Ontario Treasury Board President and Minister of Francophone Affairs Caroline Mulroney has announced she is leaving politics — for now. In a letter to the editor, Douglas Cornish speculates that her ultimate goal may be the office once held by her father, the late Brian Mulroney, Canada's 18th prime minister.
The Obvious Continuation of the Legacy of Her Father
Re: Speculation swirls as Caroline Mulroney says she is done with politics. For now — Scott Stinson, May 25
Whenever a politician resigns suddenly in the middle of a successful career to 'begin a new chapter,' it's usually a harbinger and rarely means just stepping back for personal reasons. More likely it's an attempt to step forward and move up for professional reasons.
The Mulroney family has politics flowing through their veins; it is part of their DNA. Caroline Mulroney is the obvious continuation of the legacy of her father, former prime minister Brian Mulroney. Whatever Ms. Mulroney's plans are, one could hazard that they are likely political. Her departure is setting the stage for higher office. Replacing Ontario Premier Doug Ford would be an initial step to becoming the federal Conservative leader, or she could skip the provincial leader's job and jump right for the higher office.
Caroline Mulroney has the real opportunity of becoming the first 'elected' Canadian female prime minister, not only setting a political first, but completing a Canadian pattern of the child of a prime minister going on to hold that office themselves. It's in the cards, and this player has a good hand.
Douglas Cornish, Ottawa
Conservatives Also Deserve Recognition by Canadian Universities
Re: Nothing says generic left-winger like getting an honorary degree — Christopher Dummitt, May 21
I was heartened to read Christopher Dummitt's perceptive piece on the leftward tilt of honorary degrees awarded by Canadian universities.
One recipient on his list was Desmond Cole, whom he identified as a Toronto Star journalist turned activist.
Cole, however, isn't any old activist. Back in the fall of 2021, he was invited by the Toronto District School Board to speak to staff — mostly principals and vice-principals — in four 'professional learning sessions' about anti-Black racism. Unfortunately, the sessions turned into 'Free Palestine' rants. He even intervened in a personnel matter, defending Student Equity Program Advisor Javier Davila, who had been put on home assignment (though later reinstated to his job) for distributing anti-Israel materials to staff, including a link to the website of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which is designated as a terrorist organization by the Canadian government. Cole should not be honoured by a Canadian university.
I especially appreciated Dummitt's list of eminent Canadians from the conservative end of the spectrum who deserve equivalent recognition. The only one missing was Prof. Frances Widdowson, Canada's Sharansky/Sakharov, a model of moral courage.
Another Reader, Ottawa
