UPDATED: Swine flu spreads to Canada

By macleans.ca - Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 3:30 PM - 0 Comments

Health officials in Ontario are investigating several suspected cases of swine flu, which has killed nearly 150 people and sickened 1,900 more in Mexico since April 13. On Sunday, four young people in Nova Scotia were confirmed to have “relatively mild” cases of the virus. Officials in B.C. reported two cases. There have been 40 confirmed cases of swine flu in the U.S., where a public health emergency has been declared. On Saturday, the chief of the World Health Organization warned that the strain in Mexico—where all public events have been cancelled indefinitely—has “pandemic potential.”

CBC

Table manners

By Aaron Wherry - Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 12:18 AM - 9 Comments

Joanne Chianello reports on a speech this week in Ottawa by Mark Kingwell.

Ignatieff writes that “if our politics are good, we can keep our disagreements civil.” And indeed, the theme of civil dissent ran though Kingwell’s early-morning talk Thursday as well. ”Incivility,” he told the audience, “doesn’t just threaten the etiquette of interchange, it threatens democracy.”

But while Kingwell was taking comments following his speech, two Liberal parliamentarians began their own conversation at their table — clearly audible to all those around, the speaker, and certainly the woman asking the question. They seemed oblivious to the irony of their incivility.

And Then There Were Two Golden Girls

By Jaime Weinman - Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 7:06 PM - 0 Comments

Bea Arthur has died at the age of 86, and the question is not “how many people grew up with her?” but “how many people didn’t grow up with Bea Arthur?” Between playings of the Fiddler On the Roof original Broadway cast album (her part as Yenta the Matchmaker was originally supposed to be bigger, but she never got a song of her own; still, her speaking voice rings out memorably in her joke in the “Tradition” number), her duet with Angela Lansbury in Mame (which she reprised in the awful movie version with Lucille Ball) new episodes of The Golden Girls and reruns of Maude, there was hardly a time when I wasn’t hearing Arthur’s memorable voice. She was one of television’s great vocal icons, a speaking voice so distinctive that it’s impossible to quote one of her characters’ lines without falling into a Bea Arthur impression.

Duelling absurdities

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 1:11 PM - 54 Comments

Rob Silver considers the federal court’s decision.

The distinction, in my opinion, is far from trivial, and has potentially troubling consequences going forward. While lawyers may argue that the Khadr case has a unique fact scenario (the fact that Canadian agents were part of interviews where torture was believed to be used is an important factor in this decision), the precedent is now set and it is easy to envision fact scenarios such as the one I set out above expanding this precedent. Courts could be forced to decide whether they are the body that now sets Canadian foreign policy whenever the rights of Canadians are impacted – a swath of potential issues from intervening in wars to not signing international treaties to, well, just about any international issue in which the rights of a single Canadian are affected. 

Kate Heartfield tries to make sense of the government’s position.

If there’s any logic to the Conservative pull-my-string response of “Mr. Khadr faces serious crimes” (a big if) then the logic, given the court’s decision, is this: A person charged with a crime does not have human rights. If that’s not the logic, how is it relevant that Khadr “faces very serious charges”? What does that have to do with his rights and his treatment, which is the issue at hand?

Coyne v Wells, cruel and unusual version

By Andrew Coyne - Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 1:04 PM - 5 Comments

In which I attempt to play devil’s advocate on the question of whether to prosecute individuals accused of torture under the Bush administration, and get slapped around fairly effortlessly by friend Wells.

UPDATE: This Washington Post editorial, though rather better expressed, comes closest to my own position. This Montreal Gazette editorial is firmer against prosecution.

UPPERDATE: Some other noteable recent contributions to the debate:

Noah Richler is unimpressed

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 12:32 PM - 4 Comments

The son of one famed family, and keen student of Canada himself, reviews the work of another.

And yet, while schoolteacher William’s place in the “inheritance” helps explain a little of the book’s pandering tone, it does not excuse how this one is not enquiring, bold or controversial in the way that Ignatieff’s other books are. What could have been the set of penetrating reflections about Canada that Ignatieff’s literary followers have good reason to expect, or even the more thorough biography of his uncle George Grant, or his grandfather George, that might have ensued from the original project, has evolved instead into a slim and disappointing brochure intended to advertise the author’s apparently incontestable Canadian pedigree.

You stay classy, Dick Harris

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, April 25, 2009 at 12:21 PM - 3 Comments

Glen McGregor looks into the Conservative MP’s involvement in a dispute between the Canadian Revenue Agency and a constituent.

“One cud (sic) almost compare Revenue (Canada) to the Hizbolla.. terrorists both of them,” he wrote. “Hang in there, I am on your side and will keep fighting these bastards.”

