National Columnist with @TorontoStar. 4X author, political journalist since forever, dachshund lover even longer.
Ottawa, ON, Canada
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My heart is broken today. Lost the best little dog a person could have. RIP my Rosie, 2006-Christmas Night, 2018.
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OK. Iāll say it: Whatās so wrong about laughing at @realDonaldTrump? Hereās another view of *that* chat, from me, via @TorontoStar: thestar.com/politics/politicā¦ #cdnpoli
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Ahem, Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer. That was a very good question on Canada and Trump's threats to this country, and with all respect, you blew the answer and threw us under the bus. Not feeling all that Commonwealthy right now. #cdnpoli
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I got nasty backlash from Conservatives for writing a year ago about Poilievre and his potential use of the notwithstanding clause. Going to put this right back up here today: thestar.com/politics/pierre-ā¦ #cdnpoli
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"Premier of Canada"? A friend sent this to me today, saying the @nytimes should know better. Agreed.
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To be clear, @realDonaldTrump is backing down on tariffs, in a big way. Just because he cloaks it in bully language doesn't make it any less of a climbdown. Keep going, Canada.
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The guys who put the #notwithstanding clause in the Charter -- Chretien, Romanow and McMurtry -- are not at all happy about how @fordnation is using it. The @TorontoStar just got their statement. Read those last two lines! #cdnpoli #onpoli
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"They fought WWII with us and we appreciate it," @realDonaldTrump says of Canada. Ahem. Wee reminder: Canada was in that war two years before the U.S. entered it. #cdnpoli #cmon
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Then again, it takes real courage to leave a meeting early and yell at the hosts afterward via Twitter. #cdnpoli
PM Justin Trudeau of Canada acted so meek and mild during our @G7 meetings only to give a news conference after I left saying that, āUS Tariffs were kind of insultingā and he āwill not be pushed around.ā Very dishonest & weak. Our Tariffs are in response to his of 270% on dairy!
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I'm old enough to remember a time when a newly elected PM would give a news conference to Canadian journalists before doing interviews with foreign journalists.
Newly-elected Canadian PM Mark Carney tells BBC any talks with Donald Trump would be "on our terms", and says his country "deserves respect" bbc.in/4jS6NrR
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How's this for a #carbontax ad? #cdnpoli
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6. The idea that I or anyone else was chosen because of gender or "empathy" or some other attribute I didn't work for or earn is lazy and ridiculous analysis. Enough already with this sideshow. Thanks for listening. (end of thread.)
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Time to say it. @PierrePoilievre has a likeability problem. thestar.com/politics/politicā¦ New from me in @TorontoStar. #cdnpoli
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Democracy is an essential service, but sorry, Question Period is not. My @TorontoStar column on the annoying endurance of partisan theatrics: thestar.com/politics/politicā¦ #cdnpoli #COVID19
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Pretty comprehensive statement from Galen Weston here on how @LoblawsON and @ShopprsDrugMart will work during #COVID19. (needs three screen caps.) #cdnpoli
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And the winner of the Charles Lynch award for distinguished, long-time service is ā¦@ChantalHbertā©, I am so delighted to report here from the Press Gallery dinner. Yay Chantal. #cdnpoli
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Some work news from me: I am returning full-time to the @TorontoStar as Ottawa columnist and bureau chief as of Sept. 4. And I'm happy about it! #cdnpoli
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Why aren't Canadians in a hurry for @MarkJCarney to make a new deal with Trump? They don't believe @realDonaldTrump will abide by it, new @Pollara poll finds: thestar.com/politics/politicā¦ #cdnpoli
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When I started work in journalism, this would be a firing offence. #cdnpoli
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A moment. Let's all take a breath and acknowledge how hard this was for a good man.
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As an aside, all those speaking up for the empowerment of @Puglaas and @janephilpott. They weren't fired. They resigned. The victim-of-bad-men thing is a bit patronizing all around, IMO. #cdnpoli
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Conspiracy meets comedy. I laughed. "We'll get to the World Economic Forum in a moment," @MarkJCarney says, holding an imaginary plug to his ear. "Just waiting, listening for the orders."
