Calling a Bloc Québécois MP a racist got Jagmeet Singh removed from the House of Commons during a day when the NDP leader defended a motion condemning systemic racism in the RCMP, then refused to withdraw the wording. Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet also made headlines for saying Justin Trudeau thinks he’s a king.
When there’s always a tweet
A bit of Liberal shade from before Justin Trudeau’s time as party leader made revived rounds after he followed Stephen Harper to become the second Canadian prime minister who failed to land a seat at the United Nations Security Council. This time, the loss was to Ireland and Norway, after four years of trying really hard to bring Canada back.
Toronto cartoonist Cameron Stewart was cancelled by DC Comics. Multiple women accusing him of predatory behaviour, by pursuing teenage girls when in his 30s, led to the loss of gigs that included an upcoming project with DC. While fellow artists have commented on the allegations, Stewart hasn’t responded to inquiries about them.
Running through Dr. 6ix’s woes
Martin Jugenburg accrued over 135,000 followers on Instagram while promoting his Fairmont Royal York hotel plastic surgery clinic under the handle “Dr. 6ix,” the Toronto spin on a counterpart in Miami. The allegations that he filmed thousands of patients without their permission are currently being discussed in a hearing:
Mahatma Gandhi is ascending on the Canadian statue hit list. A petition to remove a tribute to the Indian icon, unveiled on the Carleton University campus in 2011, is part of a wave to condemn his views on Black people in South Africa. Meanwhile, slavery advocate Benjamin Vaughan no longer has a holiday in Vaughan, Ontario.
Rumours of friendship Megxit
“Social media neurosis” is Shinan Govani’s diagnosis in the deconstruction of how Jessica Mulroney ended up making threats that led to the end of her show, I Do, Redo, whose production staff will reportedly be probed about her conduct. And while she personally lays low, another round of gossip has a source claiming an additional breakup:
Juno Awards will get a virtual do-over on June 29. Saskatoon was ready to host the music ceremonies in mid-March, even while the first reports of COVID-19 deaths in Canada began, but they were cancelled at the last minute. A live-audience event also seems a long shot for the Polaris Music Prize, which recently unveiled its long list.
Finally, a paper without walls
Torstar Corporation will shift to “virtual newsrooms” across Ontario according to Peterborough Examiner managing editor Kennedy Gordon, who announced the end of their physical office, while its publisher prepares to change ownership. The flagship Toronto Star remains at One Yonge Street, but things are getting crowded around it: