The Essay Topics Students Struggle With Most

 College writing can feel like a minefield. Some topics seem made to cause panic. Students dread these assignments for good reason. A recent survey found 68% of students get anxious about certain essays.  This number has stayed steady for years. College professors often assign these tough topics without realizing the

Ten Good Reads to to Cozy Up with This Winter

 As the year wraps up, the weather gets colder, and the days get shorter, why not light your fireplace and curl up with a good book? Here are Ottawa Life Magazine’s top ten reading picks for this season in no particular order. From thought-provoking political memoirs to enchanting and heartfelt

The Choice at the Crossroads in History, the Trend in Line with the Times

 A Global Community of Shared Future: China’s Proposals and Action By H.E. Cong Peiwu, Chinese Ambassador to Canada This year marks the tenth anniversary of President Xi Jinping's idea of building a global community of shared future. Recently, when I met with my Canadian friends, many of them expressed great

Nepal Celebrates Constitution Day and Encourages All Canadian to Visit

 Nestled in the Himalayas and home to natural wonders like Mount Everest and Chitwan National Park, as well as the combined history of a multi-cultural Buddhist and Hindu country, Nepal is a land of imagination and mystery to those who have yet to visit. Nepal sits between giant countries, China

Top book recommendations for summer reading

 Summer is here; for many, it’s the time of year to relax at the lake, at the cottage or in your backyard and decompress with a good book and a glass of whatever. Below is a list of what we feel are the ten best books for summer reading. Selections

Polling is an imperfect science, volume 10,672

 One of my all-time favourite scenes in the West Wing was a short interaction between Josh Lyman and Will Bailey. Josh: 68 per cent think we give too much in foreign aid, and 59 per cent think it should be cut. Will: You like that stat? Josh: I do. Will:

“What we have here is a failure to communicate.”

 Above: Paul Newman in an outake from the film Cool Hand Luke. The captain in Cool Hand Luke (1967) wasn’t referring to Canada’s vaccine roll out but man, his famous line is apt. Let’s be clear: most Canadians want the Covid-19 vaccine ASAP. So do most Belgians. And Germans. Argentinians. Indians. South

Five modest measures to reset the dial and elevate Canadian politics

 By Sergio Marchi When he was elected Prime Minister in 2015, Justin Trudeau promised that he would do politics “differently”. Yet, except for a period of time when federal-provincial cooperation was central to fighting Covid-19, it has largely been business as usual. Don’t get me wrong. Canada enjoys a strong

Education, Information and Democracy

 Fretting about the health of democracy has recently moved from being an esoteric activity of academics to a widespread preoccupation across much of the developed world. We treasure the ideal of democracy for good reason. While there are many forms of democracy, some more direct than others, some more secular

Everything you need to know about Trump’s new tariffs

 Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly announced his intention to impose substantial taxes on imported steel and aluminium. Trump announced that he would add a 25% tariff on steel imports and another 10% on aluminum imports, which was all brought forward during a White House meeting with the U.S.

All Parties Deserve Equitable Coverage in Elections

 By Linda Chenoweth I retired 3 years early from teaching with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board due to my disillusionment with education in Ontario, many reasons of which I have written about in the Hamilton Spectator. I have covered issues such as the invalid and unreliable EQAO testing; violence in

Little Risk Big Reward – Why Caroline Mulroney is the Smart Choice for Conservatives

 The four candidates running to replace former Progressive Conservative Party leader Patrick Brown will face off in Ottawa today in the second and final debate before the leadership vote begins this weekend, with the result to be announced March 10. The party was thrown into chaos after the resignation of

Correct Me If I’m Wrong – Episode 1: You Can’t Account For Stupid

 Ottawa Life Magazine Publisher and Managing Editor Dan Donovan provides commentary on some of the big issues of the day with a witty and at times sarcastic look at our political masters and their zany ideas. In the series' first episode, a segment called "You Can't Account for Stupid," he tackles Frankenstein

Pipelines, Politics, and Policy

 In recent years in Canada, the development of new pipelines has become a hot button issue. Chris Bloomer, President, and CEO of Canadian Energy Pipeline Association makes the case for pipelines and their importance to Canada’s economic prosperity. Proponents of pipelines in Canada often cite energy security, economic growth and

Interview: Why do Canada’s Children Lag so Far Behind?

 In a recent UNICEF report, Canada ranked in the bottom half of the world’s richest countries in overall child well-being and child equality. Experts say that a lack of access to healthcare and inadequate supports for parents are reasons why Canada lags behind. In the video below, Dr. Denis Daneman and

Parliamentary Wrap-Up Session With Rona Ambrose

 Attention: Rona Ambrose is not running for the Conservative leadership. However, after a stellar performance in the last Parliamentary session many wish she would. We sat down with the interim Leader of the Official Opposition to discuss the last Parliamentary session. OTTAWA LIFE MAGAZINE: What are your observations of the

Remembering the Politics of Fear

   The recent debate over the admittance of Syrian refugees is ominously reminiscent of events that took place over a century ago in Canada. Indeed, Syrians were among the hundreds of thousands of immigrants who entered Canada, aggressively recruited by Canadian government agents and their proxies throughout Europe, the Ottoman

OLM Argued the Case Against Mike Duffy was Groundless Back in May

 Update: Today all 31 charges were dismissed against Sen. Mike Duffy. Below you can find an article Ottawa Life Magazine publisher Dan Donovan wrote last May, arguing that Duffy was being unfairly targeted by the media. Today, the judge confirmed this suspicion. 21st Century Lynching and Shakespearean Tragedy Take Centre Stage

Budget Day 2016

 Ever wish you were a journalist working on Parliament Hill? In the slideshow below, celebrated photographer Jean-Marc Carisse captures the excitement of Budget Day 2016. [wzslider height="600" transition="'slide'"]

A Revolution in Political Communications

 It’s a safe bet that the large numbers of younger Canadians among the 3 million new voters who cast ballots in the last election did not open a paper or watch TV news to get their political information. This is the internet, mobile phone and social media generation, and they

Five Quick-Wins for Trudeau’s First Day in Office

 Photo by Jean-Marc Carisse While it takes time for a new prime minister to translate campaign rhetoric into effective policies, there are at least five quick-wins that Justin Trudeau can achieve on his very first day in office. All five can be implemented in a few minutes through simple orders-in-council

Spur Celebrates Politics, Art and Ideas

 Photo by Beibei Lu As the fervour surrounding the election wanes and Ottawa adjusts to new leadership on the Hill, the air is rife with a variety of questions raised in October: From the local: How is it that in a city and country as wealthy as this one, more

Are we finally in a health election campaign?

 Why more affordable medications for Canadians should be an all-party priority in this federal election. It's become almost a matter of faith: health and health care are perennially among the top priorities for Canadians, but are nearly invisible in election platforms and debates. This observation has led health care providers, health care

Get Your Politics On With Generous at the GCTC

 All photos courtesy of Pascal Huot The Great Canadian Theatre Company is opening its season with a solid hit of political theatre. Generous, by award-winning Canadian playwright Michael Healey, is a great play to see at any time, but it’s a special treat during an election campaign. Generous at first

In Defence of Parliament

 As I watch the frenzied, over-the-top media coverage of the supposed Senate scandal, I'm reminded of the famous Will Rogers adage. “All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that's an alibi for my ignorance.” Lost in this mass media morass is balance and proportionality. There