Opinion Archives - QP Briefing

Khan: Ford’s messing with the Charter could be just what Liberals need

Columnist Omar Khan says the decision to invoke the notwithstanding clause has given Liberals, provincially and federally, a badly needed emotional trigger. ...

Hutton: Back to school, back to conflict

Columnist Deb Hutton has some advice for how to handle the next four years if teachers’ unions oppose everything the Ford government will do on education, as she suspects they will. ...

Milloy: The insanity of the Ford government’s plan for social assistance

Reforming social assistance reminds columnist John Milloy of a quote misattributed to Einstein about “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ...

Hutton: Psst … Here’s the secret strategy

Columnist Deb Hutton says she can’t wait to see what the new government will have achieved by the time it finishes its first 100 days. ...

Milloy: Cancelling updated sex ed may be more popular than many think

Supporters of the 2015 sex-ed curriculum don't speak to its opponents in a way that addresses their core concerns, writes columnist John Milloy. ...

Hutton: Ford critics show hysterical hypocrisy on education

When the inevitable cries of education funding cuts come in the coming months, stop and ask whether the exact same situation existed under the Liberals, columnist Deb Hutton writes. ...

Milloy: In ending free coffee for public servants, what message is Doug Ford sending?

Columnist John Milloy observes that symbolic actions often backfire. And how is the public service supposed to feel when a cup of coffee and a veggie wrap during a meeting are viewed as an example of “waste?” ...

Milloy: Congratulations! You’ve won the election! Now what?

Columnist John Milloy says he's lived through both thrill of arriving at Queen’s Park as a brand new member, as well as the bittersweet experience of retiring from politics, and knows it is not an easy time either way. ...

Hutton: Working on the leaders’ election buses is still the best gig in town

Columnist Deb Hutton recalls her three election campaigns aboard the busses of two PC leaders. ...

Milloy: An all-candidates’ debates survival guide

Debaters should try to relax and forget the statistics — but remember that voters can tell who is talking through their hat, writes columnist John Milloy. ...

Hutton: The Donald, The Doug, and The Kathleen

Columnist Deb Hutton argues there’s no need to bring anyone else into the Ontario election, particularly someone who doesn’t live here and might not even be able to find us on a map. ...

Milloy: Ontario is going to have a polarized election, should we care?

It's difficult to govern after you've labelled the other side the enemy, columnist John Milloy writes. ...

Hutton: The new PC leader can unify the party with the help of a common enemy, Kathleen Wynne

If we have collectively learned anything in the past 45 days, it’s that anything can happen in the world of Ontario politics, writes columnist Deb Hutton. ...

Milloy: Don’t expect a lengthy pre-writ legislative session

Columnist John Milloy has advice for Queen's Park watchers as the new legislative session begins: don't get too comfortable. ...

Hutton: Call me a bad feminist, but I don’t think politicians should get parental leave

While parental leave is beneficial for many of us, politicians aren’t exactly like you and me, columnist Deb Hutton writes. ...

Milloy: Ontarians ought to be concerned about recent PC party infighting

Columnist John Milloy, in noting the PCs' failed attempt to use the courts to muzzle opposition from within, argues there are better ways to deal with disgruntled members and that a lawsuit should be used only as a last ...

Hutton: Why free is so very expensive

Columnist Deb Hutton contends there is a hidden cost when we promote the notion that government has unlimited resources. ...

Milloy: Should the Sudbury court decision mark a tipping point in Ontario politics?

Columnist John Milloy hopes the time has come for political parties to stop involving the police and courts when they throw around spaghetti to see what sticks. ...

Milloy: Tackling income inequality – how Ontario Liberals got it right and federal Liberals got it wrong

In politics, you're always in trouble when your opponent's story starts to resemble a Hallmark movie plot, columnist John Milloy observes. ...

Sponsored Content Op-Ed: Support for Pharmacy Dispensing of Medical Cannabis ...

Khan: Arnold Chan was a gentleman who left us too soon

Columnist Omar Khan recalls advice that the MP and former Queen's Park staffer gave him years ago that has served him well in life ever since. ...