Coyne vs. Wells: Markedly-less-frivolous-choice-of-topic edition

By Paul Wells - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 9:11 PM - 24 Comments

In which our protagonists discuss the U.S. torture enhanced interrogation technique torture memos, and what if anything is to be done about them.

The video’s over here. Watch and discuss, if you like.

Coyne v. Wells on what do about torture

By macleans.ca - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 7:33 PM - 0 Comments

HQ Version & Comments

Coyne v. Wells on what to do about torture

By macleans.ca - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 6:49 PM - 63 Comments

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Waiting on Iggy

By Andrew Potter - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 6:26 PM - 2 Comments

Michael Ignatieff was supposed to drop by the OC today for a visit with the ed board. With great excitement we gathered in the boardroom, fresh coffee a-brewing, fresh copies of True Patriot Love at the ready. But the fourth-generation patriot failed to show — apparently he got in late from Washington and had more pressing items on his itinerary.

I have to say that my desire to add much to the inkage written about his new book is about as strong as his desire to come to the office for a visit. Coyne’s review seems pretty much right on. It’s not much of a book: The first chapter is cloying, the second is boring, the third is kinda cool, the fourth is disappointing, the fifth is a very poor excuse for a leadership manifesto. I’ve been warming to the man in recent months; this book signals a probable cooling trend.

I did like this passage, in a ot-bummed-me-out sort of way, where he chronicles a cross-country trip he and his wife took a few summers ago, following the footsteps of George Munro Grant:

In the days that followed, we crossed the Great Divide, drove through the Yellowhead Pass and began making our way through the narrow river  gorges where Grant had seen the sweat lodges of the river people. In the Fraser Canyon, we stopped for a cappuccino at a trading post where they sold bentwood boxes made by Aboriginal inmates at the local provincial prison.

****

UPDATE: It occurs to me that end-of-week lassitude is no excuse. I’ll get a proper review of Ignatieff’s book up over the weekend.

What to do about Omar Khadr

By John Intini - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 5:57 PM - 5 Comments

The Conservative government can’t seem to decide what do about Omar Khadr, the 22-year-old Guantanamo Bay detainee. First, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said there would be an appeal of a Federal Court ruling that
said the government must ask the United States to send Khadr home. That was quickly followed by Cannon’s spokeswoman saying that a decision had not been made. Moments later, it was announced that there would be an appeal after all. By late Friday afternoon a government spokesperson announced what had already become clear to most observers: the government hasn’t yet made up its mind.

CTV

Weekend Viewing: DR. FINLAY'S CASEBOOK

By Jaime Weinman - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 5:24 PM - 0 Comments

A.J. Cronin was a tremendously successful Scottish novelist, specializing in a warm and friendly mix of drama, comedy, and moral uplift. With that formula, it’s not surprising that many of his books were made into Hollywood movies, including The Citadel, The Keys of the Kingdom and The Green Years. One book that wasn’t made into a movie was his early novella Country Doctor, about a medical practice in a Scottish town and the byplay between Dr. Cameron, the old doctor, and his young associate Dr. Finlay. In 1962, Cronin himself developed the novel into a BBC television series, sort of a Scottish Dr. Kildare. The show was a big hit, running for nine years; you may remember that there was a reference to it on an early Monty Python episode; when an alien force was turning Englishmen into Scotsmen, the detective thought one such case might be explained by the fact that “he always did watch Dr. Finlay on television.” It was later revived for BBC radio, and was turned into another television series, this time for ITV, in the early ’90s.

This is the first episode of season 2, “A Time For Laughing,” and probably the oldest surviving episode (remember, this is the BBC we’re talking about; it’s amazing that any episodes survive) about the delivery of a baby that may or may not have been fathered by the woman’s husband. Embedding is not enabled with these clips, but here are links to each part of the episode:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six (conclusion)

The answer is no.

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 4:33 PM - 38 Comments

A question e-mailed to the Prime Minister’s Office this week: “In light of recent reports and revelations, does the government of Canada believe that American authorities did, in the years following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, engage in the torture and mistreatment of detainees and prisoners?”

The answer received just now by phone from the Prime Minister’s press secretary: “No.”

A hasty conversation followed, my microcassette recorder cutting out for a few seconds in the middle. A rough transcript of that chat after the jump. Continue…

Dewar on Khadr

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 4:07 PM - 5 Comments

Paul Dewar’s scrum after QP today. Continue…

Rae on Khadr

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 4:00 PM - 3 Comments

Bob Rae’s scrum after QP today. Continue…

Hey, look

By Paul Wells - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 3:22 PM - 0 Comments

New Wells column. An attempt — the word is accurate, I think — to take stock of the Obama presidency, and the Harper-Obama relationship, as the 100-day mark approaches.

