The Buzz June 15th 2024: Harassment of politicians, MP billing…

Welcome to another week of The Buzz, an opportunity for you to sit back on a Saturday morning and check in with some of the stories from a week gone by that you may have missed or stories that are worth a second look.

Starting with this one.

You’ve heard this before: the toxic harassment of politicians and especially the targeting, in the vilest way, of female politicians. So much so that some women who have spent years in politics are saying they’ve had it.

The question isn’t “why is it happening?” We all understand the sewer that social media can be. No, the question is, “why is it still happening?” How many times just in the last five years have you heard examples of this occurring and yet after we all say, “that’s awful”, we all then move on.

Nothing changes until the next time someone who has dedicated a good part of her life to public service, just says “I’m done, I’m outta here.”

Well, the latest ‘next time’ is here, and Max Fawcett from the National Observer tells us the story:

Our toxic politics claims its latest victim

Read >

Now just as you are mad and angry about how an MP was treated, you read something like this next story.

A story about how another politician is spending our money. Really? And they want our sympathy?

The CBC’s Jean Paul Tasker takes us on a very different voyage:

NDP MP who's rarely on Parliament Hill billed taxpayers for travel with family over Christmas

Read >

If you had to bet which way young people intend to vote, it wouldn’t be surprising to suggest they probably will vote with a progressive bias.

Centre left or further left. After all, that’s generally the way it’s been, not just in North America but elsewhere in the free world for quite a while.

But that assumption about the future may be up for reassessment these days according to a new study out this week. Read this from CNN first, we’ll talk later:

Opinion: This country’s 16-year-olds voted for the first time. The results are scary

Read >

I said we’d talk later. How about some good talk? We discussed this issue with Bruce and Chantal on this week’s Good Talk. Check the YouTube version out through the link you can find at nationalnewswatch.com. You’ll also find our thoughts on the story of the week out of Ottawa – the very different views about the foreign interference issue.

Okay, I know what some of you are anxious to read about. Another Trump story in The, Buzz but with a decidedly Canadian angle.

Paging Tonda MacCharles, in my view one of the country’s best political reporters. Take it away Tonda:

If you thought Trump 1.0 was crazy, brace yourself for Trump 2.0. Here’s where top officials say Canada is vulnerable 🔒

Read >

If there’s a bump in the road the federal Liberals didn’t hit in the last year, I’m not sure what it was.

It’s been a very rocky ride and the polls still show a significant double-digit lead for the Conservatives.

But the biggest bump may be just ahead. Circle June 24th - it’s byelection day in a seat the Liberals have held for three decades. They won the 2021 election in Toronto-St Paul’s by taking more than fifty percent of the vote. That’s why you hear some Liberals saying, privately, what they’ll probably start saying publicly if the party loses the byelection: “Justin, you’ve got to go.” Mind you, if they win, it’s a very different story. So, the stakes are a lot higher than your average byelection. Christian Paas-Lang of the CBC begins our countdown to voting day:

Cabinet ministers flock to Liberal stronghold ahead of Toronto byelection

Read >

Here’s another Trumpy story.

If you believe Le Grand Orange, leaders in the rest of the world are desperate for him to get back in the White House. If you believe the other guy, the opposite is true. So, who’s right?

We look to the team at Pew Research for the answer:

Globally, Biden Receives Higher Ratings Than Trump

Read >

Back in 2015 when Justice Murray Sinclair handed down his “calls for action” as part of his Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, the country waited for… reconciliation.

There were 94 suggestions. So far, about a dozen have been acted upon and at that rate, it could be 2081 before the rest are.

A lost opportunity? Rose Lemay thinks so and she wrote about it in The Hill Times:

What could have been for reconciliation 🔒

Read >

Here’s this week’s science story.

You know of course how the moon was created? What? You don’t? Well, its lucky you have The Buzz, because our Astronomy 101 class is about to begin. And it goes well beyond the moon so prepare to be amazed, thanks to the New York Times:

A Big Whack That Made the Moon May Have Also Created Continents That Move

Read >

Are you watching the Stanley Cup? Some of us Leaf fans didn’t realize they still play hockey in June because the blue and white long ago hit the golf course.

But not the Edmonton Oilers. They’re in the finals. Well, at least for one more weekend. They’re in a near-to-death experience down 3-0 in a best-of-seven against the Florida Panthers. Oiler fans are still hopeful a miracle is in sight, while across the country others have been asking “Are the Oilers Canada’s team?”

This is not an easy question to answer as our friend Andrew Chang of CBC’s “About That” found out when the series started a week ago tonight:

Are the Edmonton Oilers ‘Canada’s team’? | About That

Watch >

For the record, there’s only one team that has come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup finals. Put all those Leaf jokes aside because, yup, you guessed it, it was Toronto back in 1942. So there. Now pass me my nine iron.

Welcome to another week of The Buzz, an opportunity for you to sit back on a Saturday morning and check in with some of the stories from a week gone by that you may have missed or stories that are worth a second look.

Starting with this one.

Our toxic politics claims its latest victim

Now just as you are mad and angry about how an MP was treated, you read something like this next story.

NDP MP who's rarely on Parliament Hill billed taxpayers for travel with family over Christmas

If you had to bet which way young people intend to vote, it wouldn’t be surprising to suggest they probably will vote with a progressive bias.

Opinion: This country’s 16-year-olds voted for the first time. The results are scary

Okay, I know what some of you are anxious to read about. Another Trump story in The, Buzz but with a decidedly Canadian angle.

If you thought Trump 1.0 was crazy, brace yourself for Trump 2.0. Here’s where top officials say Canada is vulnerable 🔒

If there’s a bump in the road the federal Liberals didn’t hit in the last year, I’m not sure what it was.

Cabinet ministers flock to Liberal stronghold ahead of Toronto byelection

Here’s another Trumpy story.

Globally, Biden Receives Higher Ratings Than Trump

Back in 2015 when Justice Murray Sinclair handed down his “calls for action” as part of his Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, the country waited for… reconciliation.

What could have been for reconciliation 🔒

Here’s this week’s science story.

A Big Whack That Made the Moon May Have Also Created Continents That Move

Are you watching the Stanley Cup? Some of us Leaf fans didn’t realize they still play hockey in June because the blue and white long ago hit the golf course.

Are the Edmonton Oilers ‘Canada’s team’? | About That

For the record, there’s only one team that has come back from a 3-0 deficit in the Stanley Cup finals. Put all those Leaf jokes aside because, yup, you guessed it, it was Toronto back in 1942. So there. Now pass me my nine iron.

Enjoy the weekend, summer is just around the corner! The Buzz will be back in seven days.

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