Columnists

Politics, misinformation, complacency dragging public health backwards

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025

Canada’s loss of its measles elimination status this week is more than just an international embarrassment. It’s a sign of how badly our public health infrastructure has eroded and how far we’ve slipped in protecting one of the most basic tools of modern medicine: vaccination.

For the first time since 1998, the Pan American Health Organization no longer considers Canada measles-free. The reason? Outbreaks across several provinces have lasted more than a year, and public health officials haven’t been able to stop the virus’s spread.

That’s not because measles suddenly became more infectious. It’s because our systems — from vaccination tracking to public education — have broken down.

Experts say Canada’s fall from grace was preventable. The science hasn’t changed. What’s changed is our politics, our public health funding and the spread of misinformation that’s convinced far too many people that vaccines are something to fear.

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Forget defection, Poilievre should fear resignations

Dan Lett 5 minute read Preview

Forget defection, Poilievre should fear resignations

Dan Lett 5 minute read Monday, Nov. 10, 2025

Although a dramatic defection of a Conservative MP captured Parliament Hill’s imagination last week, a much less dramatic resignation may turn out to be Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre’s undoing.

Nova Scotia Tory Chris d’Entremont’s decision to join Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government has set the hill to buzzing. And for good reason.

This unexpected move brings the Liberals one vote closer to a majority standing in the House of Commons, an accomplishment that would protect the minority government from losing a confidence vote and triggering an election.

At first blush, the floor crossing would seem to weaken Poilievre’s case to remain at the helm of the Tories beyond a January 2026 leadership review. It does not help Poilievre’s case that d’Entremont accused senior Conservatives of threatening and bullying him when word first leaked that he was thinking about crossing the floor.

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Monday, Nov. 10, 2025

Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with MP Chris d’Entremont, who crossed the floor from Conservative caucus to join the Liberals last week. It’s possible we’ll see resignations from Conservatives who want to abandon ship, Dan Lett writes.

(The Canadian Press files)

Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with MP Chris d’Entremont, who crossed the floor from Conservative caucus to join the Liberals last week. It’s possible we’ll see resignations from Conservatives who want to abandon ship, Dan Lett writes.
                                (The Canadian Press files)

Undaunted defiance amid raw remembrance

Melissa Martin 7 minute read Preview

Undaunted defiance amid raw remembrance

Melissa Martin 7 minute read Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025

In the heart of Kyiv, perched on a hilltop beside a ravine, there stands the remains of a 17th-century fortress. Built to defend the city from invasion, it was rebuilt and repurposed over the years, and now houses a massive military hospital complex; in normal times, it’s also a tourist site with a small museum.

At the edge of that complex, on a patch of unkempt grass just past a guarded gate, a soldier stands in a plastic box. He looks at you, but does not move. Does not breathe. There is no breath in him.

When I visited the fortress this summer, I knew he was somewhere on the complex. Yet still I jolted with a start when I first saw him, an apology on the tip of my tongue for being in his way, until I realized what he was, and that he would not answer.

I had seen this man before.

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Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025

MELISSA MARTIN / FREE PRESS

A statue of Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Matsievksyi, capturing the last 12 seconds of his life, stands on the grounds of the Kyiv Fortress. Matsievskyi was executed on camera by Russian soldiers in December 2022, with the video later posted on social media.

MELISSA MARTIN / FREE PRESS 
                                A statue of Ukrainian soldier Oleksandr Matsievksyi, capturing the last 12 seconds of his life, stands on the grounds of the Kyiv Fortress. Matsievskyi was executed on camera by Russian soldiers in December 2022, with the video later posted on social media.

Poilievre risks driving more moderate Tory MPs into Carney’s welcoming, majority-seeking arms

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Preview

Poilievre risks driving more moderate Tory MPs into Carney’s welcoming, majority-seeking arms

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025

It wouldn’t be surprising if Nova Scotia MP Chris d’Entremont wasn’t the last Conservative to cross the floor to join Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government.

D’Entremont’s defection this week — leaving Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives to sit with the Liberals — sent shockwaves through Ottawa. It’s not often you see a sitting MP jump ship from the official Opposition to the governing party, especially one with such a different political stripe. But it’s not hard to understand why it happened.

When Carney and d’Entremont walked side by side into Wednesday’s Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill this week, they were greeted like heroes returning home. Liberal MPs erupted in thunderous applause and cheers. Some even began chanting d’Entremont’s name.

The optics were powerful: a moderate Conservative joining a government that, at least in tone, is positioning itself as the pragmatic centre of Canadian politics.