Milloy: Time for a grown-up conversation on candidate nominations (without involving the police)

Columnist John Milloy says a healthy conversation about nominations might result in some cathartic yelling. ...

Hutton: Mom policy on public education

Columnist Deb Hutton, recalling her time when she helped craft government policy, takes a look at the state of Ontario's education system from a different perspective - as a mom. ...

Leone: Sir John A debate shows the good in Canada’s ‘good government’

Call the founding of our country genocide, as the teachers have, and no one can take pride in our nation because it means they agree with wiping out an entire people. ...

Khan: The art of appealing to the political brain

Ontario's political parties are honing in on the emotional triggers of swing voters and party stalwarts, writes columnist Omar Khan. ...

Milloy: Believe it or not, now might be the best time to talk about MPP’s pay

When it comes to politics, you often get what you pay for, writes columnist John Milloy. ...

Leone: What Trump and Wynne have in common

Columnist Rob Leone sees some similarities between the upcoming trial over alleged bribery in the Sudbury byelection and the current high-stakes investigation into Russia's meddling in the U.S. election. ...

Khan: In politics, money matters but so does hard work

Columnist Omar Khan knows from first-hand experience how grit and desire to get the job done can make up for a lack in finances. ...

Hutton: Should we give our politicians a best-before date?

Columnist Deb Hutton muses about whether it’s time to look at term limits in Ontario. ...

Leone: Liberals take all credit, but accept no blame

Columnist Rob Leone writes about the plight of government agencies caught in political crosshairs. ...

Khan: Don’t allow our quest for transparency to hinder good governance

Columnist Omar Khan takes issue with too much transparency when it comes to communications between political staff and cabinet ministers. ...

Letter to the editor: Strong support for Pickering nuclear continued operations

OPG's CEO goes to bat for the plan to extend the life of the Pickering nuclear plant to 2024. ...

Milloy: What Queen’s Park can teach British Columbia about minority governments

In a minority situation, columnist John Milloy says the opposition is usually focused on one thing: destabilizing the government. ...

Letter to the editor: Ontario’s public power failure redux

Brady Yauch sees Ontario making the same mistakes on the electricity file. ...

Hutton: Universal child care – to be or not to be?

Columnist Deb Hutton pumps the brakes on the idea of universal child care. ...

Sponsored content: CME continues to support nuclear power generation and extension of nuclear assets operations in Ontario

Leone: The Tories are their own worst enemy

Columnist Rob Leone writes about the trials and tribulations of leading the various "tribes" of conservatives. ...

Khan: Fasten your seatbelts, it’s election season

Columnist Omar Khan observes that recent polling suggests the electorate appears to be in flux and stakeholders need to plan for any of the three major parties having a realistic chance of forming government next June. ...

Sponsored content: Taking a long-term view of electricity system costs

Milloy: Hey, Jagmeet, are you sure you really want to try this?

Columnist John Milloy wonders if Jagmeet Singh will soon miss simpler times at Queen's Park. ...

Hutton: Is basic income as basic as it seems?

Columnist Deb Hutton likes the idea of a guaranteed annual income, but isn't entirely sold on how the Wynne government is going about it. ...

Leone: Ladies, the fate of the government is in your hands

Columnist Rob Leone calls the Liberals' latest offering one of the most pro-women budgets yet. ...

Khan: Political staff and civil servants — the yin and yang of effective government

Columnist Omar Khan says politicians have to respect their civil servants if they want to get anything done. ...

Milloy: Basic income pilot will require a big rethink by all Ontarians

Apropos of the new basic income pilot project, columnist John Milloy says Ontarians need to start thinking of poverty in terms of a person's dignity. ...

Purchase: A ‘get me through the night’ housing policy

Columnist Bryne Purchase says Queen’s Park "has to develop a long-term perspective on the implications for real estate, and therefore for the economy, and for social inequality, of a relentless increase in the value of l ...

Hutton: Policy schmolicy

Observing how the Liberals have been taunting PC Leader Patrick Brown to explain his positions on issues, columnist Deb Hutton sees no problem with being the "man with no plans" so far ahead of the next election. ...