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Strikes me that @fordnation has pretty-much perfect pitch in his daily briefings on #COVID19. Talks in a way that people can understand and is authentic. #cdnpoli
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Guy who helped get @RalphGoodale defeated now realizes he got @RalphGoodale defeated. Problematic indeed. #cdnpoli #elxn43
WATCH: Dereck Robinson is part of the group behind the "Vote out Ralph Goodale" Billboards in Regina. He says a lack of Saskatchewan representation in the federal cabinet could be problematic.
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I don't know what's more disturbing: that @stephenharper says this, or that he believes it. Some outright lies (no way to sugarcoat it) in this glimpse into his grudge-laden soul. #cdnpoli
What bollocks. As the former prime minister must know, the time bell had rung on his government by 2015. Media bias is a convenient scapegoat but makes him sound like a sore loser.
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So what's with the Conservatives now referring to @JustinTrudeau as "Liberal leader" instead of Prime Minister, in Question Period? Aren't MPs supposed to be addressed by parliamentary title? #cdnpoli
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Very brave of a Supreme Court justice to put out this statement. Wishing him well. #cdnpoli
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Big gain for @CNN, big loss for @TorontoStar, but overall, a major gain for journalism and democratic accountability in the U.S... Congrats to @ddale8 on this huge career move! #cdnpoli
Iām going to work for CNN! Iāll be on the truth beat full-time starting June 17, dissecting dishonesty from Trump, Democratic candidates and others.
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Just fyi, @JustinTrudeau was kicked to a much smaller office when Libs went to third-party status in 2011. I do not recall him complaining about it. #cdnpoli
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Why are @realDonaldTrump's executive orders turning up as policy for @PierrePoilievre? New from me in @TorontoStar: thestar.com/politics/politicā¦ #cdnpoli
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Watching these post-debate scrums, apart from anything else, not helping @PierrePoilievre distance himself from Trump and all that nonsense/toxicity. Maybe they've just given up.
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Just when I'm convinced I should give up Twitter for the sake of my sanity, along comes a Tweet like this. :) :) :)
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PM @JustinTrudeau asks media to not mention the name of the NS shooter or use his photo. #cdnpoli #COVID19
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News (to me:) Conservative MP @MichelleRempel has been living in Oklahoma throughout the #COVID19 crisis. Any other MPs living/working abroad, I wonder? thestar.com/politics/federalā¦ #cdnpoli
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Twice today I've received calls from "federal service department" telling me I'm facing arrest for something or other. Imagine what these scam calls are doing to vulnerable, scared people living in isolation during #COVID19. Not much makes me blindly furious, but this does.
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Blowing snow in Ottawa on April 21, in week six of pandemic isolation. I would urge the year 2020 to get its act together, ASAP, to avoid worst-year-ever title.
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Okay. Here we go. I have noticed that the critics of identity politics have reduced the issue of debate moderation to identity politics. So here, humbly offered, is what in my identity likely led my employer to ask me to moderate on our behalf as one of the host partners. (1.)
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Speaking truth to power isn't a silly game of hide and seek and guess the secret. Speak up, @Puglaas and @janephilpott. New from me via @TorontoStar: thestar.com/politics/politicā¦ #cdnpoli #SNCLavalin
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We've gone from interviewing women's dads to interviewing their husbands about #cdnpoli developments. Because it's 2019, I guess? #ugh
"Everything that Celina detailed, related to that call is true. Everything."
Vidal Chavannes, MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes' husband, speaking up about his wife's interactions with Prime Minister Justice Trudeau where she says he yelled at her. #cdnpoli
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The best birthday party in the world last night also featured the best cake in the world, created by my own sister-in-law. (Yes, that really is my life, including books and articles, recreated in a cake.) #lucky #grateful #dancingintoanotherdecade
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Today is the third anniversary of my father's death in a long-term care home. @PattyHajdu just said what I thought then, and now: We need to value the work done in those homes a LOT more. Points out that we pay people more to care for vehicles than human beings.#cdnpoli #COVID19
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I know this Conservative Party is feeling nostalgic for the Harper years, but I'm pretty sure @stephenharper would take a dim view of this. Drunk with power is one thing. Drunk with anticipated power....
