The Sunday Edition for October 27, 2019
The election brought out the worst in our political parties, but not in Canadians - Michael's essay: "Canadian politics has always been an exercise in compromise and so it will be again. My friend David Frum, rogue Republican and commentator, wrote a piece for The Atlantic headlined 'This Election Brought Out Canada's Worst.' I beg to differ. No, it didn't. The worst in our political parties maybe, perhaps even our leaders, but not in Canadians themselves."
How the NDP can effect change in a minority government: The party lost seats, went down in the popular vote and fell to fourth place in party status, but leader Jagmeet Singh believes he has leverage to implement his political agenda. Former NDP leader Ed Broadbent and former NDP House Leader Libby Davies explain, through the lessons of history, how that can work.
Satire - Resentment: Have you noticed a certain kind of scent hanging in the air since Monday? Not really the smell of victory. Certainly not the sweet smell of success....
B.C. man becomes one of the first Canadians with dementia to receive medical assistance in dying (Page available Sunday): When Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) law was passed in 2016, the widespread assumption was that it excluded those with a dementia diagnosis. Gayle Garlock, together with his wife Barbara, decided to challenge that assumption, and to test our understanding of the country's MAiD regulations. For patients, for families, for doctors, this is tricky, and largely uncharted territory. Alisa Siegel's documentary is called "Ten Minutes to Midnight."
In defence of complaining: Canadians complain as a matter of course, and we've been complaining more than usual lately — about the election campaign, the leaders debate and the fact that the country will be governed by a party that 67 percent of them didn't vote for. The din of all that bellyaching can be tiresome, but Trent University philosopher Kathryn Norlock makes the case for constructive carping — a way to make us feel less alone and maybe even change the world.
Ring Heads of the world unite: Richard Wagner's Ring Cycle divides even passionate opera lovers. It's crazy long, and depending on your point of view, epic or excessive. Sublime or bombastic. Beloved gardening guru Marjorie Harris doesn't do Wagner by halves. Her essay is called "Ring Head."
A journey to the dark and fantastical world beneath our feet: Robert Macfarlane says his work explores the relationship between the landscape and the human heart. With his latest award-winning book, he writes about the most mysterious and mythical landscape of all: The Underland — the underground realm that holds the hidden infrastructure of everyday life, the natural resources our economy runs on, our secrets, and the bones of our dead.
Mail: Affordable housing, Harold Bloom
Music this week by: Oliver Jones, Jacque Offenbach, Angele Dubeau, Air, Esmerine, Richard Wagner, Big Thief, Modest Mussorgsky, The Creaking Tree String Quartet, and Johnny Cash.