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Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025

Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with MP Chris d’Entremont on Wednesday. (Justin Tang / The Canadian Press)

Prime Minister Mark Carney walks with MP Chris d’Entremont on Wednesday. (Justin Tang / The Canadian Press)

Single budget can’t — or shouldn’t — deliver promised ’generational change’

Dan Lett 5 minute read Preview

Single budget can’t — or shouldn’t — deliver promised ’generational change’

Dan Lett 5 minute read Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025

The world, it seems, is disappointed in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first budget, which promised “generational” change but delivered what appears to be something entirely more modest.

What does Carney’s first budget do, and not do?

It does not abandon efforts to combat climate change, but does not really advance them. It delivers a dose of austerity, particularly when it comes to the size and scope of government, but does not ruthlessly reduce the federal civil service or spending. It ramps up spending on housing, infrastructure and defence, but without a credible plan to eliminate the deficit. It provides incentives to the private sector to invest more of its money in Canada, but in a way that may not prove to be that enticing.

Put it all together and Carney is currently being hoisted on his own hyperbole.

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Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025

JUSTIN TANG / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES

Prime Minister Mark Carney holds up a copy of the budget on Nov. 4.

JUSTIN TANG / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
                                Prime Minister Mark Carney holds up a copy of the budget on Nov. 4.

The ‘fix’ is a fantasy as dysfunctional health-care system fails Manitobans on multiple fronts

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Preview

The ‘fix’ is a fantasy as dysfunctional health-care system fails Manitobans on multiple fronts

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Friday, Oct. 31, 2025

If you’ve been stuck in a Winnipeg emergency room wondering why you’re waiting longer than ever to see a doctor, you’re not imagining it.

New numbers are in, and they paint a grim picture of a health-care system still in crisis.

According to the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority’s 2024-25 annual report released this week, emergency room and urgent care wait times have jumped 36 per cent over the past three years.

The 90th percentile wait time — meaning nine out of 10 patients are seen faster and one in 10 waits longer — has ballooned from 7.6 hours in 2022-23 to 10.3 hours in 2024-25.

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Friday, Oct. 31, 2025

The emergency department at the Health Sciences Centre (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)

The emergency department at the Health Sciences Centre (Mikaela MacKenzie / Free Press files)

Without apology, Stefanson’s political legacy tarnished forever

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Preview

Without apology, Stefanson’s political legacy tarnished forever

Tom Brodbeck 5 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025

One of the most troubling aspects about former premier Heather Stefanson’s 2023 ethics breach isn’t just what she did — it’s that she still doesn’t think she did anything wrong.

Stefanson was fined $18,000 for trying to push through a licence for a Sio Silica sand mine project after losing the Oct. 3, 2023, provincial election. She paid the fine last week, according to House Speaker Tom Lindsey. But she remains defiant.

Ethics Commissioner Jeffrey Schnoor’s report on the breach, released in May, was damning. It found that Stefanson, then-deputy premier Cliff Cullen and then-economic development minister Jeff Wharton violated the province’s Conflict of Interest Act by attempting to approve a licence for the proposed mining project after the Progressive Conservative government was defeated.

All three ministers pushed to have a Class 2 licence under the Environment Act approved for Sio Silica, days before the new NDP government was sworn into office.

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Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES

For former premier Heather Stefanson to reject findings from an independent officer of the legislative assembly is nothing short of stunning.

MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
                                For former premier Heather Stefanson to reject findings from an independent officer of the legislative assembly is nothing short of stunning.

Rashford and Bellingham face off in El Classico

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Preview

Rashford and Bellingham face off in El Classico

Jerrad Peters 5 minute read Friday, Oct. 24, 2025

It isn’t often you get a “first” in El Clasico. Not when Real Madrid and Barcelona have been battling for more than a century, and not after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi completely reconfigured the rivalry’s statistical categories.

There will be one during Sunday’s match at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (10:15 a.m., TSN3).

For the very first time, a pair of Englishmen will go head-to-head in club football’s most famous contest. On the home side: Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, born in Stourbridge in the West Midlands. On the guests’: Barca’s Marcus Rashford, born in Manchester.

Both are England internationals. Both are coming off disappointing seasons. Both scored midweek in the Champions League. Both have well-known attitude problems.

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Friday, Oct. 24, 2025

MATT SLOCUM / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham.

MATT SLOCUM / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES
                                Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham.

Face reality and take your breakup seriously

Maureen Scurfield 4 minute read Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I’m experiencing some fallout from Halloween. I’ve been separated from my wife for three months now and took my two daughters out for trick-or-treating last week.

Their mother said not to come by her place as the girls had already eaten lots of treats at home. That sounded fake to me.

Anyway, at the end of the night, the girls insisted on going to their mother’s house, and “tricking” her. So, I gave in and took them over in their costumes.

When we arrived, they yelled out, “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!” Then some big guy came to the door, and my girls yelled, “No! Get mommy for us!”

