Thoughts on BC Politics and More

‘Sir John A. Macdonald, the greatest PM of all’ was the title of a January 9, 2015, Toronto Star opinion piece commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Canada’s first prime minister. The editorial’s author was the late Richard Gwyn, the Toronto Star’s leading political columnist for years. Given the present-day vilification of Macdonald, it is well worth considering Gwyn’s celebration of Canada’s founder because it comes from a left-of-centre journalist who wrote a highly acclaimed, best-selling two-volume biography of Canada’s founder ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Four years ago  the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc [Kamloops] Indian Band of British Columbia issued a press statement of seismic implications, literally and figuratively. The Band claimed that a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey of the area surrounding the city’s former Indian Residential School had located the “remains of 215 children who were students” of the school. Despite making explosive assertions about “missing children” and “undocumented deaths,” the Band was still careful to add that, “At this time, we have more questions than answers.” Such a note of caution didn’t stop the media, politicians and nearly everyone else from acting as if they had more answers than questions ... ... Almost instantly there were angry vigils, public displays of grief and shame, solidarity speeches and promises to revolutionize society as we know it. Flags on government buildings were lowered to half-mast for almost six months beginning on Canada Day, turning what was once a day of national celebr...