Editorials - March 7, 2025

The first six weeks of Trump’s second term as President of the United States has been a wild ride, leaving many wanting to send Marty McFly and the Doc back in the DeLorean to see if they can find out where the space-time continuum was interrupted. Last week, the Trump administration announced that it was taking control of the White House press pool, in a move that stripped the role from the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) 111 years to the day that the organization had been founded. The WHCA was created in response to an unfounded rumour that a congressional committee would select who could attend press conferences of then-President Woodrow Wilson.

 

While the Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt framed the move as democratizing access to the President, even Fox News called it a “short-sighted” decision. In reality, Trump would prefer right-wing media and podcasters to frame his message, rather than traditional journalists.

 

The announcement seems to be ramping up from Trump’s decision to bar the Associated Press (AP) from the White House after it refused to amend the Gulf of Mexico in its style guide. Shortly after AP was out, a Huffpost reporter was ejected from the press pool rotation and Reuters was removed from its traditional spot, even as Trump mused on Truth Social about legal action against journalists and publishers. 

 

In a time when democracy and sovereignty are under threat, and fascism and autocracy are on the rise, we need to seek out independent, quality journalism that can report on events around the world in a fair, balanced and investigative manner. – DS

After months of secrecy and confusion, collaborative reporting by Fatima Syed and Terry Pender on behalf of both The Narwhal and The Waterloo Region Record posits that the controversial land assembly and potential expropriation of land in Wilmot Township is being done in an effort to attract a future plant from Japanese automaker Toyota.

 

Residents, allies and farm organizations have come to the defence of farmers who could lose their land, while no one has definitively been able to put their finger on why exactly the land was needed. Now we know. And because they know, residents, landowners and others can decide if they feel that the juice is worth the squeeze and that taking land from established farms is an appropriate trade-off for investment.

 

This is sure to spark debate, as significant investment would raise all boats in the area, but, as the past few months have shown, very few are supportive of scooping up someone’s land out from under them, especially in one of the most agriculturally-productive areas of the province, no matter the reason. The point is that now the cards appear to be on the table. It may have taken some dogged reporting and circumvention of tight-lipped official channels, as it so often does, but the totality of this situation now seems to be coming into focus.

 

And, with Donald Trump making good on his threat of tariffs on Tuesday, this could be another case of best laid plans.

The future of this project, if it even goes ahead, is uncertain, now more than ever, but reporting, once again, has revealed the truth. – SL 

Success in Canadian entertainment follows a familiar pattern: toil in relative obscurity at home, cross the border, make it big, and only then earn recognition back in Canada. We export our best and brightest, and when they succeed in America, our reward is getting to point out - to anyone who will listen - that they are Canadian. The system works, even if it leaves us wondering why an American stamp of approval is required before we properly celebrate our own.

 

One of the great Canadian actors who conquered American show business is Mike Myers. The beloved comedian first honed his craft at Toronto’s Second City before launching to international fame via Saturday Night Live. Last weekend, he returned to the show that made him a star, delivering an irreverent and unhinged impression of Elon Musk. But it was in the episode’s final moments that Myers made an even sharper statement. Standing centre stage in a black T-shirt emblazoned with the words “Canada is not for sale,” Myers mouthed a rallying cry: elbows up. A knowing nod to hockey culture, the gesture was unmistakable: Canada doesn’t back down from a challenge.

 

Donald Trump’s rhetoric is about stoking division between Canada and the U.S., but also within them. His goal is not negotiation, but resentment, turning allies into enemies and manufacturing a crisis. The best response isn’t just to reject his provocations, but to ensure the unity Myers invoked with his “elbows up” cry isn’t just symbolic. A country that stands together cannot be shaken by a bad-faith bargaining ploy.

 

Myers is proof that Canadians belong on the world stage. But on Saturday Night Live, he reminded us of something even more important: we don’t need anyone else’s permission to stand our ground.

 

Elbows up, Canada. – SBS