Some Conservative MPs arrived drunk at the House of Commons last Thu night 4 the GST relief vote. They screamed, disrupted proceedings that parliamentary pages were removed from the unsafe opposition lobby. In most workplaces, showing up intoxicated is grounds 4 dismissal.
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5. The point of this thread is that yes, I have no doubt that my identity played a part in the choice of me as a debate moderator. But it's an identity I attained through hard work and many years, and a respect for the place and people where I do that work. (thread.)
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Weāre short staffed in the bureau today, so have assigned four-legged assistant to be on the lookout for #cdnpoli sightings outside West Block.
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Awkward. dailyhive.com/canada/poilievā¦
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This is not just dumb or childish. It's toxic and beneath the politics we require right now.
Liberal operatives planted 'stop the steal' buttons at conservative conference cbc.ca/news/politics/liberalā¦
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Fact check for @realDonaldTrump: Russia was kicked out of the G8 in 2014. @JustinTrudeau came into power in late 2015. So Trump's grievance would apparently be with @stephenharper (who I bet doesn't regret the ejection.) edition.cnn.com/2014/03/24/pā¦
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How deputy PM @cafreeland is handling the #COVID19 crisis -- with some "therapy" from @fordnation. My new interview/profile online now in @TorontoStar: thestar.com/news/insight/202ā¦ #cdnpoli
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Have we considered the possibility that @MaximeBernier left his phone at someone's apartment and all these Tweets aren't from him at all? #justasking #cdnpoili
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It's Flag Day. Celebrate it the way you know best. (Personally, I'll always remember it this way; I was one of the reporters on hand in 1996 for the um, festivities.) #cdnpoli
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I confess, I am too kind of surprised/stunned that the #JUST committee (Libs) voted down request for @Puglaas to reappear. To me, that's kind of crucial in sorting this #SNCLavalin thing out. #cdnpoli
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Oh my goodness. @PaulDewar has left a final statement on Facebook; filled with his elegant embrace of life... and death. Here it is: facebook.com/pauldewarcanadaā¦ #cdnpoli
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2. My identity: Ottawa bureau chief and national columnist for the Toronto Star. 31 years as a political journalist. Four books (five if you count an e-book.) Nine elections. Six prime ministers. (Thread.)
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Note to the two public servants talking so loudly about their jobs on the bus this morning: if you were as smart as you claim about government/diplomacy, you wouldnāt be sharing it within earshot of dozens on public transit. #cdnpoli
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A very classy and dignified speech by @Kathleen_Wynne, as she exits the political stage. History will be kinder to her than this election was. #onpoli #cdnpoli
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Just fyi, here's where PM @JustinTrudeau was today. We weren't allowed to say in advance where he was headed (for security reasons.) #cdnpoli
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today made a surprise Christmas visit to Canadian peacekeepers stationed in Gao, Mali. He watched a medevac demo and shared a turkey dinner with troops. Accompanied by Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and CDS John Vance.
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New apartment billboard in my neighbourhood. Look who theyāve put on the bike in the bottom left corner. #cdnpoli
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Breaking (romantic) news from Liberal caucus today: @MaryamMonsef and @MattDeCourcey are engaged. One was elected on Oct. 21, one was not, but they both win. āWho says you canāt find love in a toxic workplace,ā Maryam just said to me. :) #cdnpoli
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Okay. What I don't know now is why @Puglaas wants to continue to serve in @JustinTrudeau's caucus and run again as a Liberal. #cdnpoli
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Yep. One who has been here 32 years, watched many QPs, and remembers when they actually were accountability exercises, not the junk they are now. This is Canada, btw. Welcome.
Actual take from an Ottawa journalist:
The elected opposition questioning the elected government is not necessary.
What country is this?
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Well that didn't last long. @ElizabethMay tells me Warren Kinsella is "finished" work with Greens. New column, via @TorontoStar thestar.com/politics/politicā¦ #cdnpoli
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First few questions to @JustinTrudeau after the French debate are all about -- in the now-infamous parlance of #elxn43 -- unfounded rumours about his past. I'll just say I'm glad this isn't a branch of "journalism" I've ever been asked to do. #cdnpoli #CanadaDebates2019
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Hearing that future air travel will have us sitting farther apart. I dare to dream that it will be glamorous to fly again. :)
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Sounds like @AndrewScheer agrees with @realDonaldTrump and @jkenney that China had too much influence on WHO and by extension, Canada. #cdnpoli #COVID19
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Iām not fussed. Back when these were all-men events, I remember people being similarly rude and angry. Oh wait. Actually, thatās not true. It was called normal. Change happens slowly, apparently.
