I think it was the man the Liberals called ‘The Thumper’ who coined a phrase that has lived on in Canadian politics.

The Thumper was Donald S. Macdonald, both defence minister and later finance minister for Pierre Trudeau. They called him Thumper because he had big feet, and you could hear him coming down the hallways from a distance.

Everyone liked him; even the opposition parties held him in high regard. So, it was no surprise when, in late 1979, after Trudeau initially announced he was stepping down as Liberal leader many Liberals looked to Donald Macdonald to assume the throne. But he didn’t. Instead, Thumper said he wasn’t the guy for the job because he didn’t have “the royal jelly” needed to lead.

So here we are, with the Liberal leadership debates over in the race to replace another Trudeau. Part of having the jelly is having a plan, and during the debates, all four contenders told us they have a plan, and some even trusted us with knowing what their plan is. But we also heard lines like “I have a plan, and you’ll know what it is soon.”

That doesn’t fly with opinion columnist Justin Ling in the Toronto Star who’s wondering if there really is a plan:

Opinion | Carney and Freeland are right about the Trump threat. But I’m getting worried our next PM has no real plan Read >

Not everyone had that take on things post-debate. 

The Globe’s Lawrence Martin says it’s all over but the counting:

🔒 No one rained on Carney’s parade, and now, he’s set to be our next prime minister Read >

So it turns out that Wayne Gretzky not only has a close friendship with Donald Trump, but he can also tell him what to do. Or so it seems.

Gretzky has been hammered from certain quarters for his buddy-buddy relationship with Trump, for his lacklustre performance as honorary captain of Team Canada in the recent hockey series, and for letting Trump tell the world that Gretzky - his pal - would make a great Governor of a 51st state (Canada).

All that led to the Globe and Mail’s claim that Canada’s 50-year love affair with Gretzky is now over. Janet Gretzky says her husband is broken hearted. There may be some piling on happening here, but whatever the case, it must hurt. And one has to wonder whether Gretzky said something to Trump. If he did, it worked

Trump says Gretzky supports Canada remaining an independent country Read >

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Donald Trump promised a great economy, in which everyone would benefit.

That was during the campaign. Well, six weeks into Trump 2.0 and some of the world’s top economists are giving that promise a thumbs down. Here’s what the Telegraph had to say this week:

Economists are starting to worry about a serious Trump recession Read >

Which brings us again to what appears to be Trump’s favourite consumer product issue -- the price of eggs.  

Trump used to use eggs to his advantage. But again, that was in the campaign … not anymore with eggs tripling and quadrupling in price since his inauguration. The Independent has that story:

Egg prices expected to rise more than 40 percent in 2025 Read >

Bet Justin Trudeau will love this angle to the egg story. 

It was in the Daily Beast.

Trump Might Have to Ask Foes Like Trudeau for Emergency Eggs as Prices Soar Read >

This week I was honored to do an assignment for Historica.ca (full disclosure, I’m a Historica Director). 

They asked me to interview Major Jim Parks, a 100-year-old Canadian veteran of WW2 for the next round in their outstanding Memory Project series. The Major was amazing, with a detailed memory of his time in the conflict - from lying about his age at 15 when he joined the Canadian Army to when he hit Juno Beach on June 6, 1944.

We tend to think memories would be a bit hazy at 100, but not Jim’s and not, as we found out, for a lot of other centenarians. What’s their secret? Check this story out that appeared in the Washington Post:

Centenarians share their longevity formula: ‘Staying busy gives you purpose Read >

Okay, here’s one that will make all those like me feel pretty good. 

I carry a bit of belly fat into my late seventies, more than I should, and I’m working at trying to cut that back. But wait – a new study finds belly fat means a healthy brain. Go figure! Don’t believe me? Try this:

Belly fat can boost brain health? Yes — but to a point, study shows Read >