Nouvelles

James Travers National Affairs Columnist, Toronto Star “Camelot Lost: Canada's disappearing democracy”

10 March, 2009

will speak at Bishop’s University on Wednesday, March 18, 2009
from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in the Cleghorn Room of McGreer Hall

Once a world model, Canada's democracy is fracturing under the combined weight of change, cynicism and irrelevancy. Every link in the accountability chain that connects citizens and their vital interests to politicians and to Parliament is either broken or showing stress cracks. Members of Parliament breach their contract with voters by switching parties, cabinet is treated as a focus group with less influence than appointed officials, Prime Ministers disregard the policies of their parties along with the opinion of caucus. Is there a fix? Yes, and it doesn't demand all that much from the graduating class of 2009 or those that are to follow.

James Travers is currently an Ottawa-based national affairs columnist for the Toronto Star, a position he has held since 1999. He brings to the post his extensive experience as a former foreign correspondent and editor of three of Canada’s leading news organizations.

From 1988 to 1991, Travers was based in Ottawa as Editor and General Manager of Southam News, following six years as a foreign correspondent for Southam in Zimbabwe, Cyprus, and throughout Africa and the Middle East. From 1991 to 1996 he was Editor-in-Chief of Southam’s flagship paper, the Ottawa Citizen, and in 1997 he was first named Ottawa Editor and then Executive Managing Editor of the Toronto Star.

He appears frequently as a guest political analyst and commentator on CBC Newsworld, CBC TV, CTV and other electronic media outlets. His journalism has been recognized by a number of prestigious awards including the Hy Solomon for public policy writing and the Charles Lynch for political commentary.

This free lecture is open to the public.

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