John Ibbitson
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Writer and journalist. Senior Fellow, Munk Centre. Author: The Duel, Empty Planet & Big Shift (with Darrell Bricker) Stephen Harper, The Landing.
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Articles by John Ibbitson
Canada is at a breaking point-the growing generational gap is a big reason why
Commentary 15 November 2025 A Canadian shows her patriotism during a Canada Day parade in Cremona, Alta., July 1, 2025. Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press. The following is an excerpt from Breaking Point: The new big shifts putting Canada at risk (Signal, 2025). It has been edited and condensed for clarity. Be sure to watch your podcast platforms for our in-depth interview with Bricker and Ibbitson this coming Monday. Many young Canadians are giving up on their future.
Canada Is Becoming a Conservative Nation
Commentary By John Ibbitson The Liberal government’s defeat in the Oct. 14 Newfoundland and Labrador election leaves only one Liberal provincial government remaining in all the land—that of Premier Susan Holt in New Brunswick. As well, the government in Yukon is Liberal. Better than nine in 10 Canadians live in a province or territory without a Liberal government. Most of the provincial governments are conservatives of one variety of another, with the NDP governing in Manitoba and British Columbia.
Carney’s new agenda faces old Canadian problems
Commentary By John Ibbitson In his June speech announcing a major buildup of Canada’s military, Prime Minister Mark Carney repeated his belief that this country faces a “hinge moment” of the sort the allied countries confronted after the Second World War. A better comparison might be with the beginning of the war itself. Then, the Allies found themselves at war with an autocratic state bent on their defeat and possible destruction.
The Transformation of Atlantic Canada's Economy
By Don Mills and David Campbell discuss their book Toward Prosperity: The Transformation of Atlantic Canada's Economy. Book recommendations: Mellon vs. Churchill: The untold story of treasury titans at war. By Jill Eicher Empty Planet: The shock of global population decline. By Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson
John Ibbitson: The Laurentian elite strikes back
On December 15, 2024, Pierre Poilievre was poised to enjoy a thumping victory in the next federal election. The next day, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned, and everything went south. The Conservatives lost because they failed to respond sufficiently to Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs and annexation. But they also lost because the Laurentian elite, its very survival under threat, rallied to the Liberal cause and brought it victory, one more time.
John Ibbitson: The forked road Canadian voters face on election day
As Canadians head to the polls today, polling aggregators have Mark Carney’s Liberals ahead of Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives. But the two parties are close enough for the outcome to remain uncertain. If you haven’t voted already, the choice is now up to you.
John Ibbitson: Pierre Poilievre didn’t decisively win the leaders’ debate-but Mark Carney likely lost it
Mark Carney wants this election to be about Donald Trump. Pierre Poilievre wants it to be about the Liberal record. During Thursday night’s English-language debate, Trump’s name rarely came up. Instead, the leaders tussled over everything from housing policy to street crime to Ukraine. This advantaged the Conservative leader and disadvantaged the Liberal leader. Poilievre didn’t really win the debate. But Carney probably lost it.
John Ibbitson: Poilievre’s critics are dead wrong. We do, in fact, need to talk about family fertility
Pierre Poilievre took flak this week for speaking out about couples who want to have children but who are running out of time. His critics are dead wrong. Economic challenges and government policies are making it harder than in the past for couples who want children to have them. Political leaders should be trying to overcome those challenges, rather than waving them away or fussing over the words we use to talk about them.
Canada’s demographic future is at stake
Commentary By: John Ibbitson Whichever party forms government after the April 28 election must put Canada’s broken immigration system at the top of the to-do list. This country has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates. Were it not for immigration, our population would soon start to decline, just as it’s declining in dozens of other low-fertility countries around the world.
Breaking Point: The New Big Shifts Putting Canada At Risk Book By Darrell Bricker,john Ibbitson, ('tc')
Skip to main content Skip to footer content Set your store to easily check hours, get directions, and see what’s in stock. Want to save this for later? Please sign in or create an account. We’ll send you an email as soon as this item is available to buy online. bvseo_sdk, dw_cartridge, 18.2.0, p_sdk_3.2.0 CLOUD, getAggregateRating, 5ms reviews, product bvseo-msg: Unsuccessful GET. status = 'ERROR', msg = 'Not Found.'; $30.00 Price reduced from $40.00 to Online pricing.
