While National Newswatch does not keep an archive of external articles for longer than 6 months, we do keep all articles written by contributors who post directly to our site. Here you will find all of the contributed and linked external articles from Shellene Drakes-Tull.
One day, after the tribunals, everyone will say they were against the starvation of people in Gaza. When the inquiries are over, we’ll claim we didn’t understand what was happening in Sudan.
We have been baking this summer. Every week we have a heat advisory and it feels like 40 C degrees in the shade. I don’t normally complain about summer heat. I prefer summer to winter’s frigid temperatures and snowstorms, but this summer’s heat has been unforgiving. Stepping outside feels like walking into a humid sauna — the air is hot...
When I moved to Toronto from Montreal back in early 1998, my sister and I shared a one-bedroom apartment in Scarborough — Markham and Sheppard area to be exact. In the spring of 1999, our property management group said they’d be raising rents to $1,000. Yes, $1,000.
Before I had children, I had all the answers about raising them. I mean, we were all kids at some point in our lives. What could be so hard? Then I had my own children.
Guess what? Tariffs are back on. Well, at least that’s what Donald Trump is saying. Earlier this week, the American president threatened to impose new tariffs. “I believe the tariff on copper — we’re going to make it 50 per cent,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday. He added a 200 per cent tariff on pharmaceuticals for...
Whenever I write about federal politics — even when I write about provincial politics because I don’t think everyone understands who’s responsible for what — I inevitably get messages saying that I’m an uninformed “supporter” of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his infamous blackface photos. We can all agree the blackface photos were offensive, gross and deservedly criticized.
I have a lot of friends who work in the public sector. Over the years, I’ve noticed that their approach to work is … different from those of us who’ve spent time in the private sector. Public service emphasizes process, consensus and caution. But in the private world? It’s simple: get it done or you may lose your job. Neither...
Over the weekend, I was travelling around doing my normal errands when someone in a pickup truck turned in front of me. On the bumper was a sticker that read “F*ck Carney.” Really? Mark Carney was just elected prime minister not even two months ago and we already have nasty bumper stickers?
With only a few days left in this federal election, I’m surprised that there are still folks who are unsure of who to vote for. At this point, I don’t know if there is anything left to say. The parties and their leaders have shared what they think is the best direction for Canada. Right now, two major challenges dominate...
The 2020s have been the most volatile decade of my life so far. Once Jan. 1, 2020 hit, everything went haywire. We’ve lived through multiple, serious life-changing world events: the COVID-19 and its after-effects, climate disasters, rising partisan political and now the ripple effects of international economic uncertainty (hello, tariffs and trade wars).
The upcoming federal election is looking more and more like a two-party fight with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberals and Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives duking it out. Polls are showing the Liberals are ahead and the Conservatives are flailing because their campaign is not as focused on protecting Canada from U.S. President Donald Trump.
First, former United States President Joe Biden was too sleepy. Granted, he is old, but he got rid of student debt and things were relatively peaceful in the United States for the four years he was running things. The economy was struggling, like many across the globe and people were frustrated. Then Biden resigned under pressure. Democratic Party politicians and...
Driving around the GTA this weekend, I saw blue, red, orange and green signs for the candidates vying for MPP along the streets. Some of the blue PC signs were paired with posters declaring, “Canada is not for sale.” Canada’s not for sale, but we’ve seen that parts of Ontario are on the clearance rack. Premier Doug Ford was willing...
Picture this: Inmates in the prison yard getting some fresh air. It’s all fun and games until a fight breaks out. There is tussling and shoving. The guards come running and separate the crowd. As everyone retreats, we see one prisoner on the ground, bleeding on the concrete. Clutching his abdomen, he gasps and chokes out: “On election day, was...
Who told Elon Musk that we wanted, or needed, his opinion, or help, selecting the politicians who lead our country? Since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation, Musk has kept Canada’s name in his mouth on X (formerly known as Twitter). Musk clearly likes Progressive Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre — or what Poilievre represents: right-wing, conservative and white, with...
We once saw Donald Trump as a joke — an unserious man who would rant and spew nonsense, while those of us who see U.S. politics as entertainment, would simply chuckle and say, Trump isn’t serious. Then 2016 came and Trump was voted in as the 45th president of the United States. The jokes stopped because the clown was now...
When we were kids, we learned, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” As we grew up, we realized that was a lie. Bullying, whether physical or verbal attacks, hurts. We can all remember someone saying something cruel and it hurt our feelings. I still feel traumatized from high school 30 years later.
So many Canadians have complained about their lack of freedom. I started to hear about their bondage during COVID-19 restrictions. Folks were angry and, maybe, rightfully so, but those were unprecedented times. From masks to social distancing, it was a tough time, and no one likes to be told what to do or be mandated to do things they’d choose...
Late last year, the federal government mandated that free menstrual products should be available in federally regulated workplaces. As expected, some people were upset because tampons and pads will be in all washrooms — male, female, and gender-inclusive — for federal employees. It makes sense because there are people who identify as male, as female, or as neither, who bleed monthly.
Last week, I participated in my second Black History Month event of 2024. While I was there, I had a quick, but thought-provoking, conversation with an older Black man who was in attendance. He appreciated the celebratory singing, dancing, steel pan artist, and panel discussion, but he questioned the need for a single month dedicated to Black people. We’re a...
Black people globally were "shook" when we saw George Floyd murdered by the police. We weren’t unnerved because this was the first unarmed Black person to be killed, we’ve known of many over the years. Our collective mental health was worsened by the nine-minute video of this man begging for his life and dying on camera. After that, workplaces, governments...
Whew. We made it, folks—well, almost. 2024 is days away and I’m not declaring anything for the upcoming year, just praying for a world that is a lot kinder. 2023 was a lot. I could run down all the madness that we’ve experienced, but you lived it along with me, so let’s move along.