There have been plenty of lovely comments about 5 female journalists moderating a federal election debate, but a lot of totally obscene ones too. So not quite a milestone yet.
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Hereās an interesting photo snapped tonight. ā¦@Puglaasā© ā¦@janephilpottā© and ā¦@lisakinsellaā© having a post-budget chat at the Chateau Laurier. Sent to me as fyi. #cdnpoli
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If anyone was wondering about how deep the rift is between @fordnation and @PierrePoilievre, here is the most stark thing I've read yet. Holy smokes. #onpoli #cdnpoli
BREAKING: Internal Doug Ford polling obtained by the @TorontoStar paints a grim picture for @PierrePoilievre in Ontario. 48% for @MarkJCarney, 33% for Poilievre and 11% for @theJagmeetSingh.
#onpoli
#cdnpoli
thestar.com/doug-fords-interā¦
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Anyone else noticed how "party" and "government" are being increasingly used as synonyms in #cdnpoli commentary? They are actually (and legally) two very different things. That is all. Rant over.
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Thatās the ā¦@TorontoStarā©ās ā¦@ddale8ā© doing the fact check on ā¦@realDonaldTrumpā©ās address to the nation tonight on ā¦@CNNā©.
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Happy wedding day to @ElizabethMay and @kidderjohn. Wishing them many years of happiness. Here's the piece I wrote a few months about their whirlwind romance: thestar.com/politics/politicā¦ #cdnpoli
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Possibly the best line at this John Turner tribute. Brian Mulroney via video says he tried to get out of a previous commitment to be here tonight but āI had no option ā. #cdnpoli. (Not everyone will get that joke. ).
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Please feel free to take a break here in the Twitter rant-o-rama and enjoy this pic of my tiny dog (Maddie, left) with her big-dog best friend. :)
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An appearance from ā¦@MichelleRempelā© at virtual Parliament. Canada flag, US fireplace, I assume. #cdnpoli
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Dear CBCNN. No disrespect intended for the Pope and his passing, but how about running some Canadian election news instead of the same interviews about the Pope over and over and over again?
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Well that's new. A call from an astrology/psychic telemarketer. He kept asking my name to tell me my future. I told him if he was psychic, he'd already know that, and also that a brief consultation with the stars could tell him we were on the do-not-call list.
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Now hereās an endorsement of todayās news in #cdnpoli.
After multiple mass killings and the spectacle of armed vigilantes storming the Michigan legislature yesterday with assault weapons, itās time to elect politicians who will do something. Justin Trudeau is that type of leader. nytimes.com/2020/05/01/worldā¦
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Merry Christmas to everyone in the Twitterverse! .... Okay, maybe not everyone. Merry Christmas to those being kind to each other today, and also to those who need a little kindness today. :)
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Unsurprisingly (if you know him) Neil Macdonald does *not* see @Puglaas or @janephilpott as brave heroes in this whole #SNCLavalin saga. cbc.ca/news/opinion/trudeau-ā¦ #cdnpoli
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My goodness, how great is it to listen to @BarackObama and George W. Bush talk about John McCain ā and politics of the more noble sort. Iāve put Saturday on hold just to hear their speeches. Amazing.
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4. My id (cont'd): Graduate of political science from Western (or UWO if you prefer.) Have taught political journalism and communication at Carleton. Still working on finishing a master's in Canadian studies.
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I think that's the first time I've heard @PattyHajdu's voice shake throughout all this -- speaking of people who are scared, frightened. Quite affecting. #cdnpoli #COVID19
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Holy smokes. Every political reporter needs to read this #journalism thread. (And I know, it means consuming social media to question social media.) But on marketing and politics, and beyond... @moorehn is singing my song. tx @yowflier for the bracing find. #cdnpoli
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Yes, and I'd add to this: Can we please stop hearing interviews with @Puglaas's dad? It's just weird. thestar.com/opinion/star-colā¦ #cdnpoli
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