Thomas Walkom
TorontoStar
Canada
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Recent articles by Thomas:
Keep calm and continue the fight against Omicron
If we can collectively do what is necessary, we should be able to deal with the latest variant of this terrible disease. → Read More
Smaller farms could help animals survive climate emergencies
Most chickens and hogs are kept caged, mainly because it is cheaper. But during heat waves or floods, these cages become death traps. → Read More
Ottawa should respond to American protectionism with its own ‘Buy Canadian’ policy
What’s the use of a binding trade agreement if one participant is free to ignore it? Perhaps the answer is to borrow from America’s playbook. → Read More
Ontario’s government is weirdly unprepared for the pandemic’s fourth wave
The Ontario government risks becoming irrelevant. It has signalled that it won’t involve itself in the nitty gritty of public health, and has delibera... → Read More
Chalk one up for Ontario’s vaccine hesitant, as Doug Ford backs down on mandate for health-care workers
Ford’s decision does not make sense on any level other than the political. By staking out a position of opposition to mandatory vaccination, Ford’s Pr... → Read More
Cabinet shuffle shows Justin Trudeau is serious about fighting climate change
The Liberals have been dab hands when it comes to saying what they should do to curb global warming. They have been less successful in the doing of it... → Read More
Inflation is up, but does that matter any more? The Liberals don’t seem to think so
In September, consumer prices rose by nearly five per cent. It cost a lot more to drive a car, and considerably more to eat. In the days before COVID,... → Read More
Dealing with the Taliban, and other mysteries of Canada’s foreign policy
During the Cold War, we sold wheat to our enemies in Soviet Russia. Later we made convenient deals with Fidel Castro’s dictatorship in Cuba. We dealt ... → Read More
The new government can likely get only one or two big things done before the next election — and it will decide Justin Trudeau’s legacy
Trudeau will be remembered for legalizing marijuana and for establishing a national child-care system. But in the end, his government will be judged f... → Read More
Most Canadians voted for the status quo. What does this mean for the opposition?
Voters not only elected another minority government — most voted for no change at all. This does not mean that voters will support Justin Trudeau’s mi... → Read More
This unhappy and largely pointless election campaign is nearly over
Justin Trudeau could never satisfactorily explain why he called the election in the first place. The opposition parties could never satisfactorily exp... → Read More
The Liberals say Erin O’Toole is dangerous. So why call an election that could put him in power?
The message to voters is both clear and weird: O’Toole must be stopped. He can’t be allowed to win power. Yet for some reason, the Liberals are giving... → Read More
Erin O’Toole surprises with Conservative platform on animal welfare
Most politicians stay away from animal issues, as they are too likely to bring grief. And yet O’Toole said he would ban puppy mills and outlaw the imp... → Read More
In this federal election campaign, what’s relevant is largely dull and what’s interesting is largely irrelevant
The fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban has almost nothing to do with Canada’s federal election, but it has gripped the imagination of Canadians and pr... → Read More
North Korea’s flirtation with the West is on again
South Korea urged the U.S. to build on the 2018 Singapore agreement signed by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and then-president Donald Trump — an a... → Read More
With inflation inching up, can the Trudeau government maintain its casual approach to deficits?
Much of Ottawa’s new spending was a reaction to the pandemic. But the Liberals were clear: Big spending would persist even after COVID-19 was dealt wi... → Read More
When everyone is fatally flawed, where do we find our heroes?
Criticism is now being levelled against all kinds of figures in Canadian history. In some cases, hindsight has turned heroes into villains. That’s cer... → Read More
I will proudly celebrate Canada Day next week. Yes, we have dark episodes in our history, but we have also done much good
I know my country is far from perfect. But I also know the good things Canada has done, like taking on Hitler or pioneering a medicare system that in ... → Read More
Justin Trudeau is acting as ‘head waiter to the provinces.’ His father would be horrified
Trudeau has gone out of his way to support Quebec Premier François Legault’s plan to unilaterally change the Constitution in Quebec’s favour. In parti... → Read More
New technology comes nowhere close to solving the problem of nuclear waste
In recent years, more attention has been paid to using radioactive waste as fuel to create more nuclear power from so-called small modular reactors. H... → Read More