussing foreign election interference to asking how many times David Johnston drove a young Justin Trudeau and his brothers home after skiing. Here is how I think we got here, and it involves letting […]
May 12 2023 — Stephanie Levitz — Hamilton Spectator — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pledged Thursday he’d undo the coming changes to the design of the Canadian passport, saying the Liberals have replaced iconic images of the country with what amounts to a colouring book. Passports are updated roughly every 10 years and the latest version was unveiled this week by the Liberal government, who […]
Mar 7 2023 — Sylvain Charlebois — Hamilton Spectator — Everything is more expensive these days at the grocery store. We’ve also seen increases at the liquor store, or wherever you purchase your favourite alcoholic beverages. Well, these products are about to get more expensive yet again. In 2017, the federal government had the brilliant idea of indexing taxes on alcoholic beverages to align with […]
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 25 2023 — Christopher Holcroft — Hamilton Spectator — I cherish medicare. As a teenager, I suffered a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction while on vacation in another province. My parents rushed me to the nearest hospital emergency room where I was rapidly treated and kept overnight for observation before resuming my holiday. Three years ago, my mother underwent complex cancer surgery that required significant rehabilitation. […]
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, […]
Dec 5 2022 — Dan Malleck — Hamilton Spectator — By now, you may have heard about the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction’s (CSSA) recent report that recommends, in order to avoid a litany of harms, Canadians should limit their consumption of alcohol to two drinks or less per week. The report, which significantly reduces internationally recognized recommendations of a maximum of two […]
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 […]
Aug 17 2022 — Hamilton Spectator — Conservative party leadership hopeful Jean Charest’s first time he visited Hamilton was when he had a job working on a ship travelling through the Welland Canal. He was 19 years old, making good money and he decided to call his now-wife Michele Dionne and ask her to marry him. She agreed and they were married […]