Not all marriages play by the same rules

Maureen Scurfield 4 minute read Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I spotted an old lover at an annual Halloween bash, and he was in a full pirate costume. I recognized him right off the bat because the pirate thing is an act he’s been pulling off for years — and succeeding to the max with me, I must admit.

I was dressed as a sexy black cat to catch his eye. I waited for him to make his move. He likes to sneak up on me at parties and growl in my ear. It’s predictable, but still a turn-on.

His wife couldn’t make the party, as usual, so he came on his own in his van. It’s the way he travels best — a sneaky guy with a bedroom on wheels so he can make a quick getaway when he’s ready.

Why doesn’t this pirate leave his boring wife for someone like me, who could match his fire?

The ring is not really the thing between you

Maureen Scurfield 4 minute read Monday, Nov. 3, 2025

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: Christmas is approaching again and this time I’m demanding my diamond engagement ring. I moved to Canada to be with my man, and when we moved in together, he promised me a ring for Christmas — and then it didn’t happen. I got a cheap coat instead.

Now, he has promised me an expensive trip home to visit my family overseas during the holidays instead of an engagement ring to get me off his back.

Sometimes I think I just want to go home to my family and stay there. I’m feeling so hurt and frustrated. Last night I asked him how he would feel if we both bought each other engagement rings — and he laughed in my face saying, “What’s the rush?”

— At Wits’ End, Garden City

Don’t let spooky spoilsport ruin the fun

Maureen Scurfield 4 minute read Friday, Oct. 31, 2025

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: I love to see Halloween trick-or-treaters in their costumes. I also dress up every year to greet the kids who come to my door. I’m a 34-year-old woman with no kids of my own.

Our whole yard is lit up in orange lights and my husband and I had a great time hanging ghosts and goblins from the tree branches two weeks ago.

However, our neighbour hates it. Last year we bought a scary sound show to go with the yard decorations and he went nuts. He came running out last week when I tried out my spooky soundtrack. He yelled that it sounded like a “pagan circus” at our place.

Today he growled at me there would be “stupid kids” running across his yard again and said he was going to call the police on us this year.

A few special touches can conjure connection

Maureen Scurfield 4 minute read Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: You may think I’m crazy, but I’m going to a Halloween party as a glamorous witch to run into this special guy and put my spell on him.

He’s co-hosting it with his housemate and it’s a big bash. You can’t get into this party unless you’re wearing a full-on costume. I don’t want to wear a complete Halloween mask, though, because I want him to recognize me and be attracted.

Can you give me any magical ideas?

— Need to Bewitch Him, West End

Work through new mate’s hot Halloween hopes

Maureen Scurfield 4 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: Today, I accidentally stumbled on a couples costume package my crazy girlfriend bought for us for Halloween. It comes with props. She tells me she gets right into the Halloween spirit and the sexiest costumes she can find. I’ve seen some of them from earlier years in her closet. Whoa.

After giving out candy at the door, she says she likes to have wild sex with adult costumes on. I’ve decided I want this with her. I led a dull life before I met her and she says we have to learn to take chances in life. I agree.

It’s trying to figure out what she wants me to say and do when in costume that really gets me worried.

I’m not much of an actor. I’m a weightlifter and just look the part of a warrior or biker, or something tough. My new girlfriend is more of an actor and has some scenes for us to try this Halloween.

Don’t give any more time, energy to ‘friend’

Maureen Scurfield 4 minute read Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: This week I got a real kick in the face! It came from someone I thought was a great young friend. It turned out, she just liked hanging out with me for what she could get in terms of influential friends and invitations.

I thought this new friend liked charming old me for myself, but all she wanted was to jump over my head, to be buddies and hang out with bigger “players” in the charity world. She wanted to get deeply involved in this upcoming charity season’s dinners and parties, and obviously saw me as a person to use for that.

This week I heard what she really thinks of me, from a close female buddy. Ouch, that hurt! Now I’m really angry. I don’t want to let this young “friend” get away with using me and hurting me! What can I do?

— High Heel in My Face, Charleswood

Find work-around for mom’s grandkid fixation

Maureen Scurfield 4 minute read Monday, Oct. 27, 2025

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: My girlfriend and I — lesbians in our 30s — get along famously. But whenever I come home from my parents’ house, I’m depressed. My mom always manages to give me a shot about never being able to provide a grandchild for her and my dad (I’m an only child).

When my dad hugged me goodbye last time, he whispered, “I do try to make her stop this nonsense.” I just don’t feel like going there anymore. She hits me with the guilt grenades every time, like maybe it will be enough to make me adopt and get her the grandchild. Ha.

Seriously, what should I do? It doesn’t even help when I bring our puppy, who’s so small she looks and acts like a baby.

— Failing to Supply Grandchild, Fort Richmond

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