Shocking news: Canada does something important well

By Paul Wells - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 3:14 PM - 52 Comments

From a McKinsey & Company study designed mostly to demonstrate that the U.S. school system is letting the American people, and the American economy, down, let us snatch a few charts that allow us to compare Canada’s education performance against the world’s.

McKinsey’s source is the OECD’s Pisa study, a large international survey of 15-year-olds’ performance on standard math, science and reading tests. Pisa’s handy: you get large samples, lots of buy-in, a time series that results from administering the tests repeatedly, and other good stuff. And here’s what it shows about how Canadian 15-year-olds do compared to their peers in dozens of other countries.

1. Canadian students perform near the top of the world.

Continue…

Kangaroo court

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 2:58 PM - 4 Comments

Canadian Press attempts to decipher the government’s position on Omar Khadr.

Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon told the House of Commons on Friday that their would be an appeal. He said Khadr, 22, is facing serious charges and that the American justice process must play out.

But his spokeswoman quickly contradicted that, saying no decision had been made. Within minutes, she backtracked, saying the minister’s comments stood.

A short time later things changed again, with spokeswoman Catherine Loubier saying the government is still considering what to do.

Surfer clothes and biker culture clash in Hollister

By macleans.ca - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 2:22 PM - 0 Comments

One of the most popular clothing lines among teens nowadays is Hollister Co, a surfing-inspired brand owned by the apparel giant Abercrombie & Fitch. There’s also a famous town in California called Hollister (the birthplace of American biker culture). And, surprise, they’re now fighting over the name. Some merchants in Hollister are selling locally made clothes with the Hollister name on them. Abercrombie has vowed to send its lawyers after what it considers to be trademark violators. Suddenly, even local teens are wondering if they¹re running afoul of the law wearing clothes featuring their school’s nickname, the Hollister Haybalers.

L.A. Times

McCain repeats falsehood about Canada

By macleans.ca - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 1:51 PM - 19 Comments

Ignorance is non-partisan. Just days after Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano was forced to retract claims that some of the 9/11 hijackers entered the US from Canada, Sen. John McCain has repeated the same falsehood. Canada’s embassy in Washington issued yet another correction of the oft-told tale, but the message doesn’t seem to be getting through.

FOX News

By the time we get to Copenhagen…

By macleans.ca - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 1:31 PM - 1 Comment

Yesterday was a red letter day for Canadian carbon emissions: Alberta officials and representatives of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers appeared at hearings in California to defend oil sands crude from a landmark low-carbon fuel standard that state may adopt. And Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice assured the Calgary Herald that the Harper Tories will introduce a carbon pricing plan for Canada before we get to Copenhagen for an international climate change conference at the end of the year.

Calgary Herald

What Obama’s hesitation means for Harper

By Paul Wells - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 1:30 PM - 36 Comments

One hundred days into his presidency—a landmark that will pass while this issue of Maclean’s is on newsstands—it’s easier to measure what Barack Obama won’t do, or what he hesitates to do, than to list all he has done. He’s been busy. But his hesitations may wind up mattering more than his bold actions.

Obama’s is already a consequential presidency. By moving to close the Guantánamo Bay prison and abandoning torture he’s shown he’s no George W. Bush. By embracing Europe, tolerating Hugo Chávez and trying to thaw relations with Cuba and Iran, he has shown the world a more conciliatory face. And by hammering open the spending taps, responding to a crisis of easy private money by inaugurating an era of easy public money, he has launched a thousand megaprojects.

Continue…

Ballet B.C.’s pas de performance

By macleans.ca - Friday, April 24, 2009 at 1:29 PM - 0 Comments

Ballet B.C.’s continuing financial woes have placed it in a paradoxical position: it has to create new works to draw audiences but if it doesn’t perform until 2010 its financial support could be in jeopardy, reports Straight.com. The ballet is struggling to pull together its 2009–10 season amid poor ticket sales and disappointing fundraising results. It was particularly hard hit by the National Ballet’s recent cancellation of its national tour of The Sleeping Beauty between Sept. 17 and Oct. 3 given that it had planned on building the first half of the season on touring companies. The company will be conducting round-table discussions with subscribers, sponsors, and members of the arts community over the next few months, says interim executive director Andrew Wilhelm-Boyles: “There’s certainly a perception—and perception in this case is reality—that Ballet B.C. has, over the years, not always done the best job of remaining in close touch with its audiences and with the other parts of the dance community and with the arts community in general.”
 
Straight.com