Fixing Canada’s immigration system should be next government’s top priority
By John Ibbitson Whichever party forms government after the April 28 election must put Canada’s broken immigration system at the top of the to-do list. This country has one of the world’s lowest fertility rates. Were it not for immigration, our population would soon start to decline, just as it’s declining in dozens of other low-fertility countries around the world.
John Ibbitson: Carney and Poilievre are trying to sideline the media. It’s not going to work
Both Liberal leader Mark Carney and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre are trying to limit exposure to the media. Both will fail. However weakened the mainstream, legacy, or whatever-you-want-to-call-it press may be, knowledgeable reporters digging into the issues and asking tough questions remain vital to a free and fair election. Those reporters will play that role in this election as well. Conventional wisdom holds that the traditional media are in permanent decline.
Can the Hard Right Find Pro-Natalist Policies that Work?
"No pushchairs" by LoopZilla is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Europe is on the brink of a serious population crisis. There were 449m people in the European Union (EU) on 1 January 2023, according to Eurostat. The median age in the bloc is almost 45, while 21.3% of the population are above 65 and only 14.9% are below the age of 15. Thanks for reading Sharpen Your Axe! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
John Ibbitson: Making the election all about Donald Trump would be a mistake
What will be the defining issue in the upcoming federal election: judging the Liberal decade, or protecting Canada from Donald Trump? If it’s the former, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre should win that election, despite the recent Liberal surge in the polls. But if Trump is the defining issue, Mark Carney could entrench his whirlwind transformation from private citizen to Liberal prime minister. It is impossible to understate the galvanizing effect Carney has had on this country’s politics.
Here’s how First Nations can access a reliable source of revenue
By John Ibbitson According to Pierre Poilievre, a Conservative government would permit First Nations to directly receive tax revenues from resource development on their ancestral territories. Political leaders of all parties should commit to such direct taxation. Because time is short. Faced with the prospect of tariffs and other hostile American actions, Canada must build new energy infrastructure, mine critical minerals and diversify trade. First Nations participation is critical to these plans.
‘An uninspiring yawnfest’: The Hub reacts to the Liberal Party’s English-language leader’s debate
Last night marked the final debate of the race to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Former deputy prime minister Chystia Freeland, former central banker Mark Carney, former cabinet minister Karina Gould, and one-time Liberal MP and businessman Frank Baylis squared off for the party’s English-language debate in Montreal.
‘A success’: The Hub reacts to Pierre Poilievre’s pivotal Canada First rally
All eyes were on Montreal Saturday evening as Canadians from across the country fixated on the Canada-U.S. hockey game for the 4 Nations Faceoff. Earlier in the day, however, another event was attracting the attention of the political world: Pierre Poilievre’s Canada First rally in Ottawa, where the Conservative leader gathered thousands of supporters to celebrate Flag Day and outline his vision for the country.
Canada could cut deal with U.S.-increase defence spending, remove tariffs
By John Ibbitson Because we live in dangerous times, and because an honest country keeps its word, Canada should meet its NATO commitment to spend at least 2 per cent of GDP on defence. But there’s another reason to live up to that promise—it’s good for trade. Countries that are able to defend themselves earn the respect of their allies. That respect can provide tangible benefits. Consider Cyprus and the Auto Pact.
What’s next for Trudeau and the Liberals after a chaotic 2024
Please log in to bookmark this story. As new details around the feud between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland emerge, the Liberal caucus gathered on Tuesday to awkwardly celebrate the holidays. The fete came after the final two days of the fall sitting of Parliament where a lot happened. John Ibbitson is a columnist and reporter based in Ottawa for The Globe.
How The Globe and Mail covered and influenced Canada’s history
Please log in to bookmark this story. For 180 years, The Globe and Mail has covered the biggest issues and events in Canada. To commemorate its history, editor John Ibbitson and more than two dozen Globe and Mail journalists dug into the archives to answer the question: “how did the Globe’s coverage intersect with Canada and influence its story?”. The answer to that question can be found in the new book, ‘A Nation’s Paper: The Globe and Mail in the Life of Canada.
Opinion: Trudeau has made the right moves navigating Trump’s tariff pledge – if he won’t start fresh
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