My parents met during “the dirty thirties,” depression years, when life was tough. They were both teachers in small schools on the prairies. My father was older than my mother, and after a brief courtship they married. There is nothing …
Canada Needs a Diefenbaker
In recent years, we have seen the children of former strong Canadian leaders enter politics. They don’t have to start at the bottom because of the reputations their fathers forged through the hot steel of heady Canadian issues, such as …
The Arkhipov Calm
Where would we be without Vasili Arkhipov? In fact, would we be here at all? Who is Vasili Arkhipov you may ask? Before I get to that, let me talk for a minute about the nuclear world we now live …
We Want Simple Answers
We want simple answers. But, sometimes, there aren’t any. Take Manitoba’s child welfare system, for example. We want to find a solution to a problem that has plagued us for generations. What to do about the huge numbers of Indigenous …
The Tale of Four Women
The recent election win of Donald Trump is now changing the political world in Canada. To his critics, he is the worst of everything a human being can be. His detractors call him names that have been considered extreme, even …
The Tina Fontaine Trial – Your Answer is as good as mine
I listened to an Indigenous spokesperson interviewed on CBC Radio the day after the jury returned with acquittal in the Tina Fontaine murder trial. The spokesperson gave his opinion that this case is a symbol of the way our society …
Get Out of Jail Free Card?
Recently, a jury’s acquittal of a white man for the killing of an Indigenous man is highlighting some of the deepest divisions in this country. One of those divisions is between people living on reserves, and the farmers and townspeople …